Isabel Le Sage

First I would make multiple small sketches, until I was satisfied with the design and form of each creature.

Then I moved over into my bigger sketchbook and drew the creature again, according to the sketches I made earlier. That’s when I would go in with the watercolors. Each drawing was different. Either I painted it completely with watercolors or I would leave spaces out to edit them later on digitally. This way I had more freedom and didn’t have to worry about little errors.

Once the paint was dry I either scanned it in or photographed it, to work on it directly. I pulled it into Photoshop and separated my drawing from its background.

In the last step I drew all the missing part in digitally. This way I could add little details, without ruining the watercolor beneath. It also gave me the possibility to bring back the vibrant colors that got lost during the scan. The only thing left was to assemble everything together.

The binding was tricky at first, because I didn’t want to bind the book with either fabric or leather. Two malleable materials, which are more forgiven. In the end I tested different paper weights, to see what worked best. I was very careful not rip or scrape the paper while glueing it to the cardboards.

My absolute favorite details about this book is the headband. It is self-made out of an original Tartan fabric, which I acquired on my first trip to Edinburgh. Depending on the pattern, the colours, the weaving, a Tartan can belong to a family, a clan or a royal house. The fabric used here is called “Holyrood”, named after the royal residence “Holyrood House” of King Charles, when he resides in Edinburgh. The book not only holds an actual piece of Scotland, but also a lot of history.

I, myself, am not mentioned as an author on the cover, because I designed this book, as if my characters would have created and written it. That is why my fictional characters are mentioned instead. It is supposed to be a book from my characters to my characters, which should give the reader a more immersive view in the world building of my novel.

The pages were bound by hand, then glued together. I added two bookmarks. One, to reflect the colours of the inside of the book. The other, to harmonize with the headband and the illustrations.