Jim Harris Talks About Illustrating...

The Bible ABC

When you illustrate a new book, you meet a lot of new people. There’s the author of the book, the art director for the book, and usually the editor and sales team at the publisher, as well.

In one way or another, most of these people have the important job of giving helpful advice on how the book should be illustrated. In fact, there’s creative ideas and suggestions flying in all directions during the planning stages of a picture-book… but that’s a very good thing… and it always helps to remember that somebody else just might have an idea a little better than your own.

‘Peter Sailing on the Sea of Galilee’ Humorous Bible illustration by artist Jim Harris.

Another thing you learn working as an illustrator is that no two publishing companies are alike. At some publishers, the editor has the final say on how the artwork should look. At other publishers, it’s the art director who makes those decisions. And if you happen to be working on a pop-up or other novelty book, a paper engineer will be in on the decision-making process, too. Basically, a paper engineer’s job is to make sure that the illustrations can be turned into pops and flaps that work in real life.

The dummies made by paper engineers for pop-up books are marvels of creative ingenuity. Here’s one for a book called Gruesome Stew.

Pop-up book dummy. This dummy was designed by a paper engineer for a children’s book called Gruesome Stew.

So what does this all have to do with The Bible ABC?

Well, just this…

My boss for The Bible ABC was an editor who was extra nice to work with. She offered lots of great suggestions on the sketches, gave helpful advice on resources, and so on and so forth, but… most important of all … at Christmas time she sent a WHOLE cookie tin full of chocolate chip cookies. This resulted in her receiving Editor-of-the-Year from my family and my gaining about 5 pounds in the space of one week.

‘Hagar and Ishmael’ Another Biblical illustration by artist Jim Harris.

There was another time I got a Christmas present from an art director. That time it was a Christmas tin full of pinto beans. Yes, pinto beans. I was writing a book called Jack and the Giant, a Tale Full of Beans, (which involves pinto beans that grow up into a magical beanstalk) and I was running a bit behind schedule, and it was meant as a hurry-it-up-please kind of joke.

‘Doubting Thomas’ One of my favorite Bible characters… whom I greatly enjoyed illustrating.

Then there was the art director that sent me a book about basketball trivia. We’d had a chance to get acquainted at a book conference in Texas, and when I told her I had turned down a spot on the Chicago Bulls to become an illustrator, she didn’t laugh one little bit. (She did spill her coffee and had a minor choking spell… but I’m sure that was merely a co-incidence.) Anyway, I rotate that very insightful book in and out of the bathroom along with the regular comic books. (At my house, if you are a book, it is a big compliment to be in the bathroom rotation.)

Sometimes art directors come to visit me at my house and studio. You could click here for a story about that… but I have to warn you, it’s a long story.

‘Queen Esther Takes the Castle’ More humorous Biblical art from illustrator Jim Harris.

All in all, when you’re an illustrator, you get lots of authors and editors and art directors for friends… and that’s one of the best parts of the job.