My First Picture Book Project is Published!
After more than a year of work - my very first picture book illustration project is finally published and in print! WOOHOO!
The book is called Let Nature Be Your Teacher and it was written by the fierce, Chandra Ziegler! You can learn more about Chandra and her debut books on her website: www.dreamstardragonfly.com
I spent several months developing the character, sketches, and final artwork. Then a few more months taking care of the layout, cover, printing prep, and a few learning curve hiccups. But Chandra and I made it happen! We self-published our first children’s book together and we are so excited to get this book out into the world.
Chandra wrote this book during the initial shut-down due to Covid back in 2020 and 2 years later we have wrapped it up. This book is perfect for ages 5 to 8, but truly ALL ages will find this book enchanting. You will also enjoy that the character - Mother Nature - has multiple shifts in both skin and hair color to truly celebrate the diversity that makes us so beautiful.
Below I would like to give you a little glimpse into my illustrations and the process of putting this book together! You will see some rough sketches and then the final art. I always find these peeks into an artist’s process so fascinating, so I hope you too, will enjoy my take on this book and the illustration process.
Nature has so much to teach us. We only have to be still and listen.
-Chandra Ziegler
Find some of my sketches and illustrations below!
The very first step for Chandra and me was to pick a book size. We went for an 8.5-inch square book with a hardcover. So that gave me the size for my illustrations. I knew for this book, I wanted to make full-page spreads (which means illustrations that fill the entire page from edge to edge) because it really suited the text to be able to give more details and wonder for small children to explore. The text is a little more advanced, so the illustrations will keep the youngsters engaged.
After we chose a size, we needed a main character. I gave Chandra a couple of options and she chose the younger version of Mother Nature. From there, the rest got even more fun and interesting! Check it out below.
After making the very rough sketches, I put them all in order next to one another so I could see the flow of the book. I made all of the artwork on my iPad in an app called ProCreate. It allows you to draw and paint almost like traditional materials with just an iPad and an Apple Pencil.
After finishing the sketches, it was time to make color choices. Choosing a color palette was a very fun challenge for me. I wanted a palette that evoked peace and wonder.
I hope you enjoyed this quick tour of Let Nature Be Your Teacher! Go reserve your copy in Chandra’s Etsy shop today and share this enchanting book with your kids.
