Wednesday, February 28, 2007

The Nitty Gritty Guts of a Book Dummy

Since I am always pressed for time, opportunities to work on my own projects are few and far between. So, I've decided to make time. I'm hell bent on getting this book dummy done, even if it means adding a 25th and 26th hour in the day that didn't exist before. Everything posted below was done on a moleskin journal or scratch paper while waiting; lines, stop lights, drive throughs, etc. Instead of counting ceiling tiles, why not make use of the time we spend waiting for things in day to day life to complete projects that we can never seem to get to? The only way to get large projects like these done and on the desks of editors is to chip away - each chip counts!

As I've stated before, the polar bear story is being put on hold for a while since I found a book similar in plot and character (darn it darn it darn it!). So, my next story is "Something Weird At My Lunch", one which I ended up liking better anyway, so I guess it all works out in the end. Whether this book gets published or not, I'm really going to enjoy the process of putting the mock-up together and seeing the words and pictures come alive.




Thumbnail for a double page spread idea for pages 2-3 while waiting in Banana Republic. Moleskine journal.



Manuscript with notes on page divisions, illustration notes, and ideas for wordless spreads. These notes were written in while waiting for a friend at the mall.


Character designs for main character -drawn at the gym.

Double page spread thumbnail for pages 4-5. Possible character design for teacher. Moleskine journal.

6 comments:

Ginger*:) said...

Paige this is fascinating, (sorry about the Polar bear story... )
But tell us..how can you draw at the gym?

Paige Keiser said...

Hiya Ginger! Well I go with a friend of mine and sometimes I end my workout before she does, or vice-versa. They have tables and chairs everywhere, so alls I need is sketchbook and pencil. :0)

Elizabeth said...

this is really, really interesting Paige, thanks for posting it!

I have no knowledge of how illustrators go about their work, so it gives me a little bit of insight as to how you do it. WELL DONE for finding a way of squeezing extra time into the day - a few top tips there for me I feel, as I'm always up against it.

P.S. I just took delivery of my very first Moleskine yesterday - a 'Well Done!' present to myself. How I could NOT have known of their existence until just 2 weeks ago just amazes me! But now I do, I'm in love :-)

Elizabeth said...

P.P.S - sorry about the Polar Bear Story, but good luck with this new one.

Courtney Pippin-Mathur said...

i love the little guy holding the book in your first sketch, mid-way down in the post. good luck with your book dummy. It is so hard to get them finished!

Paige Keiser said...

HI Elizabeth - yay for your new moleskine, have fun with it!! Everyone deserves a 'well done' present.

Courtney - it is soooo hard to finish dummies, isn't it? They're tough work, plust the pressure of both getting it right, and making sure it's good enough for the publishers. Ack! It's exciting too though.