Inside an illustrator's sketchbook: a week of editorial work
Samer
From a newspaper brief on Sunday to a finished watercolour on Wednesday, this is how one Dubai illustrator plans her week.
Editorial illustration runs on deadlines, and the illustrators who last are the ones with a routine.
Sunday: read the brief twice
The first reading is for the story, the second for the one image that could carry it. Nada Kabbani writes three one-line ideas before she draws anything.
Monday: thumbnails, not sketches
Boxes the size of a stamp force decisions about composition. Only the strongest thumbnail is drawn at full size and sent to the art director.
Tuesday and Wednesday: paint in layers
Watercolour forgives very little, so she paints the light washes first, lets them dry completely and scans the page before adding detail. If something goes wrong, the scan is a safe point to return to.
Deliver early
A file sent half a day early leaves room for one round of changes without a late night. That habit, more than any brush, keeps clients coming back.