Not-So-Weekly Update: Meet the cast

So it’s been a while since I made an update here due to various reasons - I started going to university last year for a dual degree in English and Classics, and things have been pretty hectic since then. I also started a new job tattooing on the side. My time has been completely swallowed by being a full-time student on the weekdays and a tattoo artist on the weekends, plus I had to have surgery, which SUCKED! The surgery did let me have some time off, though, which was nice. I finally had time to make this cast of peculiar characters. What could they be for, I wonder?

This has been on my back burner for a couple of years now. I have always wanted to make a picture book, but I’ve never felt like I had the skills to do it. (Which is crazy, because I’ve been tattooing and painting for so long now!) Making a reoccurring character in differnet positions just seemed so daunting to me. I have also never really drawn from my head - all of my art has been just copying what I see. I think I’m finally starting to get the hang of it, though. I realized if I just keep it simple and remember my basic shapes for the character, then look at references of real birds (for example), the character stays pretty consistent.

Have a look below to see the results of my first character sheet! Made with Winsor & Newton watercolour paint and Posca pens.

Without giving too much away, this picture book is going to be incredibly special, at least to me. It’s dedicated to one of the best things that’s ever happened to me in my life, and I’m so excited to share my love for it with the world. One of the best things I’ve learned about writing at university so far is to think of writing as a gift for someone you care a lot about. I will be self-publishing this picture book as a gift with the same philosophy in mind. Now that the characters are done, I need to make the backgrounds and set up specific scenes. Then I’ll be putting it all together and adding text in Adobe.

See you on the next page,

-Willow