My First Children's Book

  

This is my first time to create a children's book.

The title is "Let's Play Outside". The audience are setting on age 4-6.

The story divides three parts.
First, describing a little girl-Abby is afraid to play outside because the TV always shows terrible news around the world that make she images the
door wants to eat her, cars like monsters, strangers like scary animals.

Second, her best friend-Ella tries to invite her to play outside.  

Ella says she could use magic to let door sleep, cars stop.
Besides, strangers are not scary that they are just wearing masks.

Third, Abby tried to go with Ella to the park.
Ella teaches her to images playful things, such as playing sand likes pyramid,
playing swing likes flying in the sky, playing seesaw likes riding dolphin.

Finally, after Abby experience these she is not afraid about playing outside.

There are some figures of the book

Page3-4

 

Page9-10

Page19-20

Page25-26

Page29-30

You can look whole book in my Flickr Album

http://www.flickr.com/photos/casamia812/sets/72157626115464553/

My Book Cover Design

"James and the Giant Peach" is written for children by Roald Dahl. The content of this story is about a little James. After his parent are eaten by angry rhinoceros, he moved to live with his horrible aunts, Sponge and Spiker. Poor James is miserable, until something peculiar happens and he find himself into the Giant Peach World. The most wonderful and extraordinary journey he could ever IMAGINE...

My cover design of this book
 

no.1
Combine the small elements such as ladybug, worm, empire building and text. Besides some characters around the peach in order to show the "Peach World". 

no.2
I try to interpret the adventure story. I put all characters on the peach and show how they cooperate to achieve their goal. 

no.3
Combine no.1 and 2

Rules & Principles for Book Cover Designs

Article from eHow.com
Rules & Principles for Book Cover Designs | eHow.com

The crafting of book covers has become a major field within graphic design. The book cover should incorporate visual imagery from the book and the book’s title and author’s name. The cover is both functional, conveying information about the book, and serves as an advertisement for passing shoppers. A competent knowledge of graphic design is necessary to craft a striking book cover.

1. Relation to the Book

   • Obviously, the book cover should relate directly to the book, probably featuring an image adapted from the book. The image should convey the tone and content of the book. Textbooks and novels should demonstrate the very different genres of the books. For example, a book cover for Jonathan Swift’s “Gulliver’s Travels” should convey both its satirical content and its fantastical imagery, while a mathematics textbook should draw from geometry and algebra.

   2. Typography and Visual Imagery

   • Book covers must fit captivating visual imagery with clean, well-crafted typography. Though a striking photograph or painting might interest a passing shopper, the typography of the title and author’s name must also be legible, be positioned correctly, and have some style. Books published by some accomplished authors also have some background information on the author. For instance, a novel by a recent Nobel laureate might include the author’s recent prize. A book cover designer should try to avoid crowding the page though, as “busy” covers with too much information frustrate readers.

   3. Promoting "Eyeflow"

   • A book cover should encourage the reader’s “eyeflow” toward the content of the book. Eyeflow means that the images and font lead the reader’s eye to the inside pages. Images and type do this by their arrangement on the page. In the television show, “Work of Art,” budding artists were challenged to craft book covers for classic novels. The winner of the challenge promoted eyeflow by leaning the typography of the title to the right.

"PICK ME UP" Exhibition

Until 27 March
Daily 10.00-19.00, Thurs until 21.00
Embankment Galleries, South Wing

The best, most innovative and avant-garde graphic artists, collectives and galleries from the UK and across the world are exhibiting and offering an exuberant mix of artworks for sale. Somerset House is once again a platform for the graphic art and design community and a great place to experience first hand the energy and excitement of the graphic art scene.

website  http://www.somersethouse.org.uk/visual_arts/pick_me_up_2011/default.asp

some photos I took from the exhibition

One of my favorite illustrators in this exhibition. Her name is Victo Ngai -- New York based freelance illustrator from Hong Kong.(blog link)

My Pop-up Body Book

 

Product Description

This is an amazing pop up book all about your body and how it works, with fun and friendly illustrations, and inventive ways to explain the facts. Take a look at everything to do with your body - inside and out! How did you begin? Ever wondered how you breathe, smell or move? Or why you have to eat? And what do your insides look like? See how it all works and find out the story of your body, starting right at the very beginning of you...

Children's book exhibition in Cambridge!!

 

Exhibition 2nd – 10th March 2011
The Ruskin Gallery, Cambridge School of Art, Anglia Ruskin University, East Road, Cambridge CB1 1PT

They are students graduating from the MA in Children's Book Illustration at Cambridge School of Art. I went this exhibition last week and viewed many student's portfolio that was really instructive.

website  http://www.cambridgemashow.com/

blog  http://csa2011.blogspot.com/

Guardian's new children's books website

 

As the Guardian launches its new children's books website, we find out from some of the young people who have helped to design and curate the site why they love reading and what the site offers young readers, from book reviews and interviews with authors to their own personalised contributor's page