Sunflowers have always been a symbol in my life. They are particular reminders of my family’s sunflower garden, of positivity and happiness and, of course, the sun. When assigned to write and illustrate our own children’s book in college, I had a feeling that sunflowers should be the subject. Since illustrating children’s books is my career goal, I thought the project would be perfect to share as an introduction to the kind of work I make. I share most of my work on Instagram and Facebook, but those are really snapshots. I love to journal, and in doing so, reflect on my experiences and what I’ve learned, so I thought why not do that here on the blog? So if you’re looking for an in depth view of my ideas and process, keep reading!
The idea of writing my own children’s book was, though exciting, honestly intimidating. I’ve written a good bit of fiction, but never on a children’s level, which is quite different. Children’s books are typically only 20-30 pages and the writing has to be clear and concise. We only had to fully illustrate 5 pages, but had to create a black and white mockup of the entire book. Writing the script first helped in deciding which five pages I would choose to paint, because they needed to sum up the main story structure so it made sense as a quick version of the plot. A storyboard is a great opportunity to see the book as a whole and to plan composition and value.
I’m so glad I chose flowers as the characters because I’ve usually only drawn humans and animals. The flowers’ design was super fun. I had to figure out how to personify them: petals as hair, leaves as hands, and stems for arms. I wanted them to be fluid and graceful in their movement as I imagine they would be if they could move at their own will. Even though real sunflowers are practically identical, I can make my characters unique by their color, shape, and design.
Following the storyboard, I did value studies for each of the final five illustrations. Sometimes I draw value studies in graphite, but in this case I did them digitally. It’s really a preference of speed. Working in graphite is slower because you have to build up values and digital is faster and easier to get down the super dark values. Value studies in general help to ensure contrast through light and dark. Later on, you can put a grayscale filter over the final painting as you work on it to make sure the values match the study. Otherwise, it can be difficult to tell just how light or dark a color is.
The premise of “Rootie the Sunflower Bud” is his fear of growing out of his comfort zone in the dark foliage. It’s basically a coming of age story where he learns that he has so much potential if he just believes in himself, that is, he is meant to bloom, to adore and reflect the glory of the sun. Something I love when writing stories is connecting terminology, such as instead of being a kid he is a bud and blooming is when Rootie matures. He is also too deeply rooted in the ground, or in his comfort zone, that he has to break free from his limits. It’s a fairly deep concept, but when it comes down to it, the simplest statements, especially those found in a children’s book, are sometimes the most potent way of getting the point across.
I think the lessons in children’s books are not only for kids, but for adults too. Sometimes we need reminders of the simple lessons in life and awaken our inner child. Overall, this story tackles fear of the unknown. Contrast was a big part of the illustrations. As shown in the storyboard, most of the images are mostly dark until finally Rootie breaks through his fear and blossoms in the lights and sees the big beautiful world above that he’s been missing.
What is your favorite flower?
How does it resonate?
Comment any thoughts and questions!
What’s up next
A peek at the early days of my writing and illustrating.
Subscribe to my newsletter below so you don’t miss it!