What Do Illustrators Do? |  | Author: Eileen Christelow
Publisher: Sandpiper
List Price: $6.95
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Rating:  4 reviews
Sales Rank: 230811
Media: Paperback
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
Pages: 40
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 10.6 x 8.8 x 0.3
ISBN: 0618874232
Dewey Decimal Number: 741.64
EAN: 9780618874231
ASIN: 0618874232
Publication Date: December 17, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
In this informative companion to the popular "What Do Authors Do?" author/illustrator Christelow turns her attention to the visual side of creating a picture book. Employing her relaxed style and trademark humor, she shows how an illustrator develops a book from rough sketches to finished artwork, following two artists as they illustrate different versions of "Jack and the Beanstalk." Christelow answers the questions often posed by children, such as, "What materials do you use?" and "Is it hard to be an illustrator?" and reveals that the uniqueness of each book depends on many creative choices . . . and a lot of painstaking work. |
| Customer Reviews:
A great job description June 30, 2009
Judy K. Polhemus (LA)
Eileen Christelow has written a wonderful book depicting the working habits of an illustrator. Not only did she write it, she also illustrated the book, "What Do Illustrators Do?," which can serve as a kind of job description.
Her story actually begins on the back cover with a conversation between an illustrator's dog and her writer-friend's cat. Actually, the illustrator in the book could be Ms Christelow since both are artist/writers. (I don't know who the male writer is.) Now look at the front cover. The two writers are partitioned and asking a book question. He: How can I make this giant look really big? She: Should I draw with a pencil? pen? brush? (Note: Both are picture book writers, however his pictures are created by a professional illustrator hired by his publishing company, whereas she creates her own.)
The title page shows a pencil sketch of a building. The next page shows the sketch colored in. Through the windows on one side is the writer, on the other is the writer/illustrator, with the point of showing how each page can be creatively used.
Now the problem: "Suppose ... two illustrators each decided to illustrate Jack and the Beanstalk. Would they tell the story the same way? Would they draw the same kind of pictures?" Curious Leonard (cat) and nosy Scooter (dog) are peeking to see what their humans are doing and are shooshed away. Now they can get together and complain (mildly) about their humans and tell each other what the humans are creating--a wonderful narrative device, by the way, because in summarizing the story for Scooter, Leonard is really telling it to children-readers, who love animal stories.
The reader also learns that picture books have 32 pages, so the illustrator must carefully determine what he wants his limited number to be. We learn about the dummy (no, Scooter, not you!) and sketches and point of view for EACH sketch.
The illustrator must think of the design of the page, i.e. where each item will be placed on the page, how it will work in that location, or not work. The writer guy says a surprise should come with each page. Sometimes writers use family members, including pets, to pose for their pictures to get a more realistic nuance for the scene. Both Leonard and Scotter and Jacqueline, the woman's daughter, and the writer himself have significant places in the story.
Scooter (the dog) worries why anyone would buy two versions of the same story (after all, the writer/illustrator is his mealticket). That's when Leonard (the cat) explains how each book is different in the making. What font will be used? Which illustrator? Which art technique? Coloring technique? Paper changes the look of the story. Which paper? Exactly which colors? For what look?
At the end the writer/illustrator and Scooter (the dog) and the male writer (whose book was illustrated) and Leonard (the cat) and the woman's daughter celebrate the publication of the two books and all their hard work and each one's hand and paw in the story.
"What Do Illustrators Do?" is a must-have for a school library and class libraries, especially of teachers who emphasize writing and even "publish" books written as a joint class effort. It's a worthwhile book for any child to show just what goes into creating that book in her hands (or your hands).
Exactly what I was looking for! January 6, 2008
heytodd (Wisconsin)
I wanted a book that taught my 6 year old daughter how to draw. But I was disappointed with the "How to" books out there for children. They all seemed to give too much information.
This book solved my problem. It's a picture book that teaches! It talks about perspective, styles of drawing, taking characters/situations into consideration, placement, emphasis, etc. All with humor and simple instruction.
I love this book!
humorous look at illustrators June 20, 2000
3 out of 6 found this review helpful
This books shows what illustrators do by following two illustrators both working on Jack and the Beanstalk but coming up with very different results. A friendly cat and dog also add to the book.
What Do Illustrators Do? December 14, 1999
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
Outstanding descriptions and illustrations describing how two illustrators can get very different results, even though they were both working on the same story. (Jack and the Beanstalk) Wonderful teaching resource. Highly recommend this for K through the 4th grade; also recommended reading for teachers and parents. Contains excellent color illustrations.
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