Project Type: Children’s Picture Book - an adaptation of Little Red Riding hood with a twist.
Specifications: 300 dpi, full colour (CMYK), full bleed. 32 pages (including cover, spine and intro pages)
Timeframe: 3 weeks
Deliverables: 15 full spread illustrations, cover page/spine/back cover, end pages.
Audience: Children aged 4–6 learning to read.
Aims: To make a version of red riding hood with a playful tone that mixes atmospheric images with a comedic story.
Specifications: 300 dpi, full colour (CMYK), full bleed. 32 pages (including cover, spine and intro pages)
Timeframe: 3 weeks
Deliverables: 15 full spread illustrations, cover page/spine/back cover, end pages.
Audience: Children aged 4–6 learning to read.
Aims: To make a version of red riding hood with a playful tone that mixes atmospheric images with a comedic story.
RESEARCH
TIME TO HIT THE BOOKS
Key texts for fairytales context
|
|
|
How to make a children's book? The process.
|
|
|
Artist Focus: Jon Klassen
|
|
Quentin Blake: The King of Illustration
Funky book layouts:
PLAN:
- 32 PAGE BOOK
- AIMED AT 4-6 YEAR OLDS
- FULL COLOUR CMYK
- (210 mm X 297 mm) A4LANDSCAPE
- 150gsm UNCOATED
- 3MM BLEED
- MINIMUM 300DPI
- BOTH HARDCOVER AND PAPER BACK
IDEAS
Thumbnails
Wrap around cover
|
|
|
|
|
DEVELOPMENT
Double page spreads
Through the woods pages 4-5
|
|
Consider moon placement - shadows are wider the further away
Keep typography smaller, add details to little red.
The howl
|
|
Picking up little red
The wolf's jaws
In the wolf's belly
|
|
Colours get in the way - consider dark tones
Back to thumbnails - what would be more effective
|
|
|
|
Add type, clear lighting.
Re-designing Little Red Riding Hood
Inspiration
|
|
|
Making an 'emma' version
Stronger silhouette - limited colour palette
|
|
|
|
Page tests
|
|
Somethings not right -> they need to live in the same world. Back to the drawing board.
Inspo:
Inspo:
|
|
|
Ideas: More playful
|
|
Somewhere between the two?
Add the textures back in:
legs might need to be longer
Page test - fix shadows, lighting, proportions, direction of moon, forest background.
|
|
I AM LOST
Revised thumbnails, some made the cut, others were changed
Back to basics - strong silhouette, added details (boot, scarf, arms) keep tear drop shaped head.
Wolf looks better in the vertical
|
|
Make typography simpler and more dramatic
|
Little red character design part 2
|
Little red final design
|
|
|
Eye in the sky pg 6-7
|
Eyes in the forest surrounding her?
Only one light on red?
|
Singular red eye in the corner?
Silhouettes?
|
Add texture and moonlight - bring it into the same world as the other page
|
|
Bring little red into foreground - make it feel as if someone is behind her - unease
The picnic pg 22-23
|
|
|
|
Somewhere along the way I resized this image to the wrong ratio. I am an idiot.
NOW WE'RE GETTING SOMEWHERE
Correct the grammar, lighten up background, add more spaced in the composition for text and characters to breathe.
The bonfire pg 24-25
|
|
|
|
Somethings not working - lets start again.
Fallen asleep pg 26-27
Typography...
|
|
Book mockup (mini version) seeing how the pages flow and consistency in style etc.
Final Crit:
Two different styles in book - need to make CHOICES - character style, line work, rendering, etc.
Tighten up typography
Print out at real-to-life sizes to check before print.
Last minute project disasters: I forgot about bleed: Need 3mm bleed on all sides of every piece
PRINT TEST:
Two different styles in book - need to make CHOICES - character style, line work, rendering, etc.
Tighten up typography
Print out at real-to-life sizes to check before print.
Last minute project disasters: I forgot about bleed: Need 3mm bleed on all sides of every piece
PRINT TEST:
|
|
Notes: Some colours are a lot duller than on screen despite using CMYK - need to lighten up images, typography placement too low on first page. Text is readable. Textures are not always picked up if they are too subtle.
Includes 3mm bleed, colours adjusted.
Page 8-9
|
|
Current state of project:
Redo the cover
Little footsteps to tie into the narrative...
|
|