Drawing with Artists

I need a dragon that looks surprised. Can you do that?

I… wasn’t sure what to do with this. I knew the kind of thing I wanted, but I’d never really worked with an artist before.

Okay, that’s not entirely true. Sorry. I’ve worked with artists for all our covers. Overall, it’s been a positive experience. The cover artists want guidance. What do I want on the cover? What’s the feel of the story? What am I trying to convey?

I’d like to think I’ve gotten better at communicating with cover artists. I know I’ve not been disappointed by a single cover I’ve received!

But now… now, this is something new. See, my next project is an illustrated book.

So first I had to find an artist that could do black-and-white drawings in the style I wanted. And then I had to find out if they were available. And then they had to read the book to see if they wanted to take on the project. And then we had to hammer out a contract.

Honestly, it was a lot.

But as I spoke with the artist, I found she was as excited as we were. She has some fantastic ideas. Should this book do well, she’s on board for another book!

But now she wants my ideas for illustrations.

So I just read through the book again. The idea is that each chapter gets a unique illustration. But she’d like some ideas from me!

So… I just read through it and made a list of suggestions. And I’m looking forward to seeing what she does!

And just so you get a taste of what’s coming…

But more will be coming soon!