The 6 mistakes illustrators make when drawing thumbnails. (And how to fix them)

Plus the final thumbnails Adam Ming sent the editor for ‘Down the Hole.’

In the annotated thumbnails of ‘Down the Hole’, written by Scott Slater and illustrated by Adam Ming, you will see some of the patterns that emerged and the decision making that you can make from this 30 000 foot view.

There were changes across a couple of spreads, but the Birds Eye view helped the team get an idea of what could be strengthen. Some pages got expanded into full spreads others compressed.

And the best part is we did it without any wasted drawing!

Katie Stack has identified the 6 mistakes illustrators tend to make about drawing thumbnails. (And how to fix them)

Mistake 1: The first mistake is not doing thumbnails, so just by doing at least one thumbnail, you’re on the right track!

Mistake 2: Getting too detailed. Thumbnails can be really messy and minimal. They’re just to test ideas. Stick people are acceptable here!

Mistake 3: Stopping with the first thumbnail you like. You may come back to that thumbnail in the end, but if you keep creating more thumbnails, you may generate an idea that you like even better! And it might even be more original and unique than the first one you liked.

Mistake 4: Using only one perspective (usually eye level from the front). Imagine the scene from above or below. I once heard photography advice that said, “Your shot is always more interesting when you’re a giraffe or a mouse.” I like thinking about that when exploring thumbnail compositions.

Mistake 5: Forgetting to leave room for the text! In picture books, the text is just as important as the pictures. Make it a goal to incorporate the words seamlessly into the illustration. It shouldn’t be an after thought. It shouldn’t be squished.

Mistake 6: Forgetting to consider how all the spreads work together. Try to include a variety of angles as well as close ups and landscapes— sometimes the character takes up the whole page and sometimes they’re super tiny in the corner. These variations create interest and flow throughout the whole book.

In the June 4th Live Art Gym Workshop we’ll practice getting thumbnails just right with Katie Stack and Adam Ming. This session will be lead by Katie, while Adam will try his best to be helpful.

RSVP to join us here!

Got a question about drawing thumbnails? Leave a comment!