Ralphy is the main character for a trilogy of books I illustrated for author Linda Vagnetti. The series of three children's chapter books include: "Listen, Ralphy, Listen!" "The Troublesome Trio," and "Chameleon Chaos." For each chapter I was commissioned to illustrate a header, informing the readers of what was to come with exciting scenes. I designed cute characters and rendered them with bold, vivid colors that young readers are excited to see. One of my favorite challenges of this project was drawing the characters consistently, for it was the first time I was asked to draw a more complex character multiple times. I learned a lot from the experience of illustrating the Ralphy series, and I considered stylistic choices I had never thought of such as size ratio and style of drawing. In fact, working on making dynamic compositions that conveyed as much information as possible benefitted my academic work as well. Below are a few of my best illustrations out of all three books.
The Fishers
The Fishers, by Nancy Shattuck, is the second unique project I worked on for Grey Wolfe Publishing. It was fun to combine my interest in wildlife, specifically reptiles and birds, with my work as an illustrator. I focused on making cute yet detailed illustrations of the animal protagonists. This book was designed to teach children about how eagles and herons hunt for their food in a fun, exciting way.
A Rooster's Tail
My most recent illustration project for Grey Wolfe Publishing required me to create images of a rooster in watercolor. This project was very challenging to me, and it took me a few tries to get it right. I'm comfortable with tight, well-defined drawings, often with focus on heavy contour lines. I had to think back to "reaction" assignments in college courses for this project. I am very happy with the results, however. I am also very happy I took the challenge of A Rooster's Tail because I have the experience in working in a new style/aesthetic and a new medium. All of the illustrations are watermarked.