My work starts with very spidery, very tiny thumbnail sketches. I put down a web of lines and gesture, then follow up on the ones I want to use. I keep things very small (thumbnail size) and work quickly to avoid getting attached to anything that might need to be redrawn or changed. These rough, intuitive sketches can carry an emotion and appeal that – if I’m lucky – will inform the final work. The trick is not to lose that vitality as the drawing gets tighter.
Here’s an initial sketch with chunks that have been moved around in Photoshop, and a couple of extra figures added at the edges.
As things move along, and the sketch gets a little bigger (@30%), and a little cleaner. PHEW! There are A LOT OF PEOPLE in this illustration! This version is more dynamic, with kids in motion. I’m feeling comfortable with the layout, but am careful to keep it loose. At this stage, I’ll take it into photoshop and flip it back and forth horizontally (the equivalent of holding it up to a mirror) to get a fresh perspective on the sketch and make sure I’m not overlooking any glaring errors in composition.
Next, I’ll enlarge this sketch a little more (@50%) and spend some time working out the specific anatomy and character of the figures involved.
Here’s the final illustration with color:
And here it is cropped into the final layout with text:
