Illustrating NonFiction with Jessica Lanan #scbwiSummer22

In this breakout session, Jessica Lanan talked about Pushing Your Perspectives: How To Illustrate Nonfiction When It All Seems Impossible. ASL interpreters: Andrea, Haley and Cedric.

Jessica Lanan is the author and illustrator of The Fisherman and the Whale, a Colorado Book Award finalist and the winner of the 2020 Bull-Bransom award for wildlife illustration. She is also the illustrator of many books for young people, most recently The Lost Package, which received four starred reviews and was selected as an ALA Notable Book and a Read Across America choice for 2021. Jessica enjoys working on both fiction and nonfiction but is especially passionate about projects that help young readers to discover the beauty and diversity of their world. Jessica has been a member of SCBWI since 2010 and is eager to share her knowledge with both new and experienced writers and artists. Her next author-illustrator project, Jumper, will be out in 2023 from Roaring Brook Press.

Nonfiction can be challenging, says Jessica. Just a few reasons:

Limited reference material, no story or character, topic is something people are biased against, subject is hard to see...or even invisible! It becomes a problem-solving exercise.

In terms of nonfiction, Jessica says she mainly works on narrative nonfiction. She gave some examples:

Narrative nonfiction is nonfiction that uses techniques and styles usually more closely associated with fiction. Jessica focuses on this type of nonfiction. For other types of nonfiction, Jessica recommends 5 Kinds Of Nonfiction by Melissa Stewart.

Jessica talked about how she approached the illustration process for JUST RIGHT after reading the poetic text by the author.

Her first set of sketches came across as too much like a textbook, so Jess turned the focus on her character's perspective instead...and that worked.

Jess also talked about her approach to her new solo picture book, JUMPER: A Day In The Life Of A Backyard Jumping Spider.

Jess talked about different ways she compared the perspectives of a child and a spider.

Research material tips:

Go beyond the first pass of Google images. Reach and talk to experts, for example. Try to get to the source material.

Design book she recommended:

Picture This: How Pictures Work, by Molly Bang

Just a few ways that Jess suggested to get unstuck:

Read 3-4 books that talk about the subject in different ways.

Define your goals. What do you want your book to say? How do you want it to feel when you read it?

Add a character. Person? Animal? Inanimate object?

Add a layer of story.

Design for emotion: Think about scale, lighting, shapes, etc.

Use the back matter. Would some info be better in the back?

Media that Jessica uses:

For sketches: digital/non-digital hybrid.

For final art: Watercolor on paper.

She made a model of a spider with movable legs for this book as well as other models. Check her Instagram feed!

Portfolio tips:

Make it very clear in your portfolio what kind of work you want to do.

Fascinating to get a peek into the behind-the-scenes process of illustrating nonfiction!

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Related posts:

Keynote: Emily Feinberg "From Proposal To Finished Book"

Portfolio Showcase Winners, 2011: Jess won an Illustration Mentorship

2020 SCBWI Golden Kite Award and Sid Fleischman Awards: JUST RIGHT: SEARCHING FOR THE GOLDILOCKS PLANET won the Golden Kite Honor Book for Non-Fiction For Older Readers (Author: Curtis Manley, illustrated by Jessica Lanan, Roaring Brook Press)