#kid christmas

[tinkerd]

The Kid Christmas Sketchbook Part 2

A second peek behind the scenes of my latest book 'Kid Christmas: Of The Claus Brothers Toy Shop'

A few days ago I shared the scruffy, sketchy beginnings of what would become my sixth author/illustrator book ‘Kid Christmas: Of The Claus Brothers Toy Shop (Out NOW)

Today we are going to look at the next stage in creating the book: The Terrifying Rough First Draft stage.

First Draft

It’s not really that terrifying to be honest, but there is always a bit of trepidation when I send this off to my editor. It’s the first real look at how the book is going to turn out. Its when I see if the excitement and enthusiasm I felt in the sketchy stages is actually going to pay off and the book does have potential to be as good as I felt it would be.

I probably (definitely) do over think these things- everything can still be changed at this stage after all, so yes it probably shouldn’t cause as much stress as it does- but its still a daunting moment.

For the first draft rough I take my sketches from my sketchbook and basically spruce them up so that they are more presentable. I do this stage mainly digitally, using my hand drawn paper sketches as a blueprint and drawing over them with my fancy Wacom tablet. At the same time I will hone the idea and story structure as this process goes on.

A lot of further big creative decisions are made here too. In fact that happens a lot during the whole process. Things will change, story ideas will develop and artwork will be tweaked all the way up to it being prepared to print.

The first step of that happens after I send through the First Draft Rough. My editor and art director will have a say on the drawings and offer input on what to change and how to move the story along. Sometimes this can be pretty brutal as being an arty type I am automatically a big old control freak. But I very quickly learnt that making books is a wholly collaborative process. Even though my name is on the cover all of my books have very much been a creative collaboration.

Anyway, I’m rambling a fair bit now, so why don’t we just have a look at some of the pages from the first draft rough :)

The Cover

Around about the same time as creating the First Draft I will start thinking about the cover. The publishers don’t usually want to see a cover sketch until the books rough internal pages are all ready to go to artwork. But the cover is always on my mind. For me seeing the cover- all be it in sketch form- helps to characterise the entire book. So I often think of the cover very early on.

Another thing that publishers will like to see is a number of different options for the cover. So I aim to sketch out 5 or 6 for them to choose. I definitely had my favourite of the sketches and assumed that they would also go for it. However, I was very surprised that they went for the final design. I love it, and I can now totally understand why it was chosen. But my favourite was actually the image right at the start of this newsletter- with Nicky and his uncles standing proud outside the Toy Shop. Nicky isn’t even in his Santa costume - I thought that we should keep that a big secret- which I now look back on as being a bit of a crazy decision on my part. Again, it shows how important the collaboration aspect is to making books. Having other insights and opinions are really vital.

Ok, here is a look at the cover sketches that I presented, including the design that we ended up using.

Phew….so there we are.

Hopefully you have had a little further insight into the sketching stages of ‘Kid Christmas’.

Thank you so much for reading these two- slightly rambley- recollections of how the idea developed (you can read Part 1 HERE)

Great Thanks also to everyone who has read the book. I’ve been absolutely chuffed to bits with the response that the book has had and it has made all the hard work and trials and tribulations (as fun as they all are) worth it.

Happy Christmas all. Ho Ho Ho.

David :)

#kid christmas #kidchristmas #sketchbook

[yeoldenews]

A few of the more creative spellings of Christmas I’ve come across while looking for Dear Santa letters in old newspapers this year.

#merry crisis #merry chrysler #kids #history #christmas #dear santa

[cemeterything]

are we still doing this because i have a late submission

#🐉 #this is less about fan content and more about that awful lazy one size fits all #'10 years later theyre happily married with a cute little nuclear family' trope #because ive read some genuinely incredible fics about characters who would Not fucking have kids #ending up with accidental pregnancy scares or child acquisitions that get treated with all the nuance #and thoughtful handling they deserve #but also. i reread one of my favourite fics yesterday and when one character jokingly brought up the idea of children #and the other reacted with genuine visceral disgust and said what hideously awful parents theyd be #i lit up like a fucking christmas tree

[neuro-psyche]

I think Dick and Jason would have multiple “what the actual fuck are you saying right now” with Tim and Damian when it comes to quality of life/monetary differences. Sure, Dick and Jason got used to Bruce’s “is $100 a good enough tip on a $30 bill?” shit, but hearing Tim talking about a new laptop he bought for $5000 literally is like a punch in the gut.

If they ever went on a cruise (which they totally wouldn’t because cruises are floating death traps), Jason and Dick would be in awe of the fancy amenities, where as Damian would be unsatisfied with the quality, since he grew up with every single amenity known to man. Tim would just feel like it’s all normal since the Drake’s were extravagant and travelled all over the planet.

