My Dad's Book Cover

My Dad is self-publishing a book about basic home and car maintenance, and I just finished the cover for him for Father's Day. My father is a jack-of-all-trades sort of man, and when I got married, I jokingly told him that he needed to make me a book of all the "stuff" that he does around the house so that I can give it to my husband. Dad rose to the challenge, and his book has been a family project for several years now. My father (obviously) writes and has compiled diagrams and charts, and has therefore put countless hours into this labor of love. My sister (business major with a BA in journalism) was the editor. Mom was proof reader and opinion-giver. My sister's fiance did all of the technical illustrations and diagrams. I served as illustrator, creative director, and the "girl who knows about publishing so go ask her what to do" person. With any luck, we'll have copies printed in time for Christmas. It will be a great family heirloom, and I am glad to have been able to do something small for my Dad, who has done so much for me.

My New Picturebook

Well, I have officially delivered final art to the client for my first full scale picturebook! "Reuben Rides the Rails" is being published by the Children's Museum of Indianapolis Guild, and is about how "Reuben" (the steam engine) went from Madison Hill to becoming a major part of the Museum. I've been working on this piece since January 2009, and have been working on the final paintings since early April. The most challenging part of this piece was developing the character of "Reuben". This is my first experience truly bringing an inanimate object to life, and giving it emotions and a personality. It was a two-fold challenge. I had to choose which parts of the train to keep, and which to anthropomorphize as I created the character. However, the second part of the challenge was that Reuben could not look like just ANY train. He had to look like the very specific steam engine in the museum exhibit. It was fun collaborating with the Guild to find just the right design for Reuben's character. Now that all of the sketching, concepting, and painting is done, I am really proud of the finished product. I do not yet know the publication date for the book, but I do want to share a sneak peak at the cover with you. I can't wait to see the art in print!