Behind the Scenes at the FriesenPress Illustrations Department
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For so many of us, our love of books is facilitated by the engrossing power of illustrations – the colourful pictures that bring the words we can’t yet read to life, transporting us to somewhere new.
We’re lucky enough to facilitate a version of that same magic for our authors, who are wowed each and every day by the unbelievable talents of our illustrations team. From children’s books interiors to nonfiction covers to poetry chapter headings, our illustrators give form and shape to the visions that swirl around in our authors’ minds.
The facilitator of all that talent and magic is Astra Crompton, our in-house illustrations specialist who coordinates our amazing team of illustrators. We recently sat down with Astra for a behind-the-scenes look at our illustrations department – including our hiring process, how she matches authors and illustrators, and gives advice to authors embarking on their maiden illustrations voyage.
FriesenPress: A prolific author and talented illustrator in your own right, can you describe your journey to your role as FriesenPress’s Editing & Illustrations Coordinator?
Astra Crompton: I drew my first illustrated book when I was 7 and I even self-published it! I’ve been in love with the art of visual storytelling ever since. I’ve been working on graphic novels for over twenty years and now do freelance illustrations, which includes collaborating with other creators to provide illustrations, concept art, and storyboarding.
When I interviewed to join the FriesenPress team as a publishing specialist, I brought some samples of my work and management asked me if I was applying for a design position instead. One of my favourite parts of helping over 300 authors to publish was brainstorming the visual elements of their books, especially encouraging them to think critically about their cover designs and interior illustrations.
So, I guess it was a 5 year detour from my intended destination in the Editing & Illustrations Coordinator role. When the position opened up, I leapt at the chance to help in a more hands-on way. I had many ideas of how we could enhance our illustrations department, from bringing on new talent to better defining how we can utilize illustrations in layout. Being in the midst of a freelance team of creatives every day is truly inspiring. I’m so proud of the beautiful work our illustrators are able to contribute to our authors’ stories.
FP: What do you look for when hiring for our illustrations team?
AC: Illustrations is one of those cases where the most important part is the illustrator’s raw talent. That’s what I’m assessing when reviewing their portfolios. What mediums can the illustrator use? How versatile are they in style or subject matter? Will their artwork fit with the needs of our authors? That’s always step one.
After that, I dig deeper into their training and experience. Certificates in concept art, book illustrations, and proficiency in various art programs/mediums are all signs that the illustrator has not only spent the time to master their craft, but also that they continue to learn and push their skills.
Our illustrators have a wide range of backgrounds, from work in magazines and comics to running studios and teaching art. Each one brings a unique perspective and art style to their work, like an artist’s unique fingerprint.
FP: Can you shed some light on the process of creating illustrations? What are the stages of creation?
AC: It can be challenging to translate an amorphous expectation an author holds for what their book should look like into a real, tangible set of pictures. We’ve developed a multi-phase process that ensures the author is part of the creative process in an organized, streamlined way. We build a “bridge” between the creator of the story and the creator of the artwork that supports that story.
Our process takes (on average) about 3 months and includes up to four steps: Pencil Sketches, Pencil Revisions, Colour Sketches, and Colour Revisions. This gives the author ample opportunities to review the artwork while it’s in progress, ask for adjustments to things like composition, characterization, colours, and details. Our goal is that by the end of the creation process, you’ll be proud to show off your book to your friends and audience.
FP: What’s the experience of matching up an author with their illustrator?
AC: Choosing which artists might be a good fit for a project is one of my favourite parts of the job. We now have over 20 illustrators on our freelance team, and they each have a different style. Some create classic cartoons and some create naturalistic watercolours. Some have bright, whimsical styles, and some are seasoned fantasists.
The author provides some important information to us in our publishing forms — such as their preferred style, target audience, book’s synopsis, and a description of the main characters (or scene) that will need to be depicted — along with any reference images they might have. This is my starting point.
When I’m choosing illustrators for a job, I’m looking at the sort of work a particular illustrator has done for us in the past, along with their personal areas of interest, and what I think will be appropriate for the book. Of course, this is all based on what the author has requested; if the author asks for realism, I won’t give them classic cartoons!
Once I’ve narrowed down who I think will be the best artistic fit, I then cross-reference that with each illustrator’s bandwidth, and end up selecting my top 3 picks. I provide the portfolios for these three artists to the author along with some descriptions of why I selected each one for consideration. The final choice of which illustrator works on the book is up to the author.
FP: From all the feedback you’ve received from authors and illustrators over the years, is there any advice you can impart to authors getting or considering illustrations for the first time?
AC: The main thing I’d advise is to think about the role the artwork plays in the book. Artwork is perceived more quickly by the brain, and uses different pathways than language. So, combining art with words enhances your readers’ engagement with the text. It also can support early readers and make denser texts (or concepts) easier to digest.
For example: a picture book tells the story primarily through the pictures, and the words supplement that visual journey (see Where the Wild Things Are); a story book uses words to tell the story, and the artwork supplements that story by highlighting important moments, such as a dynamic bit of action or an emotionally powerful realization (see Matilda). But pictures can enhance a wide range of other books, too! For memoir, illustrators can provide maps that guide your reader through the setting or time period. In Young Adult fiction, unique chapter heading illustrations can spice up your design, making your book look more professional and enticing. For nonfiction, especially self-help, small illustrations can break up walls of text, and can replace mismatched clip art (which can make your book look cheap or inconsistent). And in poetry, thoughtful illustrations can divide thematic sections, provide breathing space, or generate pause for a specific poem to sink in. The type of book you have will guide your choices for the number, style, and tier of artwork you pursue.
In short, illustrations are powerful and can be customized to the needs of your audience. Spread them out across your book consistently for the best results.
FP: What’s surprised you most since taking this role?
AC: Just how good our illustrators are. Before, when I was on the receiving end and just getting finished artwork, I loved looking through the illustrations but I don’t think I saw just how much care and craft they put into their art. Now, getting to have conversations with them as they work, answering questions, providing resources, learning more about their processes—I have a much deeper appreciation for all their diligence. I say this as a fellow artist; I might have an idea of how a scene could turn out, but then they will come up with something else that’s completely brilliant. There’s something magical about how they can look at words in our forms and transmute that into a fully formed scene with depth and perspective and dynamics and lighting. They constantly amaze and inspire me!
