Thumbnails

Sketching tortoise's shell. The past couple weeks, I've been steadily working on my own picture book. Some questions which keep appearing in my head consist of: Can a tortoise REALLY balance like that? If a giraffe could move like that, how would his legs bend? Should the tortoise have a top hat? I want my characters to look playful, but have some realistic value, so the top hat is a no-go. As for movement questions, I cannot rely on image searches, nor do I have regular interactions with these animals, so I'm making my own models: Giraffe skeleton doodle (left) and giraffe wire armature. I'm still working on this little guy (above). So far, I've bulked up his torso to help me with scale. Ideally, the giraffe will serve as a resource for consistent spot placement... same with the tortoise, who's still in the works - currently just a paper shell form. I am looking for some assistance with one of my animal studies. The giraffe has been V...

My job as a Graphic Designer is relatively faceless. I am the purveyor of cute craft projects, copy writer, photo re-toucher, and a package assembler. I make something - we agonize over the details - then it's off for print, manufacturing and sales. Next project. Luck would have it that I occasionally get to dabble into children's crafts, which are incredibly fun. Working with pom-poms, jumbo pipe cleaners, and wiggle eyes just entices nostalgia. It's also inspired  me to return to my interest in picture book illustration. Only in the past year have I re-activated my pursuit to become published. Though I met my publishing goal recently , I am trudging alone with my passion for the picture book audience. When the strain of trying to start-up (and get nowhere) has overwhelmed me, I have to remind myself of why I must to keep going. Until recently, my "why" is that I feel like I owe something to the community. Reading did not come easily to me. In fact, my s...