A short text can hold more illustration options than you might think. In just a few sentences, your character might walk into a room, spot an odd object, recall a past event, say something to someone, and make a decision. That’s a lot to pack into a single illustration. While your readers may get the gist of the scene, they might miss props, background, expressions, or even the story beat itself.
So what moment makes the most sense to illustrate? In other words, choose the instant that has the most impact for telling the story. The loudest story beat doesn’t always offer the clearest image. Sometimes what comes just before a character’s decision is more powerful than the decision itself. It can be more impactful to show a character looking at the door before opening it than to illustrate the door opening. Sometimes more is shown by one child behind their back than the clutter of furniture in a whole room. The point is to identify that moment which is the most helpful for your readers to see what’s important.
Always start with the words. Read a short section of the book and circle all the verbs, mood words, and significant objects. After that, consider what needs to appear in an image in order to support your readers. Does the character’s expression matter most? Is the interaction between two figures the story’s focal point? Does a single prop, such as a torn map or glowing jar, tell your reader what to focus on? This reading step will prevent an illustration from becoming mere decoration beside the text.
Next, draw three thumbnail sketches. Don’t worry about being precise. In the first thumbnail sketch, show the moment just before the major action. In the second, show the action. In the third, show the consequence of the action or a character’s reaction. For example, if you have a description of someone seeing footprints, you could draw a character walking towards a window, one with the footprints visible, and a third with their facial expression after the realization. These rough sketches will give you an idea of which image has the most impact.
One quick test is to cover up the words and only look at the thumbnail. Does the main action appear obvious to the reader? Is your reader’s eye naturally drawn to the thing the author wants them to notice, be it a character, object, or gesture? Is the background more interesting than the story’s focal point? Simplify the background in that instance. Is a pose stiff or unappealing? Make a minor adjustment. Is an important prop too small or out of place? Move it closer or give it more space. At this stage, an eraser or tracing paper is better than too much detail.
Don’t forget the amount of space available for your illustration on the page. Sometimes story beats fit better on the book spread with ample space to show setting and mood. Other times, the image might be a close up of a face, a pair of hands, or a key. Before you do the larger rough sketch, indicate where the text might appear on the page. You can do this with a rectangle or a blank line. Make sure your margins and white space are generous; you don’t want your text to be crammed. A good illustration moment fits the text, not works against it.
Look at each sketch in progress to see how it supports the reading experience. An illustration does not need to illustrate every sentence. Sometimes your image will set a mood, provide focus, or bring out the importance of something minor mentioned in the text. If your text describes an action very clearly, you might show the response of the character. If the author has described a chaotic scene in great detail, your illustration might select one area of it that your reader can understand.
Generally, the best story beat to illustrate is the one that you can describe simply. The girl finds a hidden key. The fox sits on the far side of a gate. The child discovers he’s lost the letter. Once your sketch contains the story’s focal point with clarity, other things become easier to figure out. Now you can choose placement for your character, select props, determine background, and consider value and color. Everything has a job to do when your main story beat is established.