***Hey whoa! Check out my portfolio page for NINE new pieces!***
In my last blog post from October, I had just finished “Fly-in to the Boonies” and was preparing to hibernate with video games until the spring.
Welp, that didn’t happen, because less than three weeks after completing the book, I was approached by Beaver’s Pond Press to illustrate “Ellie’s Butterflies” by Alecia Smith!
Ellie’s Butterflies is an illustrated story about a young girl’s journey through the difficult and complicated emotions of visiting and ultimately connecting with her grandpa, who suffers from dementia. All profits from the book are going toward the AFTD (Assoc. for Frontotemporal Degeneration).
I’ve spent December getting the character studies just right, and they’ve now been approved by the author. Followers of my instagram had some behind-the-scenes stories about making revisions in Photoshop — Make sure you follow my IG if you don’t already (the_illuskater).
My next step is to storyboard, which means I’m taking the manuscript and breaking it down by individual pages.
Here’s an example from my tooth fairy book. I will actually cut up the manuscript and rearrange the text on 32 pages on the floor of my house 🙂
Meanwhile, “Fly-in to the Boonies” is on the fast track to publication, and should be available by the end of January. The author, Bob Allen, is already very active in marketing and promoting the book, and you can be sure you’ll see Boonies at various conferences and expos this year 😉 Stay tuned for more info about how to purchase Boonies on my website and Amazon!