Being able to draw and create something magical has always something I’ve been envious of. Truth be told, I can barely draw a smiley face! Thank goodness there are talented artists willing to share their craft with authors who need assistance in bringing their stories to life through illustrations.

I asked our talented illustrator, Victoria Krueger, if she would mind sharing her process. She was happy to explain how she creates an illustration from start to finish. As I went through her descriptions, from start to finish, my mind was blown. It’s so interesting to me, and I wanted to share her process with you too. Please keep in mind this is just one illustrator’s process. I’m sure each illustrator has their own take.

In Victoria’s words…

“For all my illustrations, I use the app Procreate on my iPad. To start an illustration, I begin by brainstorming the composition. To help with this, I do multiple small sketches called thumbnail sketches.

Once I decide on the composition, I’ll draw a more defined sketch that includes facial expressions, more detailed anatomy, and more details in the background and foreground. It’s also super important that I get any perspective correct in this step, so that all I have to do is just trace over it in later steps.

After I complete the sketch, I start on the line art. I make sure every line is smooth and complete, so that I can treat my art like a coloring book later. I also just use black for the initial lines, and then after I add all the color later, I make the lines different colors. I wait until later to color the lines so that all the colors are cohesive and in harmony with each other.

Now I start coloring! First, I add my background colors to set the mood of the whole illustration. Then, I fill in the line art with flat colors. I’ll adjust the colors if needed, then start shading. This is the part that takes the longest. Once done with shading, I go back to the lines and color them to match. Finally, I add the text! If I need to make any minor adjustments, I will. The end result is the finished illustration!”

Absolutely fascinating! A big thanks to Victoria for sharing her process and talents. We are so lucky to have her on board with Enchanted Moon Press.

Until next time, Happy Reading!