When I started to thumbnail my first manuscript
that I wrote, ever, I froze up. It was terrifying! Where to start? I made several
pathetic attempts, but I was good and stuck. I decided to apply the same trick
as in my last post. Not tracing, but thumbnailing existing books. Not just any
books — epic books! I choose Creepy Carrots and No David!
Creepy Carrots is a favorite of mine by Peter
Brown. This book is awesome in so many ways, but for this exercise, I chose it
because of his wonderful and varied compositions. The key to this exercise is
not to worry about making a pretty dummy, it’s all about seeing the big picture
and capturing the essence of why a particular book is working. I found it also
helps me to think bigger than I would if I hadn’t completed this exercise. Just
like when I traced drawings in the last post, this exercise really opened my
eyes to all of the possibilities! This is really just a trick to get me past my
initial fear of starting.
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| Thumbnailing Peter Brown's Creepy Carrots |
For the second book, I chose No David! It has a
simple premise and very few words, just like my manuscript. I have read this
book over and over to my kids. I’ve listened to David Shannon speak at an SCBWI
Illustrator’s Day, but it wasn’t until I thumbnailed the book that I noticed the
genius of his compositions. The different angles and the brilliant use of space
became clear.
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| Thumbnailing David Shannon's No David! |
I urge you to try this exercise! Good luck!
