Lynne Chapman • Notes

• New story > tiny quick thumbnail sketches for each page (rough decisions)

• "Bears on the Stairs"

• Illustrated endpapers (before and after the story starts/ends) leading in and out of the story, setting the scene/telling a part of the story and setting it up (For example, the maps of Hundred Acre Wood in the Winnie the Pooh books)

• Illustration all about giving the bears personality - interaction between illustration and text in rough notes, giving them a small backstory

• Her rough drawings are close to her final illustrations - the more detail early the better ("covering her back")

• Vibrant pigment pastels are used on textured pastel paper (pastel pencils and chunky pastels)

• "Always work big with pastels"

• Researches photographs of specific animals or people off the internet > what makes this animal/person what they are?  Proportions, characteristics and personality (type of nose, sort of hair/hairstyles, how far apart the eyes are, how big their heads are etc)

• "Stinky!"

• Thumbnails > work through pages and double-page spreads > asks publisher to print out how big the final pages will be > "scrappy" drawings > neater, more detailed drawings > Drawn finally on to pastel paper with pastels (the original)

• Her designs involve intricate details

I absolutely love Lynne Chapman's work with children's books, her attention to detail is stunning, and her use of vibrant, attractive colours really bring a story to life.

What appeals to me most of all about her illustrations are the amount of thought gone into each individual character (even if they're not primary characters of the story, for example, the "scary bears" in "Bears on the Stairs"). I've taken on board how to create characters (such as animals and people) by researching into their appearance before I begin working, and I'll definitely remember this when illustrating my own work.