By Harold Reutter
harold.reutter@theindependent.com

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Independent/Scott Kingsley Holding one of Preston McDaniel's original illustrations for his book "A Perfect Snowman" Josh Elsbernd listens to the author and illustrator during a presentation to Elsbernd's second grade class at Seedling Mile Elementary. Independent/Scott Kingsley Preston McDaniels shades in a wing on a dragon while sketching for a Seedling Mile Elementary second grade class Friday afternoon. McDaniels spent the day at the school as part of a Classroom Mini-Grant Program of the Grand Island Education Foundation. Click Thumbnails to View

Growing up in Kearney, he was always known as "that asthmatic kid who reads a lot."

McDaniels also had a passion for drawing when he was young, but he shoved that love aside because he wanted other things in life.

"I love to draw," McDaniels told the second grade class at Seedling Mile Elementary Friday afternoon. "It's my passion."

But McDaniels thought he would never be able to make a good living by drawing pictures, as much as he liked to sketch.

"I thought I'd have to drive an old, dumpy car," said McDaniels, conjuring up images of the proverbial starving artist. He told students he could not imagine that life for himself.

"I wanted to get married, have kids and have a nice house," he said.

So McDaniels went to work at a job that let him have all those things. McDaniels said he even got a promotion, but when he went home and told his wife, she noted he didn't look very happy for a person who had just gotten supposedly good news.

His wife, knowing about his long-time love for drawing, suggested that McDaniels create a dozen drawings and take them to book publishers in New York City, where people could tell him whether he had any potential as an illustrator.

McDaniels did just that and ended up signing with Simon and Schuster, where he began illustrating books for a number of authors.

At one point, McDaniels was hired to do illustrations for a series of "Lighthouse Family" children's books. Originally, there were going to be six books in the series, but the author decided it was best to stop the series at five books.

McDaniels said that left a hole in his schedule, which his editor in New York suggested he fill by writing a book himself. Once again, McDaniels thought it was impossible. He didn't think he had any ideas.

But the editor suggested that McDaniels write a story about an illustration he had created when he was first inquiring about creating pictures for children's books. That illustration showed a young girl hugging a snowman. But McDaniels didn't think he had any story in mind when he drew the illustration.

He finally got his story when he started asking questions about his illustration and answering them. McDaniels said he discovered other people do the same thing.

He said the author and illustrator of The Polar Express told him that the story started with an illustration of a train sitting in front of the house.

The story started taking shape when author and illustrator Chris Van Allsburg asked two questions and began answering them: "What is the train doing in front of the house?" and "Who lives in the house?"

McDaniels said creating a book is very much a collaborative effort. He said that his favorite medium is watercolor, but when his editor told him that she and the art director thought the illustrations should be in sepia tones, that is exactly what he did.

He noted that both authors and illustrators need to be able to listen to suggestions from their editors. But he noted that even editors don't have the final say about books.

He said an acquisitions board must approve publication and then that decision must be ratified by the publisher, who usually tells the editor that "the book better be good" because of the investment they are making.

McDaniels also told the students that he rarely talks to an art director, but they have a big impact not just on his illustrations, but on the way they are displayed, the type face that is used for the print and other aspects of printing that creates an overall impression for the book.

Earlier in the day, McDaniels met with fourth-graders and let them in on a little secret: All the people he draws has some aspect of a person he knows in real life.

He noted that aspects of his younger brother have appeared in characters in books that he has illustrated. His daughter also has appeared. So has a former schoolmate, whom McDaniels said "was the smartest kid in school."

Everything in books is drawn from some experience in real life.

McDaniels said he once got a telephone call from a person who lives near Rapid City, S.D. The caller began by asking whether he had grown up in Kearney and whether he had attended a certain school while growing up there.

When McDaniels answered yes to both questions, the caller asked if a character in a book was based on a certain school principal. McDaniels again had to answer yes.

The caller, who had purchased the book for his grandchildren, said he just knew the person in the book was his former principal.

McDaniels was surprised because he had included only a few features from the real-life principal in the illustration. After the fourth-graders had left, McDaniels noted the main attributes he wanted to convey from his real principal to his illustrated principal was that "she was a very proper lady, but very lovable."