This week I made another normal trip to UPS to send my illustrations to Harper Collins like I have been for months now. But this time....it was a special delivery.
The final art for Christmas Goodnight is in! DONE AND DONE!
Did you hear that? I have to keep pinching myself. For real? Have I really finished? Remember how this journey started a year ago? Yes. One year. And a great year at that. I have a completely new perspective of children's books now. I've always known in my head how much goes into a picture book, but it wasn't until I actually became an illustrator myself, have I fully understood the labor of love involved.
The actual final art took only about 6-8 weeks in the making. What takes so long is getting the vision, storyline and sketches just right. Well, that and a whole bunch of big life events that I had to work around (having baby #3, moving twice and becoming a first time homeowner all while trying to make deadlines!) And though the book took longer than expected, it couldn't have worked out better. In that year's worth of work, I've also been given an education of a lifetime! For someone who kinda skipped the whole art school scene, this has been my Illustrating Children's Book Degree. You guys, the publishing world is SO COOL and the people that get the books out there on the shelves are SO SMART and TALENTED and just plain AMAZING. I've been so lucky to work with such gifted mentors. There is so much that goes into getting a book to be at it's best. I think I've gone through at least 15 revisions of just this short Christmas book. But getting the vision and the storyline just right, as well as all the visual details right takes patience and creativity, and I'm so glad I got to work with the kind of people that know creativity and ideas come when they come, and can't be forced.
I will for sure post more about the book and it's insides once it gets closer to publication. But, it's not going to be for a good while. I've sent the art to the big guys in New York and there are a lot of color scanning and adjustments that they do, and then it's off to press which takes several months all together.
So that's that! Now it's off to unpacking boxes and really moving into our house...and getting out some new art. Sorry guys...this blog hasn't been very artsy lately...but that's cause everything has been going to this book. Stay tuned for more art soon. There's a lot bubbling up that's needs to surface now that Christmas is over around here!
PS-If you are new to the blog, here's the info about the book:
A Christmas Goodnight written by Laura Godwin, illustrated by Sarah Jane Wright
Published with Katherine Tegan Books, an imprint of Harper Collins Children's
Coming to stores Fall 2011