Carolyn (age 3) with friend Brian My daughter called me the other day and announced that she had an idea for my next Picture Book. She reminded me of a story I used to tell about her, but she said that it should be a story without words. When I started to protest, she assured me that this particular story would work very well with just pictures, and no words. She then told me her version of the story scene by scene. The trouble was that what she remembered and what I remembered were two very different stories.
(She was, after all, only three when it took place.)
Even so, what she said certainly gave me a lot to think about. So, last week I tried getting some sketches down on paper. Doing just drawings with enough energy and expression is a tall order for me. I feel like I am still honing my skills and have no particular style yet. I have always leaned on the text to make the story clear. Could my drawings really be good enough to carry the storyline?
(She was, after all, only three when it took place.)
Even so, what she said certainly gave me a lot to think about. So, last week I tried getting some sketches down on paper. Doing just drawings with enough energy and expression is a tall order for me. I feel like I am still honing my skills and have no particular style yet. I have always leaned on the text to make the story clear. Could my drawings really be good enough to carry the storyline?
Well, I decided to tell my version of the story in any case. However, she did give me a lot of great ideas on how to vary the sight lines and vantage points. So, I will try to use some of those, for variety. In a way, telling a story just from the pictures leaves a lot of room for on-the-spot embellishment. Each "reading" could end up quite different from the original story, until the last page anyway. Until that last page, no one could know what the story is actually about. And even then, would anybody believe it?
Points to ponder...
Points to ponder...
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