Drawing More Readers with book illustration

Post from http://www.danieluk.net

The idea of putting an illustration on books is not appreciated by many authors. What they think is such illustration can restraint readers’ imagination and highlight their abilities in transferring their ideas of characters, events or instructions to the audience.

 

However, a lot of publishers are slowly convincing more authors to include illustrations in the author’s next outing. This is because readers actually appreciate illustrations when done right.

 

First, let’s review the books where illustrations play an important role in their success. First up are children’s books. This becomes a no-brainer since it is understood that illustrations help a child understand the context of the sentences. There are even children’s books where illustrations overwhelm the words. However, this is not a concern at all since these books actually start children’s fascination with reading. The theory, of course, is that as the child becomes more adept in reading, the lesser illustrations will be used.

 

Next are instructional books. Unless the readers are already well versed with the material, chances are that illustrations will appear in every chapter. These illustrations would usually come in the form of charts and graphs with a few drawings of certain objects. Authors and editors of this type of books acknowledge the need of illustration for better understanding of the material. The illustration is integrated so much that the texts are often accompanied with markers that point to a specific figure or drawing.

 

But how would other books get the most out of illustrations? They could start by creating a good cover. This actually rests on the shoulders of publishers. A lot of book companies these days settle various typefaces and color schemes to sell the book, but a fine illustration can showcase the book’s overall atmosphere and can easily grab the attention of a reader.

 

Although it’s true to avoid judging books by their covers, an illustration helps to give them an edge. It’s also advisable to employ the same artist who made the cover for the illustrations inside the book. The reason is very simple; as a publisher or author, the purpose of the illustration is to provide a cohesive look at the story. It is best to have the illustrator consult the author in order to get the proper visualization of a character. Better yet, have the illustrator read the book first, then create sample sketches for key characters or scenes.

 

There is absolutely no need to overwhelm a book with illustrations either. Having one at the beginning of every chapter or at the end of two chapters or more is enough. An illustrator can also choose to simply recreate key events or environments in the story. For a reader, illustrations are supposed to help them construct an image in their minds. Too many pictures may ruin their own imaginations and turn them off.

 

Currently, only science fiction and fantasy novels plus a few teen books extensively use illustrations. Hopefully in the near future, more books would employ illustrations and attract more people into reading books again.

 

Jim Rogers is a UK based designer and illustrator and has been been working for Orb Creative, a Birmingham graphic design and illustration agency for over two years.