Once the best composition for the idea is determined, draw a full-size drawing (composite or comp). It will be further refined using an overlay of tracing paper. This is the final drawing and is intended to be the foundation of the illustration. The final drawing is done on tracing paper. I use a lucigraph or graphite transfer to transfer the final drawing to the final work surface.
In the final drawing, I pay close attention to detail. Facial expressions are refined, movements and gestures are fine-tuned, and proportions and shapes are finalized. This final drawing is like a trial run and serves as the basis for the finished design. I use this as a reference as I work on the piece.
I typically use photographs as a reference for my work. Photographs contain visual cues that help make the image compelling. Therefore, I am constantly going back and forth between photography and illustration. Because light and shadow work together to reveal form. Because without light and shadow, there is no basis for understanding form and space.
In narrative illustration and portraiture, the role of the photo reference is to help create a compelling visual story. If everything is not related to human understanding, it will not be understood by humans. Put everything in the context of human experience. This is how cinema works. It is the visual story that makes “Game of Thrones,” “Lord of the Rings,” and “Harry Potter” cinematic.
Artwork” refers to any visual material that you plan to include in your book, such as photographs, paintings, drawings, charts, graphs, maps, etc. (Tables are not considered artwork because they are text-based. (Tables are not considered artwork because they are text-based.) Proposed artwork may be in hard copy or electronic format. As a basic rule, all artwork must be in a format suitable for reproduction. This can be either original or high-resolution reproductions (scannable) of photographic prints, drawings, or maps; high-resolution electronic files (uploadable); or original design files of graphs, charts, or maps. Please note that the responsibility for arranging, purchasing, and/or transmitting all artwork and necessary permissions rests with the author. Please refer to our Permissions Guidelines for more information.
Hard Copy Images
If original artwork is submitted to press in hard copy, the original will be scanned and returned to you once the book is published. The final version of the figure or illustration will only be of the same quality as the copy provided, so please make sure you are satisfied with the quality before sending it to us.
High-resolution digital image files
For electronic artwork such as photographs or paintings, please send each image as a separate TIFF or JPG file. Images must have a minimum resolution of 300 dpi (dots per inch or pixels per inch) and a minimum width of 5 inches. This dimension refers to the width of the digital file, which may be larger or smaller than the original printed image and can be adjusted during the scanning process.
An easy way to check the resolution of an image is to open the image in a photo viewer program and check the dimensions in pixels (look for menu items such as “Info,” “Properties,” or “Inspector”). The first number indicates the width of the image. If the image is suitable for printing, this number must be greater than 1500 (300 pixels per 5″ x 1″ = 1500 pixels).