Well, it finally happened...I started a blog! And my very first blog is about another thing that finally happened...my first job as a Children's book illustrator! This has been a dream of mine for a really long time and I cannot begin to express my joy in seeing it for the first time...so, here it is!
I not only did the illustrations, but also created the cover and inside layout. (I've done book layout and cover design for several years - as well as fine art). The book is written by Carrie Lucarini https://www.carrielucarini.com (instagram: @carrie_songofjoy_) and edited by Elizabeth Marrero (instagram: @mselizabethmarrero) These are extremely talented ladies and I am forever grateful to have worked with both of them on this project!
ABOUT THE BOOK...
"Who I am: Confessions of Children" is an interactive book for parents to engage with their little ones and encourage them to learn and be confident in who they were created to be. And I am extremely ecstatic to be a part of creating this sweet, and very important, little book. Here are examples of a few pages:
THE PROCESS
As I stated earlier, becoming a Children's book illustrator has been one of my dreams for many years. And though it was my first illustration job, I think it went pretty smoothly. Having worked in the publishing industry in the past, which I'm grateful for, I already had an idea of how to proceed with each step. My process was to first draw thumbnails for the author. She had given me an idea of what she was envisioning for each page, so, using Procreate, (an app on my iPad), I drew very quick and simple thumbnails and sent them to her. This way, she could see the direction that I was going in for each illustration. Then we talked about each one and she either approved them or gave me an idea of a different direction I could go.
After this step I started by drawing each page using Procreate to get it just the way I wanted, and again sent it to the author for approval. (In this stage it's much easier to make any changes before I put it to paper and paint it with watercolor.
After getting the approval I transferred the drawing to my watercolor paper, (Arches Cold Press 140#). After the painting was done and scanned I received one more approval before calling it complete and moving on to the next page.
After all of them were completed and approved I typeset the interior and created the cover. The most important thing I found while working on this project is that communicating with the author and getting her approval for each step, though time-consuming, was so worth it! Especially when working with watercolor. And the author appreciated knowing where each process was and having input all along the way. It made things much smoother!
I cannot wait to go through it all again! I absolutely loved illustrating this book! I do have another illustration job that I'm working on and will share it once it's done. It's illustrated completely using Procreate in a pencil-type sketch style.
If you are interested in having your Children's book illustrated contact me at melmail44@gmail.com or mhoward.artist@gmail.com