Early sketches during NAKED! illustration process plus my main challenge

After I received Michael Ian Black's hilarious manuscript for NAKED!, I immediately started sketching. Above: a few of my first attempts. 

The challenge with early sketches, I find, is not being too "precious" about them, which is why I purposely chose to draw on ordinary typewriter paper with a ballpoint pen. I did a LOT of sketches, very rough and very loose.

Another challenge with this particular book, of course, was that the little boy is sans clothes throughout the book, yet I had to draw him in a way that was appropriate for a young audience. No private boy bits!

I admit to panicking a bit at first but then decided to throw myself into enjoying the challenge. It ended up being way more fun than I had expected, mainly because the boy is soooo active throughout most of the story, running and jumping and doing the Hokey Pokey, etc. The focus isn't so much on his nakedness but on the little boy's innocent delight in his freedom au naturel, how much FUN he's having as he's racing around the house, and the chase-to-cuddle interactions between him and his Mom.

Can't wait to see this on the shelves.

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Seven months until it's time to get NAKED! 

Comments

[Tina Cho]

Cute! It's fun to see your early sketches.