Book Illustrator Notes on iPhone: Character Consistency, Editorial Feedback & Project Notes

Note-Taking for Book Illustrators

Book illustration — whether children's picture books, middle grade, YA, or adult literary illustration — involves sustained collaboration with art directors and editors over months. Character design notes, color palette decisions, compositional direction from the AD, revision feedback across rounds, and editorial style requirements all accumulate across a project.

Nemos keeps that project knowledge searchable and accessible from your phone, reducing the time spent hunting through email threads for a decision made six weeks ago.

What Book Illustrators Track

Character and visual development: - Character design notes (established features, proportions, recurring outfit details) - Visual consistency reminders across spreads (character's eye color, distinguishing marks, scale relative to environment) - Color palette hex codes or Pantone references per character or scene - Reference image tags and keywords for specific scenes

Editorial feedback and revision cycles: - Art director revision notes by spread number - Editor narrative feedback that affects composition - Approval status by spread - Revision round history (what changed between rounds and why)

Publisher and production specs: - Bleed, trim, and live area dimensions per project - Color mode requirements (CMYK vs. RGB, print vs. digital) - File format and DPI specifications - Cover treatment notes (foil, embossing, die-cut requirements)

Creative development: - Visual storytelling technique notes from workshop or mentor feedback - Personal style direction notes - Reference illustration notes from artists whose techniques you're studying - Portfolio direction notes

Managing Multiple Projects

Illustrators often work across several books simultaneously at different stages. A note system organized by project title makes it fast to context-switch without losing track of where each project stands, what the current revision is, and who the relevant editorial contacts are.

FAQ

How do I track character consistency across a long picture book? A "character bible" note per recurring character, updated when any visual decision is made. Before starting each new spread, review the character note for the characters involved.

What's the best way to capture AD feedback calls? Take notes during the call — or right after. Spread-by-spread feedback with the direction noted is more useful than trying to recall a 45-minute call two days later.

How do I handle color decisions for print? Note approved Pantone or CMYK values alongside the context ("sky in night scenes: Pantone 289C per AD on revision round 2"). Print color decisions made verbally disappear otherwise.

Should I keep a research notes section? Yes. Period research, cultural accuracy reference notes, or architectural detail notes from reference books are valuable during production and help you build expertise for future projects in the same area.

Is Nemos useful for picture book dummy development? Capture pacing notes, spread structure experiments, and story arc observations as you develop a dummy. These form a thinking record more valuable than the final dummy itself.

What about submission tracking for new projects? A pitch tracking note (submitted to, format, date, status) is a simple but effective way to manage multiple simultaneous submissions to publishers and agents.

Related Reading

• Medical Illustrator Notes on iPhone
• Illustrator Notes on iPhone
• Comic Book Artist Notes on iPhone
• Freelance Creative iPhone Workflow

Sources

• SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) professional practice guidance
• Editorial illustration production workflow standards
• Picture book illustration production timeline practices