How to Illustrate your own Stories & Books?

• Illustrations will make your Story more Vivid.
• They’ll give it more depth.
• They allow the Public to develop a more durable & more memorable bond with the Story.
• As a Writer you may not have the Skills necessary to draw.
• Or even to know what to draw.
• Though, it is fairly simple to compose your future Story with the appropriate illustrations.

Summary – Illustrating your Story

1. Start with 6 to 12 Characters.
2. Refine the Characters’ Designs.
3. Draw the 10 Main Scenes of the Story.
4. Decide if you need more Scenes.
5. Draw a 1st Cover.
6. Draw 2 other Cover Designs.
7. Choose the most suitable.
8. Integrate the other 2 in the Book.



Characters

• Start with 6 to 12 Characters
• Start with Simple Silhouettes.
• Use different Body Types to create Visual Contrast.
• Draw Tall & Small Characters.
• Thin & Thick ones.
• Muscular Characters & Curvaceous Characters.
• Busty Characters & Slender ones.
• Try different body types combinations.
• You can end up with 12 different silhouettes quite easily.
• Try to draw at least 1 Character every day.

• Refine the Characters’ Designs
• What defines your Character?
• What makes her Unique?
• How would you make different?
• Now that you have the basic Block, what should you add?
• Characters will be defined by their Facial Features.
• Here too, create variations.
• The Size, Shape & Inclination of the different facial feature will have a significant impact on the Character’s perception by the Public.
• Try different Eyes.
• Different Noses, Ears, Lips, Cheekbones, Cheeks.
• Try different Skin Textures.
• Which kind of Skin would suit this Character?
• How thick should it be?
• Re-draw at least 1 Character every day.
• Re-draw them until you have 4-5 different design per Character.
• If these designs are inappropriate for this Story you could use them for another one.
  • It’s never wasted practice.

• Strengths & Weaknesses
• Expose the Strengths & Weakness through visual means.
• Through the poses.
• Through the Character’s gestures.
• Through their Accessories.

• Quirks
• Quirks are the last stage of your Drawing.
• Still, keep it simple & clear.
• Use Symbols & Iconography to make use of cultural acceptations.
• Which Accessories should the Character bear?
• Which Hairstyle would make her more Attractive?
• Which Headdress would make her more Remarkable?
• Which Clothes would suit her?
• Don’t overdo the Accessories.
• 1 – 2 Quirks per Characters are sufficient.

If you want to know more about drawing Characters.



Relationships

• Diversity & Consistency
• Body types allow you to develop Visual Contrast.
• Characters should look different.
• And their Difference should helps them to develop affinities.
• As you draw them a Complementarity should emerge.
• Look for this Complementarity in Forms.
• Sense of Proximity or Distance between 2 Characters
• Try to draw all your Characters on the same Paper sheet.
  • Or digital canvas.
• What do you see?
• Which shapes complement each other?
• Which Characters seem to get along?

• Roles & Functions – Quirks
• Can you depict a Character’s Role in a Group?
• Or a Character’s Function in the Story?
• Yes.
• You just need to make her Quirks more Readable.
• Certain Accessories correspond to a Specific Role or Function.
• Make these Accessories more Specific.

• Roles & Functions – Positions
• Try different Positions.
• If a Character occupy a certain Role, let’s say Leader, you’ll want her to be in front of the Group.
  • Or standing back, depending on the type of Leader.
• Here too, re-draw the Characters.
• Draw them many times in group.
• Try different Characters in the same group.
• See how they pair.
• How they’d interact.
• Draw them in different Environments.
• How would their interactions be affected by the Environment?

• Relationship with the Environment
• Draw a Character in her preferred Environment.
• It could be the place she was born in.
• It could be the place in which she spend most of her time.
• Draw another Character next to her.
• How do they interact?
• Draw a 3rd Character.
• Where is she in the image?
• What is she doing?
• Is she trying to interact with the other 2?

If you want to know more about how to display Relationships.

10 Scenes

• Draw the 10 Main Scenes of the Story
• 10 Chapters is a great number to create Consistency.
• In the beginning, and you may not need more than that.
• Draw 10 Scenes.
• For each chapter, Draw the 1 Scene which Defines the Chapter.
• The Scene which depicts the Chapter’s crucial event.
• Where does the Protagonist stands in this Scene.
• What she looses.
• What she wins.

• Decide if you need more Scenes
• If you have multiple months to write your Story you’ll want to diversify the types of scenes you display.
• You’ll also want to redraw them.
• Do not discard any Scenes you’ve already drawn.
• If you’ve drawn a Scene, it is drawn.
• When it comes to Photography, spontaneity is key.
• The 1st batch of Scenes you’ve drawn may be the most important.
• Do not put them away.
• Rather than this, Complement them with more scenes.
• Eventually add more details to the original Scene.

• What if I need more than 10 Scenes?
• You may want to draw Up to 40 different Scenes for 1 Story.
• Or 4 per Chapter.
• Mare than 40 Scenes would be detrimental to the Story’s Clarity & concision.
• 40 is also quite a high amount.
• If your are starting you may not want to draw as many Scenes.

If you want to know more about Composition.



Cover

• 3 Ideas
• Draw your 1st Cover.
• Draw 2 other Cover Designs.
• How different are they?
• How do you Represent the 4 main Themes of the Story?
• How are they displayed?
• Are they clearly visible?
• Which Themes are prevalent?
• Is one of them hiding the others?

• Display
• How would you display your Cover?
• Which imagery is adapted?
• Will you use the 3 versions?
• Which 1 should be on the Front?
• Which 1 should be on the Back?
• Did you create a Continuity between them 3?
• How does it fit, as 1 Continuous Cover?
• What do you want the Public to see?
• What do you you show them?
• Which Information did you hide in the Cover?
• Which Hidden Imagery did you use?

• Definitive Composition
• If 1 Cover is prevalent over the other 2, you may want to only use it.
• You are the one balancing diversity & consistency.
• If you estimate that your Themes will be clearer thanks to 1 cover you will privilege it.
• Choose the most suitable.
• And Integrate the other 2 in the Book.
• These other covers may serve as support for your interior Scenes.