DIANE GOODE - Studio Visit * WHEN I GROW UP * How the book grew up. * Artist sketches & commentary.

FOLLOW HOW THE BOOK WAS MADE FROM SKETCHES TO FINISHED ART.

IT ALL BEGINS WITH THE MANUSCRIPT.

What struck me first about Julie Chen's story was the tender bond between mother and child. I knew right away that tie would be the underpinning of the story and so I included mom in every vision of the future. Look carefully and you'll find her hidden in a cloud, as a satellite hovering nearby in space, or on a packet of seeds. Thank you, Julie, for this lovely story!

2016 My "Office" where I plan out the book. ON the wall, WHEN I GROW UP, just one of the book layouts in rough form.

THE WONDERFUL THING ABOUT PICTURE BOOK MANUSCRIPTS IS THAT THEY DON'T COME WITH INSTRUCTIONS!

I wanted something to visually tie the series of "questions" posed by the little boy. I settled on a sequence of images in which Mom puts her son to bed while he asks her about his future. I hid Mom in every fantasy of his future and midway through the book added a little dog.

An illustrator can add an unexpected dimension to a book, a great editor has the confidence to allow that. Thank you, Paula Wiseman!!

This early dragon was abondoned for the "writer" and later used for the final spread. No dog yet.

This is before the addition of the little dog.

Early rough sketch of little boy riding on Sphynx in a sky of dream clouds. He is joined by the little dog.

While I thought it was funny to see the little dog riding a Sphynx, this later evolves into a flying carpet. Foo dog clouds play with balloons in the sky. Mom is seen on one of the ballons. Dog here.

I wanted the little boy to have a little dog who adores him, so here he is flying on the magic carpet. Here I used locations more familiar to small children.

Here I experimented with filling the entire page with color.

I chose to confine the color to the clouds to give the image more movement.

THERE NO ONE WAY TO ILLUSTRATE A STORY. YOU MAKE CHOICES.

I can always think of at least six different ways to illustrate a story. One of my first approaches was to have the story take place in a park, the child sees things and events (a bird builds a nest, the architec and a squirrel climbing a tree, a mountain climber) which provoke the questions he asks his mom about his future. The subsequent bedtime link allowed for a much simpler unfolding of the story.

I first had the story take place in a park, Mom and child walk together seeing things that stir the imagination. I developed a "tear and tape" method that allows me to easily change things up.

This was an early astronaut scene in the park. After a ride in a rocket the little boy asks if he might become an astronaut. I love the simple, child-like aspiration here. All dreams need not be big.I start with the roughest of sketches and they're my favorites! They are meant to capture an idea as quicklyn as possible, they're "place holders" until I refine the drawings, but they have an immediacy I really like. There is also beaiuty in inperfection.

The playground rocket evolved into a space fantasy with Mom in the command ship, aliens floating nearby.

I wasn't sure how I wanted to represent Mom. Here's she's a satellite.

Once the little dog was added, he took over the command ship and mom hovers nearby. Final.

This is from the early dummy that took place in the park, he's sculpting mom. It evolved into a painter but the birds somehow remained in in the story....for me they represent beauty and freedom of thought.

The statue of mom evolved into a statue of the dog with the dog directing or admiring from below.

I brought them inside where the boy happily paints his dog into famous folk art pieces. Do you recognize any of them?

At one point I experimented with clouds to fill the entire page for the visions, but chose instead to focus on the little boy and his dog. Not quite so "heavenly".

Final image as a spread.

SEEING THE WORLD THROUGH A CHILD'S EYES.

I included Mom and dog in the little boys dreams of the future. Why? Because they are his world now!

I created a bedtime sequence to link the story together. I never know what the author has in mind when they write a story and they're usually surprised at how I interpret it!

IF IT'S NOT WORKING FOR THE STORY, GIVE IT UP.

This gardener scene gave me the most trouble, I don't know why, I had so many variations and finally settled on the one that would be best understood by children.

Animal topiaries here inspired more topiaries for gardener.

Various topiaries for the gardener. This idea abandoned for a garden that young children could more easily relate to but fun for me to try it out! Mom is a topiary here.

Topiaries are gone! After numerous sketches of giant beanstarlk (remember Jack?) I arrowed down idea to boy, dog and simple bean plants I had growing out back.

I tried using some sequential images for the little gardener. Abandoned this for something simpler.

After dozens of garden attempts I finally settled on sunflowers after my husband presented me with a bouquet of them. Love them!

Pen and ink w water color and pan pastel flourishes for the sky.

The final printed piece. My designer, Jess, loved the pop of yellow. Mom's image is on the packet of seeds on the ground.

WHERE 'S THE DOG?

Getting sleepier, the little boy nestles with the dragon as they fly in a dreamy sky.

The dog is under the covers, he emerges later.

I did so many dragon variations, I think I went to sleep dreaming of them!

Now the little boy takes the dragon by the reigns as if he's in a rodeo and joyfully flies to his dreams. I used the opportunity to include more jobs and professions.

Pen and ink before color, but this dragon was to change....I love pen and ink as much, maybe more, than color. Unlike cross-hatching, when you rely on a simple line, making a mistake often means startiong over.

Experimenting with dragons, and dragons, and more dragons......

YOU CAN ALWAYS DO BETTER. IT'S NEVER DONE UNTIL IT GOES TO THE PRINTER.

It takes me a year to illustrate a book, I'm always in the process of improving on it and I don't stop until it goes to the printer. While I can't be perfect I can do my best.

The dragon is now a gentle, joyful companion.

Final printed illustration. Mom's face is in the cloud above the little boy's head.

Some of the illustrations in the early stage of color which with pan pastel and paint.

By the time the book interior was set, I really had only one idea for the cover. A few twists, and the concept was there, fresh and clean, very simple and straight forward. My wonderful designer, Jess Handleman is brilliant with design and put together the final typography.

WHEN I GROW UP *Julie Chen & Diane Goode * See the

Studio Visit * WHEN I GROW UP * How the book grew up. * Artist sketches & commentary.

FOLLOW HOW THE BOOK WAS MADE FROM SKETCHES TO FINISHED ART.

Studio Visit: OUTSIDE THE BOX