Uploaded May 2024 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
All the writing is done and it's time to layout book two in the Generation Moon trilogy.
Working out where to leave spaces for illustration in a middle grade novel is a bit of an arcane skill. You need to know the story well and where the best illustration opportunities are.
Then you need to leave space in the right places, allowing for where the next chapter begins, and how you are going to fit all the text and illustrations in the number of pages allocated.
You can reduce or increase the text size to fill the space, but that will then move all the chapter ends and beginnings, so there is quite a bit of juggling involved.
If you are having layout problems, especially if you are using Affinity Publisher, let me know. I may be able to help!
Subscribe to this channel on YouTube for lots more drawing videos from award-winning illustrator, Shoo Rayner ➡️ bit.ly/Sub2Shoo
Twitter twitter.com/shoorayner
Instagram instagram.com/shoorayner
Website shoorayner.com
music by @cleffernotes
The tools I use: youtu.be/QJwjV1FKdyg
Rotring Tikky Graphic Pen
amzn.to/2hLNgQo in the UK
amzn.to/2zRyH4y in the USA
amzn.to/2E3qL08 in Canada
The Pentel Aquash Brush
amzn.to/2hL5MZe in the UK
amzn.to/2zQFD1H in the USA
amzn.to/2BpMRHg In Canada
Huion A4 Tracing Light Pad
amzn.to/2G8VglQ in the UK
amzn.to/2E4CStW in the USA
amzn.to/2DEDt7P in Canada
The Cotman sketching watercolour set
amzn.to/2hPgKgl in the UK
amzn.to/2yWquIV in the USA
amzn.to/2BpN0KO in Canada
Shoo Rayner is an award-winning author and illustrator of over 200 books for children.
All the writing is done and it's time to layout book two in the Generation Moon trilogy.
Working out where to leave spaces for illustration in a middle grade novel is a bit of an arcane skill. You need to know the story well and where the best illustration opportunities are.
Then you need to leave space in the right places, allowing for where the next chapter begins, and how you are going to fit all the text and illustrations in the number of pages allocated.
You can reduce or increase the text size to fill the space, but that will then move all the chapter ends and beginnings, so there is quite a bit of juggling involved.
If you are having layout problems, especially if you are using Affinity Publisher, let me know. I may be able to help!
Subscribe to this channel on YouTube for lots more drawing videos from award-winning illustrator, Shoo Rayner ➡️ bit.ly/Sub2Shoo
Twitter twitter.com/shoorayner
Instagram instagram.com/shoorayner
Website shoorayner.com
music by @cleffernotes
The tools I use: youtu.be/QJwjV1FKdyg
Rotring Tikky Graphic Pen
amzn.to/2hLNgQo in the UK
amzn.to/2zRyH4y in the USA
amzn.to/2E3qL08 in Canada
The Pentel Aquash Brush
amzn.to/2hL5MZe in the UK
amzn.to/2zQFD1H in the USA
amzn.to/2BpMRHg In Canada
Huion A4 Tracing Light Pad
amzn.to/2G8VglQ in the UK
amzn.to/2E4CStW in the USA
amzn.to/2DEDt7P in Canada
The Cotman sketching watercolour set
amzn.to/2hPgKgl in the UK
amzn.to/2yWquIV in the USA
amzn.to/2BpN0KO in Canada
Shoo Rayner is an award-winning author and illustrator of over 200 books for children.
