Jack and the Beanstalk
A Sneak Peek into My Illustrations of the Beloved Children's Tale
This book dummy uses Jack and the Beanstalk to showcase my children's book illustration process. Adapting to each story's requirements, I start by spreading the text across pages, emphasizing key moments and pacing. At this point, I may begin character design, but after making thumbnails for each page, I have a clearer idea of the design needs of the characters and they can be finalized.
Meet the Characters
In "Jack and the Beanstalk," Jack is a poor boy who trades the family cow for a stranger's magic beans. His mother is furious and throws them out the window, where they grow into a giant beanstalk. Jack climbs the beanstalk, far above the clouds and finds himself at the Giant's Castle. Here, the Giant's Wife assists Jack in navigating the Giant's treasures, and Jack outwits the Giant, bringing prosperity to his family.
Sketches
After enlarging the thumbnails, I proceed to create sketches. At this stage, my attention is dedicated to refining the composition, ensuring sufficient space for text, and crafting a design that is visually clear and easy to understand.
I realized the loose energy of the sketch was working well with the dynamic and imaginative nature of Jack's story, so I sought to preserve the "sketchiness" in the final illustration.
Giant's Castle
I wanted Jack's first glimpse of the castle to feel warm and inviting, achieved through soft colors and cloud textures. The square castle shape echoes the giant, while reddened tips hint at danger, softened by round towers. To maintain focus on Jack, I started with a value study and considered a garden on the right, but opted for a bridge to keep the image's path intact.
Line Art
Value
Final
Sleeping Giant
I started with the line drawing for this piece, and later checked the values, finding consistency with my original thumbnail. Like the castle piece, the original digital line art was redrawn by hand to preserve an authentic pen personality. In "Sleeping Giant," I utilized firelight for color and drama.
Line Art
Value
Final
That's a wrap!
I hope you enjoyed this rundown!
If you have any comments or inquiries, please email me at info@rebeccamarie.art
