I thought that a good example to demonstrate some of my research methods would be to show the iterative process of one particular illustration. One of the driving forces behind this concept was the 'magic doorway' and safe environment in which children and parents can communicate while being dropped off at each others houses.
This specific page will be the the 'gutter' (middle pages) of the book. It will be centrepiece of what the overall message is about. My initial drawings aren't much to look at. They are basic but the composition has withheld through the process. It depicts the Mum in a separation dropping her child off in a calm and friendly manner. It was important for the narrative that all parties were happy with this arrangement.
I spoke with Dan Sanders, my illustrator and sent him my drawing. Dan quickly came back with a more detailed composition. He captured a lot of what I wanted to show but I felt that the image of the Mum looked like she had turned her back on the situation too quickly. In nothing able to see her face, it looked like her hand was fragrantly brushing her ex partner and child off. I also pointed out to Dan that the Mum, looked a little too glamorous (not that Mums can't be glamorous) I just felt it didn't really suit the situation.
Dan came back to me with the next iteration, where the change was primary centred around the Mum. This was closer to the original character design that I had. I still however had an issue with the head position. I wanted the reader to believe that it was a safe and welcoming environment. Again Dan came back with my alterations.
This time, Dan had turned the position of the Head and added Colour after some palettes I had sent him.
After my intervention with the children when I read an earlier version to them, they told me that they loved the bright colours. This is something I wanted to stick to. The image this time was more of what I wanted but I wasn't keen on the colours. They looked flat and I couldn't imagine the jumping off the page.
I sent Dan an alternative colour palette and we discussed what should also be in the hallway of the house. From the beginning I wanted an overnight bag, which depicts when a child stays at different households. The colours were also better. More vibrant and associated with happiness and warmth. It was also important from an aesthetic point of view to have a different tyre of decor and colour at the Childs Dad's house. We were getting closer to the finished article here.
As this specific image went back and forth to Dan, something about it keep playing on my mind. I wasn't't sure what. I decided to do a little bit more testing and sent what I had to CALM LITTLE MINDS, an organisation I came across while I was doing my research.
Calm Little Minds offers an emotional wellbeing support service to children, young people and their families. It's fantastic organisation and very empowering to be able to see the great help and support they have given to people. I sent Jayne Lindsay, the owner and founder of Calm Little Minds the latest version of my book. Not only was her response very quick but she was so helpful in being able to give me advice on possible improvements to the narrative.
Below is one of the emails I received:
The part that really stood out for me was "Also something about not having to pack a bag constantly to move between homes and to have things at both homes". This brought back a lot of memories for me. Having been through separation myself, I have had to pack many bags when my daughter had stayed over at the weekend. Between both houses, things would be forgot so I started to replicate the things my daughter had at her mums and have them at mine. This was not always achievable but it did make the situation a little bit better.
This response from Jayne really resonated with me. Not just because I'm a Father who has been through this experience but it also demonstrated that my process was working. I felt like I was working towards a finished product full of hope and a tool that would be able to help families. I contacted Dan yet again, and talked to him about the responses I had received. I decided that the narrative and composition should keep the small bag but eradicate the bigger bag. This adds to a more finalised resolute situation where both parents have items for their child at home. This intervention was a big turning point and helped me address a lot of feeling I had built up within myself. I certainly laid some ghosts over the past week.
Below: The finished illustration.
Comments