Illustration Challenge/Opportunity

The flip side of a challenge is often an opportunity. It is an opportunity to rise to the occasion and discover your new skill or gift.

I've never considered myself as an illustrator, so I hesitated when I was asked if I could format AND illustrate a children's book. But this was a special project: the author was a 11-year-old girl through The Young Millionaire Program. I knew about the program because my kids have done it. I accepted the job because they had a limited budget and tight timeline; not everyone could accommodate such conditions.

First thing I did was the creation (drawing) of The Rainbow Dragon character. The author, Adalynn, had a fairly specific image of The Rainbow Dragon, so I visualized it with some help of my own imagination.

That wasn't exactly she imagined (ha ha). I got more detailed description and was able to reach closer to what she had in mind.

Then, drawing the outline process started. 18 illustrations (for in side) plus the cover. And the original goal was to publish the book in 2 weeks (well, the goal was adjusted a little later..)!

I used Adobe Fresco as a main tool. It is not very well known, but it's such a powerful, amazing tool. It's like Procreate, but because I use other adobe products (Photoshop, Illustrator etc), the workflow is much smoother (in the same eco-system).

Digital drawing is simply a game changer. No mess to clean up; you can test & try as many times as you like and you can go back if you make a mistake. Makes you bold and free to draw!

So, slowly, sense of feeling overwhelmed was replaced by joy of creating and I came to even enjoy the process. And the drawing marathon continued...

It took almost 3 weeks, but all the layout and illustration was done and it went into printing. We even got interviewed on radio (CBC Main Street) to talk about the unique project. I do think there are not many 11 year old author around :)

Adalynn had a wonderful mentor, Marlene Bryenton, a local children's book author. She went above and beyond to coordinate everything, so this project progressed smoothly and we even got to hold a book launch party. Thank you so much, Marlene!

It's been a whirlwind of few weeks since I first got contacted about this project. The Rainbow Dragon has eaten a lot of my time, but I had such fun giving life to all the scenes from Adalynn's story.

Now looking back, I am proud of myself saying yes to something that's so new and seemingly intimidating (with tight deadline, too).

God pushed my back gently and He must have been smiling. Besides the complimentary copy of The Rainbow Dragon book, the project left me a healthy dose of confidence.