children's book
overview
this is a personal project i undertook to create illustrations for a children's book about a zoo tapir.
logistics
solo project
ongoing
tools
indesign
illustrator
01
influences
the author requested a mixture of influences in the style of illustration, combining the detailed penwork of edward gorey with the more playful style of ian falconer.
02
tapir
the story's main character is a tapir, which is already an unusual creature. it was also indicated it should wear human attire and stand on two legs. how can i accomplish these goals while still creating an identifiable tapir?
03
advancing
after developing and revising a storyboard, i created sketches and then outlines for each spread. the cuter, exaggerated expressions of characters resemble falconer's style, while the linework technique matches closer to gorey's.
04
adding color
i scanned and imported each spread into adobe illustrator. ian falconer uses a sparse amount of muted colors, and i thought this would be apt to replicate for my own work. type is not shown as it remains unpublished.
