Portfolio: The Monster Under Jacob’s Bed

The Monster Under Jacob’s Bed was my next story to work on. I’m really having a hard time with the style for this story. I want to do collage and simplified figures. And that doesn’t really work well with the style I have been doing so far in this portfolio. When art directors and agents are asked if you can combine 2 styles in the same portfolio, they hesitantly answer yes, so long as you are competent in both styles. Since I’m still finding my way with collage, I am far from competent in that style…and I’ve been a bit nervous to go down that path.

I also did not have more than a simplified character design for both Lily and Jacob. I really like the almost stick figure aspect of their characters as I’ve drawn them for the book dummy. And I feel like I should make them more human like…but I don’t want to. I don’t know if it is because I am lazy and I’m looking for an easy way, or if they just work better that way.

I came across a picture Lily drew when she was young and I even thought I would attempt to design her character around that style. I’m still mulling it over in my sub conscious.

I did not, however, just give up on “The Monster Under Jacob’s Bed”. I spent the full 7 days struggling with these problems and I am confident that in some small way that is hard to see, I am laying the ground work for a better book in the future.

As I searched my hard drive for digital proof that I did indeed work on these characters, I came across this sketch on top of a sketch of a page in the book.

The grey sketch in the background is my initial sketch and Lily just has stick figure arms and hands, which I think are charming. The dark orange drawing on top is my attempt to keep the charm of the stick figures and add a little flesh to her character.

I’m not out of time yet, so I might take this sketch and put together what it will look like in the style I’m doing for this portfolio.

Next up is Penelope.