And just like that, the third and last guest session at this edition of my online creative writing programme is over! This one was an illustration workshop, conducted by children’s book illustrator and author Tanvi Bhat.
As always, the participants had so many questions! Here are a handful.
How do we create our own style of illustration?
I loved how Tanvi explained that finding your own style is not as important as the content. Isn’t that the same with writing too?
I also found interesting the idea that an illustration does not have to be perfect; it has to carry the story. I think, here, the idea of ‘perfect’ is well worth examining. As a child, I was disturbed and annoyed by pictures that were untrue to the story, but if the big toe were on the wrong side of the foot, would I even notice?
How long does the process take?
The eternal question. Children are often aghast at how long it takes for a book to become a book. In fact, the illustration happens much faster than the rest of it!
How do you get a commission?
Visit the websites of publishers and follow their guidelines. They’ll get in touch when they have a project that they feel will suit you.
Finally, Tanvi gave them an exercise – creating thumbnails for the illustration of a story. Four participants shared their work during the session, but for the rest, with all the questions and interaction, we ran out of time!
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