I've found all of my illustrators through Instagram!
When I share this fact, most people are surprised. It isn't a conventional way of doing business. But when has any part of my Self-Publishing business been conventional?
In fact, I find the 'traditional' way of putting picture books together very bizarre. This is because the author and illustrator rarely get to collaborate directly on a book. The words are sent to the illustrator and the publisher gives direction to how they want the pictures to be interpreted.
In my opinion, the illustrations are more important in a picture book than words, and therefore crucial to have some form of dialogue between the creator of the words and creator of the pictures. My books are testament to this. Do you really think that 'My Family is so Scottish' would have included a mixed-heritage family without sharing the story of why this was important to Karen?
I do also believe that illustrators need to have a broad enough brief to also play with their interpretation of the story. Giving too specific direction won't bring out the best and most creative ideas.
So how did we get the right illustrators for our books?
I found Steven and Karen (who both illustrated two of my four books) through illustrator hashtags on Instagram. I had followed these for a while and used the save feature to gather illustration styles I thought would suit each book. When the time was right to start looking, I reached out to illustrators on my saved list to see if they were interested in collaborating.
For 'Pirate Penguin' I posted a request for illustrators to submit an illustration of a pirate penguin in their style and use #piratepenguin. This was so that Hunter had a better way of comparing illustration styles and could be involved in the selection process. It really did help because Hunter was better able to articulate what he liked about the different illustrations, creating his own style preference.
Nicci wasn't initially one of the submissions, but after understanding more about the style we needed, I shared my post with Nicci and asked her if she'd like to submit her own drawing. I'd been impressed with Nicci's portfolio of work through her Instagram page. She has been published through numerous publishing houses and the books are vibrant with memorable characters. I was thrilled when she sent through a sketch and Hunter instantly loved it.
Working with Nicci has been a dream. After a briefing with Hunter and signing contracts, Nicci produced a sketch version of the story over 13 spreads. (That's 13 double pages)
This was a great way of showing her plan for the story, text placement and character expressions. We gave our feedback and throughout July Nicci has been sending us her full-colour pages.
The illustrations for Pirate Penguin are amazing.
I cannot wait to share them with you.
Nicci has not only interpreted Hunter's story perfectly, but has added humour, character and movement which elevates the book to a higher level. Her understanding of composition and action is likely testament to her experience in both illustrating and animation.
She's also an absolute joy to work with.
Excited? Not long to go until we open our pre-orders, so please ensure you are subscribing to our newsletter to get your hands on a first edition of Pirate Penguin.
You can subscribe here: newsletter – Sequoia publishing
Follow Nicci here: Instagram
See Nicci's portfolio here: Nicci Martin - Freelance Illustrator & Graphic designer, Cape Town in Cape Town, South Africa :: Behance
