Layouts

Adding new pages to the book always changes the layout a bit.  I've had the page numbers and contents pages in place for awhile, so I've tried not to mess with that second half of the book, after the contents page, unless I've had to do so.  Somehow, saving the file over and over and rewriting the old file always makes me nervous.  Anything before the contents page is fair game with one exception.  If I add an odd number of pages it shifts all of my two page designs. There are no pages that RELY on a two page look to complete an illustration, but I did have some illustrations opposite specific pages for effect.

Well, today, I added a single page "About the Author".  It threw my whole layout off and I already had a copyright and title page and all of my illustrations and dedications in place.  I could have added a blank page, but that seemed wasteful, so I decided to create another, introductory, illustration.  Still a simple line drawing, but something to set the mood. 

I took some elements from existing pages and mixed them and then added a background.  I tried using blurring, not easy with drawings this simple, to add a sense of depth.  Hopefully the print is sharp enough to show the full effect.

From "Off the Rails and Other Tales"