Do you have a question for Tammy? Write to her at:
books@bookaroos.com

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HOW DID YOU CREATE THE ILLUSTRATIONS IN POLLIWOG?

First, I created a storyboard. A STORYBOARD is a visual outline or map of the entire book. It helps me decide how many pictures to draw and where will each picture go in the story. I draw 32 squares (because my book has 32 pages) then I draw a "thumbnail" sketch in each square of what I want that page to look like. When I created the storyboard for Polliwog (Figure 1, below), I divided the book into two parts: the first sixteen pages and the last sixteen pages. Pages 1-16 (black and white drawings) proceed down the left column and pages 17-32 (full color drawings) proceed up the right column from the bottom of the page. I wanted later pages to mirror images and events from earlier pages, and this layout allowed me to see which images to repeat in the last half of the book. For example, pages 26/27 are a mirror image of pages 6/7 with respect to characters (both their positions on the page and their emotions).


Figure 1

Pages 1-16 / Pages 17-32
Storyboard

LAYOUT

Black White

1
2/3
4/5
6/7
8/9
10/11
12/13
14/15
16
 Full Color

32
30/31
28/29
26/27
24/25
22/23
20/21
18/19
17

TO VIEW A LARGER
VERSION OF THE STORYBOARD,
CLICK HERE.


Next, I decided I wanted the drawings in Polliwog to be more complex than the illustrations in Tiny Snail.
My first book, Tiny Snail, contained sixteen drawings. Each picture was a single piece of art with the exception of a few collages. When the art for a page was complete, I scanned the final picture into the computer. But the art in Polliwog was far more complex. In the end, Polliwog is made up of thirty-two pieces of finished art, and each piece of art is a collage made up of (on average) fifteen or more pictures or layers. I worked on the illustrations from April 2002 through August 2002, December 2002 to February 2003, and May 2003 through July 2003 (11 months).




Figure 2 is an example of art from Tiny Snail. It is a single piece of paper with art rendered
using colored pencils and watercolor.
Figure 2

Pages 10-11 of Tiny Snail
Figure 3

Page 18 of Polliwog


Figure 3 is an example of a finished piece of art in Polliwog. This picture is made up of five seperate pieces of paper or art drawn in either colored pencil or watercolor. Each picture was then scanned into the computer and arranged into seperate layers. The finished piece is made up of 25 layers or seperate drawings.

From the beginning I wanted to do the first half of the book in black and white and the second half in color. I wanted the first sixteen pages to tell the story with words and black and white art, but half way through the story, when Polliwog emerges from the pond, I wanted the book to transition into full color and at that point the rest of the story would be told only in pictures. Constructing twelve pages of full color art that would show the action and tell the story without words was quite a challenge. And when the work was completed in June 2003, I decided I would not only have to add a few words to the full color art, but I had to add some color to the black and white pictures in the first half of the book. I did this in order to create balance, harmony and continuity between the two parts.

Each illustration is made up of several individual drawings in colored pencil or watercolor. Each drawing was then scanned into the computer and cut away from the background so the image could be isolated. Final illustrations were created in the computer using a graphics program to combine individual drawings.

The repetition of objects and characters in the art demonstrates the circle-of-life, while Polliwog's outer and inner transformations are represented by my use of color. As Polliwog leaves one state of being for another, her perception of the world is permanently altered. Her new understanding enables her to see old scenes and friends in color rather than in black and white.

Polliwog's journey is a metaphor for change in our lives. Whether we like it or not, change is inevitable, but the experience may enable us to "see" in a new light.

CREATING THE COVER ART...

WORKING TOWARDS FINAL COVER ART JANUARY-JULY 2003


January 2003

June 2003

July 2003



The original cover art created in January 2003 was a view of the pond from above looking down at the frog on the lily pad. I was thrilled with the picture (it took forever to create!), but when I showed it to several people, they did not understand what they were looking at. I used green water colors to paint the water under the lily pad (I wanted green water because the pond is full of algae), but this did not allow enough contrast between the lily pad and water. So In June I applied a special effect in Photoshop that transformed the color of the water to a light blue but still allowed some of the green to show through which still gives the idea of algae in the water.

Since the cover for both Tiny Snail and Kaleidonotesshows what the character(s) look like from the front (front of book) and back (back of book), I wanted to do something similar for Polliwog. Since half the book took place underwater and the other half outside the pond, I decided to do views from above and below (rather than front and back):



ORIGINAL BACK COVER ORIGINAL FRONT COVER
FINAL PAGE 32 FINAL PAGE 1

But as I prepared to send the final book to the printer, I decided these pictures would not work for the cover. I shifted this art to the first and last pages inside the book, and designed a new cover- a large, single piece of art that would wrap around the book:



My only reservation about using this art for the cover was that Polliwog is about to leave the pond in this scene, and of course, she is afraid. She is unsure what awaits her above the surface of the water. I wanted the character on the front to look happy, but in the end, I knew that would not work for this book. The story is about facing life's challenges and overcoming and adapting to change. I felt this picture captured the essence of that vision.


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Copyright 1999-2007 by Tammy Carter Bronson