Inbal Sarid is a freelance illustrator who illustrated 23 children books so far.
Her illustrating projects include:
3 classics written by Levin Kipnis: "daffodil the king of the swamp", "The Three Butterflies" & "The Lion and the
Mouse"; The world map – all made out from animals, for an Italian company; A guiding booklet for children, for the coral reef nature reserve in Eilat ;Illustrations for an app "The Tale of The Rooster who Lost His Voice" created by "iMagine Machine"; Illustrations for puzzle series and more.
Exhibitions: solo exhibition in "Dizengoff Center" in Tel Aviv 2010.
How did you first get into illustration?
The first time I have illustrated a story for children came out when I was 13 years old.
My older sister wrote a cute story about an elephant, which made my elder brother sparkle with the idea to illustrate it and put it on the net. We thought it would be only for the family but suddenly we started receiving comments from strangers so we asked our sister to think of a new story. After a few years our website became a playground for children, full of stories and games. Kids even sent us drawings to publish on the website. In 2003 we have decided to self- publish our books, one by one. Finally we had 6 books published and sold in bookstores and kindergartens all over the country.
How do you start a new project of children's book illustration?
First I read the text and imagine the pictures in my head, try to think how the characters should look like.
Then I start with the first chapter, I begin sketching digitally so it'd be easy to change sizes, positions & erase easily. I use references from different images on the net.
One time when I needed to illustrate the booklet for the Coral reef I went snorkeling in the nature reserve. It was such an inspiring experience that made me very prepared for the project.
What is your artistic process, creating a new illustration?
My technique is a combination between handmade and digital illustration.
I begin with sketching on the computer, then I print the sketch on a special printable sketch paper.
I take a piece of cotton canvas, in the size of the spread, and transfer the sketch onto the canvas. I paint the canvas with soft pastel chalks, spray it with fixative and scan it back to the computer.
Now – that is the longest part of the process – I clean edges, take care of the colors and finally draw the whole illustration's lines and shadows digitally.
What would be your ultimate goal as an illustrator?
To illustrate all over the world, every year in a different place!
I want to have special experiences due to projects of illustration, such as snorkeling, but much bigger.
I also want to write and illustrate my own children's books. Now I study writing so I hope this goal is getting closer.
What advice would you give to aspiring illustrators?
Enjoy your work!
I really appreciate my job, I also draw caricatures & graffiti, I try to do as much art as I can.
More about Inbal Sarid at: Gallery/Website/Facebook