Making a Book

Left: A portion of the completed Spotted Salamander painting. Right: The final painting of Luna looking over the edge of the dock at Pumpkin Seed Fish.

Completing the Final Paintings

"At last! My favorite part of book-making! As much as I like writing, I have to admit that actually painting the real illustrations is the most exciting part of the whole process for me. Watching the salamanders or turtles come alive on the paper is pretty incredible. After working through a process that takes almost a year (with several interruptions for school visits), it is a relief to finally see the images on paper that were living my head for so long. On the other hand, it takes a really long time to do a good job. Painting realistic watercolor pictures of nature requires a lot of patience. The above section of the Spotted Salamander page took me about 20 hours to complete. And that's not even the whole picture. It's a good thing I enjoy art so much.

"Part of the fun of illustrating is seeing all the finished paintings together. As I complete the pictures, I hang them up on my studio walls. By the time I finish all the art for a book, most of the walls are covered with pictures. It usually takes me about two or three months to create all the artwork for a children's book.

When I do finally get the illustrations finished, it is time to send them to Dawn Publications in California. I have to be very careful when packaging them up. First, I cover each painting separately, so it doesn't rub against the one next to it. Then I put all the paintings in a plastic bag, sealing it with tape. Next the whole thing goes into a padded box. I don't want my art to get smashed or wet, or anything. After shipping off the package, I breathe a big sigh of relief. And start to think about the next book...

~Kristin Joy Pratt-Serafini, author/illustrator