1/6/2024 0 Comments I am a super sneaky ninjaJENNIFER GRAY OLSON is a graduate of California State University, Fullerton, where she earned her bachelor of arts degree in art education. ![]() Voilà!Ĭreating Ninja Bunny was such an amazing experience! I’m so grateful to everyone who made it possible. My final step is to scan the illustration and make alterations in Photoshop if necessary. I do my first layer in yellow ocre and then lay my other colors in directly after so that they can bleed into each other while the paint is still wet. Because the Micron ink is waterproof, I’m able to move right on to the watercolor. I also employ a stippling technique to further enhance the shadows and values. I do the majority of my line work with a 005 black Micron pen. Once I feel that the composition is successful, I begin inking the drawing. I then go over the sketch with a range of graphite pencils to add more shadow and depth. I start by lightly transferring my sketches with a blue Col-erase pencil onto 90lb Stonehenge watercolor paper using a light table. Once the final draft was completed, I was able to begin my favorite part of the process, which is creating the final art. You can never have too many bunnies, after all. Ninja Bunny lost a few of his ninja friends, but he gained some pretty awesome bunny ones in their place, so it all worked out in the end. We edited the book for a while longer, and it began to take on its final shape. I really enjoy collaborating and bouncing ideas back and forth. I don’t know if most authors or illustrators would agree with me, but I love the editorial process. Yay! With the help of my amazing editor, Allison, and art director Sarah Hokanson, our little friend Ninja Bunny was revised further, down to the shape of his ears, the size of his feet, and even the fluffiness of his tail. After some editing, Kerry sent the book dummy out on submission, and it was acquired by Allison Wortche at Alfred A. This is the original cover of the book dummy that I sent to my now-agent, the fabulous Kerry Sparks. ![]() I usually illustrate the cover and two or three interior spreads in full color so that the publisher can get an idea of the illustration direction I plan to go in. Once I feel that I have the story locked down, I move on to larger sketches based on my thumbnails and notes, and I combine these into a book dummy, or mock-up. It’s mainly just light scribbles and illegible notes to myself, but hey, it works for me. Once I have a character and a concept in mind, my next step in creating a picture book is to “thumbnail” the story. ![]() Here are two of the five thumbnail pages I created to come up with Ninja Bunny. And another two after that, until I finally came up with a story concept that I felt was successful. Only my first attempt was pretty awful! So I wrote another. Īfter drawing the first sketch of Ninja Bunny, I loved him so much that I decided to write him a story so we could hang out a bit longer. Every character or picture book idea I’ve ever had has come from this process. ![]() I call it my “mental commute to work.” It’s my way of clearing out my head so that I can focus on what needs my attention. Guest Post: From Sketch to Picture BookĮvery day I do a warm-up drawing before I begin illustration assignments. Each time I’m reading the book I find another little detail to laugh over. It’s such a great book and I absolutely love the illustrations. This book is one of my son’s favorites and it’s read at least a few times a week around my house. Today I am honored and thrilled to have Jennifer Gray Olson here to talk about the process behind creating the illustrations and story for Ninja Bunny.
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