Final Weekly Reflection :( !!!

Weekly Reflection #3

            Today was another long, tough, and tedious week of work for our children’s book. We wrapped up, and completed production of our story, and it feels awesome! It’s also very scary that three whole weeks flew by that quickly, and I am graduating in this upcoming week! Senior project puts such finality to my time at Proctor, but this was definitely the best way end my career at Proctor!

            This week was full of hard work and dedication! I started off the week by continuing edits and proofs of all the writing that was to be entered into the book. Many drafts were made, and then reworded, and than RETYPED, and then edited again! It was such a tedious process to have to edit, and keep editing so many different times for just this one book.  I was able to share my completed writings with Patty throughout the week as they were given the O.K by Deb for print. By allowing Patty to finally see the completed writing, this gave her a real sense of time so she could finish her illustrations. As Patty and I finally collaborated our work together in a mock-up layout of how we wanted our book to be printed, we were now able to start to scan our work into the Photoshop program at Deb’s cottage. This program is UNBELIEVABLE! This things that this program can do to manipulate, and superimpose pictures is crazy! This program literally save Patty’s and mines life, as three weeks to complete all illustrations for the book is a crazy task to even try to handle.

            As Patty and I scanned the pictures into the program, we were able to choose layouts and text placements for the book. Text placement is very important because this is what walks the reader through the characters page! (Tip from Marty Kelley!) With the help of Jack McKew, (without whom we would have NEVER have completed this project,) we completed the entire layout of our book, as well as front and back covers! This was a crazy thing to actually see! All of our worked for three entire weeks compiled into one twenty-page book was SO COOL to see!

            After completed the book layout on the Photoshop program, Patty and I then had to transfer this work of art to another computer at Deb’s house that had a program called “Quarks.” This program enables one to resize the page layouts from the Photoshop program to the wanted page dimensions for the actual book. Quarks also help to edit text, and put the book into a “printer layout.” A printer layout is one that puts the correct pages to correspond with one another so when opening the book, the same picture of on the pages desired, and not one half of one picture, and the other half of a completely different one! This was very difficult to do, as we could not see each page the way we wanted it printed, but we saw page halves the whole time! It was hard but with Deb’s awesome help we did it! We were then on our way to printing out our ENTIRE BOOK!!! This was crazy that throughout this entire process I kept picturing the day when Patty, Deb and I could print out our completed children’s book, and that day has come and gone! I cannot wait to show off our finished product to our committee and everyone at the Senior Project Show on Tuesday night! The book is even more amazing than I predicted, and I am so happy and lucky to have been given this amazing opportunity to work with Patty and Deb like this! THANK YOU BOTH SO MUCHO!

Week 3 Day 5!!!! Final Day!

Today was a very high intensity production day! WE PRINTED OUR BOOK!!!! It was AWESOME to finally see all that hard work paid off, and in print! Patty and I met Deb around 11:00 this morning and went over the final layout for the book. We then transferred our book pages from the photoshop program to another program called "Quarks." This program enables us to actually layout our book in page to page format. (Real book format if you will.) We opened and saved each page of the book in Quarks, and edited the pages to fit into the 11.5 X 8 in. size. We wanted to make our book a small square, so it is easier for a child to hold onto! I know that when I was younger, I loved books to be able to fit right into my owns hands because I felt like I was "in charge." We wanted our book to have this same effect on the children reading it. SO, after we fit all our pages into the Quarks program, we then had to adjust each page to be opposite the page it needs to be printed with. We could not just print each page and fold them, because the pages would not line up, thus not having a matching picture across two pages. This was a difficult task, as Deb told us this was the most tedious part of the whole process, and it really was. I was getting so impatient at this point because all I wanted to do was print out book, and see it in REAL LIFE.  We finally completed the printing layout, which allowed us to finally press the PRINT BUTTON! This is what Patty and I had been thinking about doing throughout this entire process. I just can't actually believe that three weeks have flown by like this, and our book is FIN! It's a crazy experience. The fact that we only had three weeks to make this book is a really difficult concept to grasp, as most authors/illustrators take years to complete a book. I know our book isn't bookshelf ready, but with a little work I know that it could be. Everyone Patty and I met with over this process wished us good luck in our process of creating and printing a children's book in three weeks. The fact that Patty, and I completed this task, AND have an awesome book that I know I am extremely proud of makes me extremely excited. Patty and I worked so well together throughout this entire process, and with out Deb this would have never been so successful! It's finished, and we are so proud of everything we accomplished!!! WE DID IT! WAHOO!

Week 3 Day 4!

