Inside the Illustration

Spread 11: Playground Scene

I get hit with emotions surrounding my mother’s death at random times - in my car, at work,  or lying in bed at night. Luckily, I have discovered ways to cope. If a child gets hit with emotions at school or when they are not with a trusted adult, what will they do? This page is dedicated to easing that blow. It lets them know that they can look for their loved one anytime, anywhere, and in any scenario - not just when they are reading the book.

I did the initial line drawing with a graphite pencil on white paper. I colored in the drawing with colored pencil, blended slightly with a Q-tip, and finally outlined with a Sharpie fine tip marker. The vertical lines that are present are from the texture of the paper. I scanned the illustration, did a little photoshop / post-processing work, and finally formatted bleeds and copy in Adobe illustrator. 

Hardest part: Playsets in the background (making sure they were not distracting)

Easiest part: Girls in the foreground

Favorite part: The girls in the front - differing styles despite the school uniform