Jason : My bedroom is bigger than my fucking apartment.

Dick : I could do a full gymnastics routine with the space in my room.

Tim :

Dick :

Tim : My room is normal sized…

Jason : You grew up in a mega mansion. I hardly think you’re the benchmark of a normal room-

Damian : I must agree with Drake. This room is frankly underwhelming.

Dick, staring wildly at him : What do you mean underwhelming- Dames there’s an aquarium wall in your room.

Damian : Yes. Underwhelming.

Jason :

Dick :

Jason : Do you want to-

Dick : Jump off the boat? Yes.

#batfam #batman #dc comics #dcu #jason todd #comics #dick grayson #batbros #tim drake #damian wayne #bruce wayne #headcanon #i have a friend who is super mega rich and has a butler and shit #and she just couldn’t comprehend that I didn’t have an allowance as a kid #and that i had to wait for my birthday or christmas to get stuff #she’s one of my favorite people but she really has no concept of money #it’s really funny tbh #i feel like that’s how tim is. just wouldn’t get it #not damian though. he just doesn’t give a shit. #he’d just steal whatever he wanted tbh

[gouinisme]

#signed a former muslim in a mostly muslim area who didnt know people were actually taught that santa existed for the longest time #throwback to the time our white primary school teacher asked what we wanted from santa claus and we were all like. ma'am what do you mean #santa's not real did you think santa was real? #and she had to try her best to protect the like 2 white kids in the class from learning santa doesnt exist #poll #christmas

[oh-gh0st]

i heart these rivals so much. maybe they'll kill each other. maybe they'll kiss. maybe they'll make ou

#ghost's doodles #lego monkie kid #lmk #shadowpeach #lmk sun wukong #lmk macaque #sun wukong #six eared macaque #love how these two show how different my art tends to be. either wholesome cute stuff or Absolute shitposts #i need them to do stuff to each other Really bad you guys have no idea #on another note for those who read these tags: i am making shadowpeach plushies #who knows how long those will take... but im sure i can get everything patterned right before they come in after new years #im so freaking excited!!!! #merry christmas btw. shadowpeach fans get a tasty treat lol #also the second shadowpeach was in ref to a twit trend going around. it got 2k+ likes..................

[fabcreature]

you know what, since we've been talking about how annoying it is when people react like "what drugs were they on when they wrote this 🤪" when someone is creative, i just wanna say

everyone who says "HOW IS THIS A KIDS' MOVIE 😱😱", when a kids' movie is a little bit out of the box and features dark or deep imagery and meanings, owes me one thousand euros

#coraline #nightmare before christmas #return to oz #spirited away #secret of nimh #sorry you guys are fucking boring #kids can watch things with more artistic merit than paw patrol you know #children's media can be interesting and deep and dark #kids aren't made of glass. they can handle creepy things. they can Enjoy creepy things. #so you know. shut the fuck up and give me one thousand euros #eg posts

[fullcravings]

Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

#red velvet #cake #cream cheese #frosting #food #dessert #sheet cake #kids #color #red #christmas #4th of july #birthday #valentines day #baking #recipe #gimmedelicious

[greatestwizardofthisage]

i would like to personally thank siobhan thompson for organising the bad kids secret santa

#this is the kind of bad kids being best friends content i have been DYING for #on a side note gorgug giving riz a present was the cutest thing ever holy shit #i just want like ten hours worth of filler episodes with the bad kids #like the bad kids beach episode/christmas episode/HALLOWEEN EPISODE #basically bad kids secret santa is everything i’ve ever wanted thank you siobhan #dimension 20 #fantasy high #fantasy high junior year spoilers

[thejohnnieguilbert]

Santa smelled like cigarettes

#johnnie guilbert #emo #emo boy #emo guy #emo kid #emo king #emo stuff #emo hair #emo lyrics #emo music #emo shit #2000s emo #emo scene #emo aesthetic #emo songs #emo style #emo look #emo life #christmas #santa

[tinkerd]

CHRISTMAS QUESTION #3: 

DO YOU KNOW WHY WE LEAVE CARROTS FOR SANTA’S REINDEER ON CHRISTMAS EVE? READ MY NEW BOOK ‘KID CHRISTMAS: OF THE CLAUS BROTHERS TOY SHOP’ TO FIND THE (possibly not true but maybe also absolutely true) ANSWER 🏠🎁🎅 (look out for another #ChristmasQuestion in a day or two 🤗) #kidchristmas

#kidchristmas #kid christmas

[yeoldenews]

Robert Moss was diagnosed with polio at the age of six, the year before he wrote this letter. He would spend the next nine years of his childhood in and out of hospitals.

