Draw-it-Yourself books are completely new children's stories I have written for general sale, but they are also books that definitely require illustration.   You can imagine how frustrated I was at first when I realised just how much a child needs to see an illustration to match it to the story line in order to help with the continuation of their brain development in reading ... and knowing I couldn't supply it (or afford to pay someone to do it).   I couldn't draw two straight lines in a row to save myself - so I was at a loss to know what to do.    

 

   Then I had a long thought about it and realized that the child needed explanations to understand what the story was saying in normal circumstances and whoever was helping the child, either by reading to them, or helping them read themselves, would normally supply that extra knowledge ... and they could help with the drawings.  That would be simple enough.  Whoever was reading the book could provide the illustrations at whatever artistic level they possessed and explain their drawings to the child as they progressed, or they could encourage the child to do it themselves and guide the child through each page.

 

   The books are written in a style that is similar to the old saturday afternoon serials at the movies (with cliff hanger endings on most pages).   The text is written on the left hand page of the book, while the right hand page is meant to be Illustrated with the events taking place on the preceding page.   To make things easier for the junior and newer artist I have added a 1 -2 line synopsis of the text on the preceding page to the page that will house the illustrations and they can make their own decision whether to leave the synopsis on the page or draw over it.

 

   I should explain at this stage that the page size is a4 (Landscape format), Premium grade, white, 180gsm cartridge paper (sketch paper) suitable for pencil sketches, charcoal and paint.

 

   There are two versions of some of the books and that is because I have written two different versions of the story due to the length of the story (per page), in the senior version which would, most likely, be too much for a child under six to comprehend.  While the junior version may prove to be too boring for an older child to enjoy and want to draw.  If you find you disagree with my thoughts please let me know.  There will be more titles added over the coming year and some of those will also have two versions.

 

   Once I realized there was the potential for somebody other than me to do the drawings, of course my brain went into overdrive as I began coming up with an array of situations as to who could provide them, and I will share some of these with you.

 

NOTE:   Should the impending artist be known before placing the order they can have their name printed in the appropriate areas of the book, including the front cover before delivery, otherwise it will have to be written by hand.  There is no charge for this service.    The front and back covers can also be laminated at no charge, however laminating the front cover will prevent the artist having their name placed on the outside cover unless it has been typed in before dispatch.   Please allow for approx. 7 - 10 days for delivery as all books are made by hand, on order, to allow for the extra time required in production.  If signatue and laminating is not required then earlier delivery should be expected.   Please remember laminating, and printing the artist's name to the book, are a free service, but acceptance does eliminate the ability to return books.

 

Child artists

 

   Firstly, it would be great if the child who owns  the book was encouraged to draw the illustrations themselves.   Depending upon the situation, including when the child needs help to draw the pictures, they may need several attempts to make a reasonable go of it, so I would suggest the inital attempts were done either on scrap paper or in light pencil on the book itself, so they could easily erase their errors and start again.  Once they were happy with the results they could then either do them on the book, or if they had already drawn on the book, they could go over their illustration with either charcoal or paint ... or simply leave the sketch in pencil.

 

   Next, and probably the most popular reason, would be a child illustrating the book to give to a loved one (mum, grannie. grandpa ect,) or the complete opposite - grandma, mum, grandpa illustrate the book for the child.   Or, of course, the child does the drawings for themselves.

 

   The child may even want to retain the book for when they have their own children.

 

Illustrators

 

   But wait, there's more.   It could also be helpful to an illustrator who needs experience in creating illustrations for a book with a storyline written by somebody else, rather than continuing to create illustrations based on their own ideas when they submit their resumes.

 

 Schools (inc. Fund Raising Projects)

 

  And SCHOOLS could also benefit by having STUDENTS, individually or collectively. create the illustrations and AUCTION the book(s) during the school's fund-raising day or raffle them off.   Alternatively, the TEACHERS, or perhaps a friend of the school who is a GIFTED ARTIST, could supply the artwork for the auction.  Whatever ways the books are used they automaticly become part of the SCHOOL'S HISTORY, especially if one of the contributers goes on to make a name for themselves in the art world.  Perhaps you would be able to sell it twice if it is donated back when the artist becomes famous.