Overcoming obstacles and fears
Happy New Year, dear Big Little Tales readers!
This is going to be a very exciting year for Suzy, the little girl from my debut picture book I Love You, Bunny with Lincoln Children’s Books, which is out in only 10 days! Suzy might be a bit shy, but proves to be very brave and determined to overcome her fear of darkness when her best friend Bunny goes missing at dawn!
I had to overcome a few challenges as well while making this picture book. The biggest obstacle was my tendency to draw creepy creatures and make things darker than necessary. I was creating a picture book, but did not want to limit my audience to small children, therefore, my first dummy book looked quite scary now that I look at it three years later.
The story developed as I was finishing the MA in Children’s Book Illutration at Cambridge School of Art and experimenting with the picture book format. The project started with strange-looking night creatures that slowly turned into real but creepy animals such as bats. In the end, a mysterious shadow monster proved to be a clever solution as it leaves more space for reader’s imagination.
Another challenge was more technical, trying to balance the darkness and lightness so the book can be read during bedtime for children who are afraid of the dark. I tried working with soft pastels and a limited colour palette, but the artwork did not have the same depth and warmth as my illustrations drawn in charcoal and coloured digitally. I learned a lot when editing this book with my publisher and appreciate their great patience and support.
To build up the anticipation before the publication of I Love You, Bunny, I would like to share some pages from my sketchbook and the actual picture book with the scene where Suzy has to make a big decision and gather all of her courage to face her fear of darkness…
Suzy heard a strange, scratchy sound behind her, but what did she see when she turned around?
I will not reveal what comes next in this bedtime story just yet. I Love You, Bunny will be available in the British, American and Australian stores from 1 Feb 2018. It will also be published in Japanese by Toyokan Books on 8 March 2018.
Thanks for visiting Big Little Tales and reading this post. Have a lovely week!
