A children's book cover 

For this exercise I am 'Children's Picturebooks - The art of visual storytelling' as reference and guidance. "In most contexts, illustration provides a visual accompaniment to words, a prompt or aid tho the imagination that aims to augment  the overall experience of the book. "The most satisfying picture books create a dynamic relationship between words and pictures". 

I start by taking a look at nature based children's book covers for inspiration. 

A also read an article in the Guardian that gave me thought "Small children mall children are astoundingly flexible visual readers – they can take in packed scenes just as easily as bold, simple images; they can follow adventures in silhouettes against bright backgrounds and turn without a flicker to the comic-like abstractions of Mr Men. This openness is on a par with their acceptance of magical transformations, upside-down houses and flying through space, and their tendency to anthropomorphise everything, from rabbits to trains and from dinosaurs to umbrellas. They know no boundaries. They also linger over pictures, with a time-defying immersion that grown-ups tend to lose." Words by Jenny Uglow. Children are free with their imaginations, and I love the thought of their minds having no creative boundary. Food for thought. 

The target age for this book cover is 7-11. 

Looking at the examples of covers above, I need colour, vibrancy, life and interest to capture them.

To help a little further I researched teaching materials for KS2 primary years (age7-11 would be school years 3-6). Visually, this helped me understand the terminology appropriate to this age group and the simplicity or detail of the imagery used in teaching. Again, all of the material I researched was bright and vibrant, crowded yet uncomplicated. 

KS2 material: 

Brainstorm: 
Here I separated the words, as I have done in previous exercises. What came out here is the fun found concentrating on the middle word 'around'....I liked it. 

So I thought I would concentrate on this 'around' thought. 

Initial sketch inspiration: 

Here I sketched freely with a focus on creatures that had a feature of their body that could envelope planet Earth in someway. For example, the octopuses tentacles, the Stag-beetle's claws, the elephants trunk. I used pencils for this sketching exercise. 

Thumbnails: 
The circle is planet Earth, I especially liked the python constricting around the planet in number 2. However, as my target audience is for a target age of 7-11, I decided I should seek a little advice. I asked three ten years old's (2 girls and 1 boy) which of the thumbnails they preferred. All 3 voted for the elephant (so a certainty), 2 votes for the scorpion and Stag-beetle (no votes for the python, there is a lesson there. Always approach my audience!)

Sketches of chosen designs: 

Using the 'Oxford Roald Dahl Dictionary' (an age appropriate reference book) as an idea of size. 7.5 inches by 10 inches. I sketched out my three designs using pencil and a black fine pen. 

Colour drawings: 

I used watercolours to colour in my drawings. The colours I used were matched as best I could to reference pictures of the animals. 

After seeking advice of the children, I was decided on the elephant as the chosen design. I played around with fonts, choosing a fun and bold print, and positioning. I chose blues and greens to match the colours of Earth. 

Final colour visuals: 

1. Final choice...

2...

3...

Reference: 

Oxford Roald Dahl Dictionary. 

Usborne 'Look Inside Nature' by Minna Lacey

Children's Picturebooks: The art of visual storytelling by Martin Salisbury & Morag Styles.

KS2 teaching templates.  

REFLECTION: 

I used 'Children's Picturebooks - The art of visual storytelling by Martin Salisbury & Morag Styles as reference for this exercise which has been a useful tool. This book has helped my believe the process from start to finish, looking a pictures of professional illustrators thumbnails and seeing their designs start off as simple pencil scribbles on a piece of paper. 

I am really enjoying the initial idea stages of this course now, my lines are looser and my colours are becoming more vibrant. I really feel now that my design process is starting to come together and not as forced as it was at the start of this module. 

I have also been enjoying the work of illustrator Rachel Bright (titles include 'What Does Daddy Do?' and 'The Lion Inside'). Although her audience is a little younger (0-6 year) than that of the target I have been working with, I have loved looking through her design work. She works boldly with plenty of colour! I will continue to observe her work. 

Working with a 10 year old audience was fascinating! Such a valuable insight into where the visuals needed to be heading. I had my heart set on the python constricting around the Earth, yet none of the children selected this idea.... They all went for the elephant. Lesson learnt. Know your audience! Never be afraid to ask, it will help in the long run....