So today was actually the biggest day of work yet for our book. Our book was literally put together on the photoshop program at Deb's cottage. Today Patty and I got to work extremely early, (8 AM!) at the cottage where Patty completed the rest of the drawing for the book! It was so awesome to actually have the relief that the illustrations were COMPLETE, and to be scanned into the photoshop program and used to complete each turtle's page! BIG STEP IN THE PUBLICATION PROCESS! (That's what Randi Rivers form Charlesbridge Publications told us!) SO... After the illustrations were scanned into the photoshop program, I was able to complete each page layout with Patty's input, as well as help from JUST JACK. Deb was able to join Patty and I in the cottage in the morning so we could update her on the status of our FINAL PRODUCTION! The photoshop program we are using is UNBELIEVABLE! It can seriously do the craziest things ever! It can manipulate any picture any certain way one wants! It is so crazy to be able to use such a high tech program to publish our book off of. We were able to finally complete each page layout, and add the text to each page. It was so amazing to see all of our hard work put onto the program, and in our BOOK format! I can't believe it is all coming together like this. The pages look SO GOOD. I mean they are seriously way better than I could have EVER imagined, and this is really do to everyone who has contributed to helping out Patty and I in this entire process, especially Deb. She knows exactly how to fix things, and calm us down whenever we, (mostly me) gets stressed out and thinks that our whole book is going to fail. Our book is way better than what I expected, and we accomplished MUCHISIMO work today. Tomorrow we PRINT!!!!! This is so surreal to me that three weeks have flown by like this! I feel like I just started writing drafts for this book of ours, and now it is in the final days of production! I can't express how spectacular this experience has been for me. I honestly cannot wait to see our book print tomorrow! A final product of these last three weeks is exactly what Patty, Deb and I need! We finally get to admire all of our hard work tomorrow! AHHH! WAHOOO!!!

Until next time muggles.

Week 3 Day 3!!!!

Today Patty and I worked at Patty’s house this morning! Patty was able to sketch the cover for the book, which was really cool to see! She has to do a complete illustration, which hopefully will be completed by tomorrow so we can scan the illustration into the Photoshop program for printing on Friday. This morning I was able to work with Jack on the Photoshop program and it was so cool! We were able to put together some pages together, and complete the layout of the beginning pages of our book!  We are now at Deb’s house where we are having QUESDILLAS! We are then going to go complete more of our pages on the Photoshop with Jack’s help! This is going to be a long night, and we are ready for it!

Week 3 Day 2!!!

Today was a very productive day for both Patty and I! We both met bright and early with Deb at her cottage, where we collaborated all our work thus far for our book. Patty was able to see all of the finished poems in a printed format, which was super exciting! She was able to understand the actions, and prospective of the remaining characters that needed to be drawn. We then were able to play around a little bit with the program that we will be using for the printing of our BOOK! A quick shout out to MARY LEDOUX, whom without her generosity and donation of linen paper for our book production, we would probably be in big debt with production costs! YOU GO GIRL!  We were able to use the Photoshop program in which we scan Patty’s pictures onto the computer and save them into the program. We are then able to use various backgrounds, and effects that add drama to our pictures! It is the coolest program! We still need to meet with JUST JACK to figure out many of the logistics of the program, as we were not able to get to far with the layout of each page today. The program is very complicated, and stressful, but with JUST JACK’S help we will be in full swing of starting layout of each page consisting of a picture and text! It was very cool and exciting to actually be able start the scanning process onto the computer. We also were able to pick out all of our scene backgrounds for each turtle’s page! It is so awesome to be at a point in our project where everything it totally under control, and on schedule! (Knock on wood!) We plan to work on finishing the cover illustration tomorrow morning, then to meet with Deb in the afternoon after our game so we can have JUST JACK’S help with the program. We are then going to work well into the night to get most of the layout finished for the book. Then on Thursday, we want to completely finish the book and have it ready for print on FRIDAY! IT’S DOWN TO THE WIRE! Here we go!!!!!!

Until next time muggles.

 

Week 3 Day 1!!!