He made a full recovery and was a decorated athlete in High School and College, as well as an Eagle Scout. After college, he became a junior high science teacher, while also coaching football, basketball and track.

During summer break from teaching in 1965, his childhood struggle with polio inspired him to spend the summer working at the Louisiana Lions Camp for Crippled Children. He went back the next summer and was hired as camp director.

Robert was the Executive Director of the Lions Camp for 41 years. Over his tenure he expanded the camp to include programs for children with pulmonary disorders, muscular dystrophy, diabetes and autism.

He assisted in programs to set up similar camps in Puerto Rico and Australia, as well as a camp for children with terminal illnesses in Texas.

The Lions Camp still operates and is 100% free of charge for all attendees.

(source: The Minden Herald, December 19, 1941.)

#dear santa #christmas #kids #1940s #history #polio #louisiana #the appealing to Jesus to intervene with Santa is some A+ child logic #it's like asking to speak to Santa's manager

[cigsnvalentines]

Scene kidz r Santa approved :P

#scene fashion #scenemo #scene kid #emo scene #scene girl #scene queen #scene hair #rawring 20s #scenecore #2000s scene #scene outfit #scene aesthetic #emo girl #emo kid #2000s emo #emo christmas #christmas #mall santa

[saltedpineapple]

So JJK is over and my LMK brainrot is back , added with the fact i am playing a MOBA game and am being blessed with delicious illustrations it prompted me to make this

Now i am going to ramble about this because this is the first time in forever where i kinda pushed myself to make a FULL art piece-

I will be standing for this-

Let me tell you, i had no confidence in this and the composition was supposed to be way different, but this still happened. This took two days because i kept procrastinating , walking around my room dreading drawing the background BIG ADVICE FOR BEGINNER ARTISTS Watch speedpaints. You will learn so much by watching the process and that was this for me I have the tendency to kinda burn myself out and finish everything in a day and then never actually finishing. Tried something different for this and made a cheap silhouette of a sketch, then drew over that and used greys and whites fort the shadows. Then i think i colored everything in a base color (and i finally used a palette) and then i tried to find the lighting and shadow colours. It was weird. And what im saying is that i planned most of it instead of diving head in withour a plan. Crazy i know-

I also just learned about dpi PROPERLY and unfortunately made my piece so big that it kept stalling paint tool sai-

let me just post the progress shots

I also fucked up macaques reference and fixed it in a whim somewhere. You can see it here. I honestly wasn't planning to follow the lmk at style but that kinda happens when you're starring too much at the references.

There's still a mess and i wanted to render it a bit better ,the way i normally do but i didn't. Anyways i did enjoy the process and i actually miss them so much and i might watch LMK all over again Especially Wukong and MK

Btw this was supposed to be a moving illustration and i just didn't

I have Live2D but no

(Btw please check out my profile if you have the chance and thank you for reading this! Love you-)

#lmk art #lmk sun wukong #lmk fanart #lmk macaque #lego monkey kid fanart #lego monkie kid #lmk monkey king #lmk shadowpeach #shadowpeach #six eared macaque #lego monkie king #OK BUT I FOUND OUT HOW TO DO THE EFFECT IN THE FIRST AND I FELT LIKE A KID ON CHRISTMAS #btw im sorry i dont ever post anything for any holidays #it will be the same for the chinese new year and valentines day

[vavoom-sorted-art]

Of Kings and Kids - A Good Omens Christmas Story

"Preparing for the arrival of the Messiah, The Son Of God, King Of The Jews and Saviour Of Mankind is stressful enough, but Silas the Shepherd (Happiest goats this side of the Jordan!) a.k.a Aziraphale, Angel Of The Eastern Gate, seems to have it all under control... until a certain demon shows up with some more than alarming news..." - written by @gaiaseyes451 and illustrated by yours truly - coming on Dec 22nd!

Completed now, read on Ao3!

#Of Kings And Kids #christmas story #christmas 2023 #good omens #ineffable christmas #good omens fanart #crowley #aziraphale #ineffable husbands #art #good omens fanfiction #aziracrow #crowley x aziraphale #vavoomart

[civetside]

happy first day of halloween

#tlt #griddlehark #the locked tomb #gideon nav #harrowhark nonagesimus #tlt shitposting #sorry all my comics take place in some nondescript modern setting now #im just playing with my skribbly prumbo skrungies dimbos like dolls or whatever the kids say #all the stores near my house put up christmas stuff like last week and im coping with this first comic #back in my day they at least waited until after halloween so i could enjoy the spooky vibes BUT NOW THEY DONT GIVE A CRRAAP