Today was very much a workday for Patty and I. We both met this morning at Patty’s house, so I could show her the work I had accomplished over the weekend with Deb. This weekend I went up to Deb’s house on Sunday afternoon. Deb and I FINISHED all of the writing for the book! Each poem is complete, and just needs to be proofread by myself, Patty and Deb. I was able to really concentrate with Deb as she gave me pointers and techniques that helped me develop the poems for each character. I remembered what I head learned from the writing workshop about just letting my creative part of my brain just flow, and to cut off the editor! It truly has helped me so much to even just remember this little fact. So, I was able to sit down with Deb and complete the poems, and it feels SPECTACULAR!! Deb and I were also able to have create a mockup layout of our book. This allowed us to see how many pages we will be using, (20 cover to cover!) and gave me a real sense that this book is actually almost completed and printed! It was a surreal moment to see the book layout! We decided on the order of the introductions of each family member, and where our dedication and publication pages are going to be! I really cannot wait to see the finished book right now! The mockup gave me such excitement!!! Patty has completed all of the turtle family member drawings, and now only has to complete the cover and dinner table art! We are SO close to starting actual layout on Deb’s computer at the cottage, which also means we are that much CLOSER to printing our book! WAHOO!!! Tomorrow Patty and I are meeting with Deb at 9:30 at her cottage to scan Patty’s artwork, and start then start the layout of text and pictures! Another exciting day today, as well as one prepared for tomorrow!

 

Weekly Reflection Week Two: 5/11-5/16

Week two of senior project has been just as fulfilling and eventful as the first! Patty Deb, and I were always on the go as we had lots of work to catch-up on and complete, so we are ready for final book production in our last week!

            This week started off with developing, and completing our turtle characters, and having final drafts of the poems for each family member. I had lots to do for this task, as I am not the best of writers. I worked on each character, and the family is full of fun and unique dynamics! Each turtle has it’s only little twist to what they add to the family. We have six children, and a mother and father. The children turtles were much easier to write, and complete poems for as each child has a defined character trait. Each of the children are represent a very dominate trait that sets them apart from one another. The parents on the other hand are not labeled with such a trait, and this make them more difficult to write for as I have no baseline to start from. Patty and I had to think clearly about the story as a whole, so we could develop and write about the parents. Patty was able to get most of the artwork for the book finished this week. She has drawn almost each family member, and they are SO AWESOME! I was not expecting Patty to be able to really take in and embrace the each character, and represent it so well with her illustrations. Each drawing has a unique technique, and altered perspective to keep our readers interested and occupied on each page. Marty and David were so helpful with their tips form the interviews last week. Each time Patty and I are working on any little part of our book, we always have their reminders and pieces of advice playing in our heads. I am so thankful that we were able to meet with those two talented writers, as I know they motivated and guided me through this tough and frustrating process.

            On Wednesday, Patty and I were able to finally attend Deb’s WORDS IN PLAY WORKSHOP! It was so amazing to be surrounded, and in such a motivational atmosphere for writing. Each member of Deb’s class is so unique, and they really bring out the best in one another. The class was able to help, and show me as a writer how to provoke and get my creative juices flowing. We did exercises that forced the creative part of one’s brain to work, and overtake the editor side. This was so helpful because I know that when I am writing my “editor” is always correcting my words and thoughts, and does not allow me to let my brain just write and get my ideas out onto paper. I found Deb’s class was able to move me forward in our book process because I am now able to just write my thoughts out about each turtle. I was getting extremely overwhelmed with my poems for the book as I felt I could never think, or create any pieces of writing that I liked for the characters, but I am now able to remind myself to just start writing about the turtle, and not let my brain edit any creative thoughts of the character until I allow it to do so.  I absolutely loved this class, and hopefully Patty and I are able to attend it again this coming week! (Hopefully we are not to busy producing our FINAL BOOK!)

            On Thursday we then traveled to Watertown, Massachusetts where we got to meet, greet, and tour all of the Charlesbridge Publishing House! This opportunity was unbelievable! It was so cool to actually see the entire process of how a published story is picked, and then eventually printed. We got a sneak preview of a new book “hot off the press,” called What Really Happened To Humpty. With this book we were able to see each and every step of the publication process! It was so cool to see all the hours and dedication put into the book by the editor, author, and illustrator of this one book. The work and time consumed in the production of just this one book was unbelievable. We were also given a tour of the art department of the publication house! This was SO cool to see the illustration process, as there are many, many steps to it!  Being at the publication house truly reminded me of that fact that Patty and I are doing this whole process in such a short amount of time, and we are completely dedicated to making this book the best it can be. It takes true devotion and determination to make a living out of illustrating/writing children’s books!

            In this next week Patty and I, with the guidance of DEB will be completing and printing our VERY OWN BOOK!!! I am SO excited to finally see how all of our hard work has paid off! This has been such a new and awesome experience for me, as well as Patty. I cannot wait to show, and present all of our drafts and mistakes, and show how each mess-up just pushed Patty and I even further along in this process. The final production beings Monday, and I know that neither Deb, Patty or I can wait!