Posts made by Elizabeth Rose

Whoa! Here we are at the final week of my 6 week art challenge! Bellow are the next three spreads. Still not quite done with them.
Been puttering around with them all week. Its been extra challenging with the papa and little squirrel together and trying to make their embracing not awkward looking. I’ve had to do several redos. I’ve also have had a bunch of friends and family look over the progress of the book and have gotten some good tips and suggestions. One really good tip a friend pointed out was that she felt most of the squirrel tails looked more like fox tails; they were bushing and pointed vs. long and more blunt on the end. And sure enough after she said that out, I realized she was right. So I’ve been going through the whole book and fixing all the tails. And I’ve even realized that some of the tails from the squirrels I drew a year and a half ago had tails quite a bit smaller than the more recent drawings of the squirrels and their tails. Goodness, lots of squirrel-tail surgeries going on over here.

Next spread! Slowly chugging along.

Alighty, just about got this one finished up today. Just need to do some small editing and erasing where the leaves flow over other parts of the drawing. I’m really happy with how it has turned out.

Also a question for everyone. This is something I’ve wondered about ever since I’ve added the Papa squirrel into the ending of the story. In the previous spread, I have Papa Squirrel in the background and in the spread below, his tail is in the scene and then the next page he is hugging Little squirrel. Does anyone else feel that it’s kinda abrupt how Papa squirrel comes into the story? Like maybe thoughts like: where did he came from? and how come he hasn’t been in the beginning of the story? I have some foreshadowing of the squirrel family in the spread where little squirrel is walking up to the tree cottage. Also a photo of the family in the bedroom scene too. And I feel that it also maybe doesn’t seem strange because of course little squirrel has a papa squirrel, but still curious on what you all think? I feel like I’ve stared at this project so much these past four weeks that I can’t tell anymore. I just don’t have those fresh eyes.

The main reason I ended up adding Papa squirrel to the story ending was because my family and dad have been a major component to my grief journey. They have been a a huge source of comfort and support. So I do feel that it’s key having Papa squirrel in there. But wondering if there are subtle things I can add or change to make Papa squirrel’s entrance slightly more graceful. Maybe more foreshadowing in the beginning somehow? The last thing I want is something odd or seemingly abrupt in illustrations causing distraction from the story.

@Tiffany-Thomas Thanks for the encouragement. A few things have popped up this week and it’s actually been kinda hard keeping up. I really appreciate the kind words

Got this one drawn out this weekend. I really like how it turned out. I’m really excited to color this one too.
I only have two more weeks left for the art challenge, and I still have 8 more spreads to finish. I’m starting to wonder if I’ll be able to finish it in time. Fingers crossed!

Got this one colored up this week! The first drawing below is the very first inspiration sketch from July of 2019, then below that is the thumbnail I ended up choosing with the help from the amazing artist here on this forum! Then the full drawing and the full color. Still needs a few tweaks and clean up though.

Thanks @erinrew!

Awe thanks for the kind words @KayPotter! It has for sure been a struggle keeping the story simple. So much switching and tweaking. Goodness

Finished drawing out this piece today. I ended up changing the composition to this layout cause I loved how the willow tree leaves flowed around the words. And actually, the very original thumbnail I did for this spread was the same composition and layout as the finished drawing, but I had switched it up in the rough sketch cause I thought showing the hill on the first half of the spread would help connect the prior page to this one (which is the spread of the squirrel walking up the hill to the grave stone). But in the end I decided it wasn’t worth it. I’m pretty happy with the switch

@HeatherBouteneff Awe, Thanks! I feel you, there have been many times I’ve wished I could show my mom my accomplishments and my creative projects. Just wanting a smile and a “Im so proud of you,” from her. Thanks again Heather, your kind words are filling my heart.

Awe! Thanks @Sara-Nilsson, that was something I wondered about too. If this story would only effect people who have lost a loved one. That is so encouraging to hear

Here are the last three spreads that I’ve changed the wording on. I felt like all the extra words before made the ending seem rushed. So the middle spread is the newly added spread. And the ending of the story divided up on those three final spreads. Open to any comments, tips or suggestions

Week three of the Art challenge! Boy has it been challenging too. I've been trying to set aside 3 hours a day, 5 days a week to working on the book project. I had to do a lot of catch up this week cause I didn't reach my goal last week. Here are some coloring updates.

Got two new spreads colored, and tweaked some old colored spreads to update the colors with the new colors. Also redrew the squirrels in the original drawing of mama and baby squirrel in the bedroom (Now they don't look so much like goats!). Worked on the ending a lot this past week. Ended up adding another spread. Now up to 44 pages for this book! But the ending flows really good now. I'll post later on the updates of the ending.

@Tiffany-Thomas Awe! I reckon it's the book of tears. I can't say how many times I've cried too. I know there are still many tears to come. Healing tears. Looking forward to having you on this journey.

Awe! Thanks @erinrew, It's going to be a crazy journey seeing how this project unfolds. I truly hope it does help many. Lord, knows its helped me.

Thanks @NessIllustration, I love your work, and its wonderful hearing your thoughts. Yes, it's strangly a dream come true in many ways. Very redemptive.

Okay, below is the whole picture book as is currently. The beginning is almost completely fully rendered and colored. But the ending is just some scribbles and rough sketching. Two weeks ago, the ending was completely different. Its been hard starting over on the ending. But thats how this process goes right? Just boiling it down to the good stuff.
I’m still word-smithing a bit on the actual text too. Any Word-smith people out there with some tips? Comment away! Also any other comments welcome too!

The art is set up in spreads. So just imagine that there is a gutter in the middle of each spread. Some spreads have an actual line down the middle representing the book gutter.

If anyone is interested in seeing what the ending was like before I changed it, here is a link to a video blog where the mock up book is flipped through:
https://youtu.be/7xQUGkx8Ei4

Hey @erinrew, thanks, and sorry to hear about your mother. for sure is a painful wound to reopen indeed.

@CLCanadyArts Awe! Thanks And I’ll add ya to the pre-order list

Thanks @sarahlovellart! I really appreciate hearing feedback about the colors

@Tiffany-Thomas Sorry to hear about your mom I feel you. Yes, thanks, its been a lot of emotion for sure, lots of tears and lots of heart ache. But then so much relieve after. Thats really cool to hear your take on the color pallet. Its been a challenge because the colors seem to have changed a lot from what I had used over a year ago. So I’m trying to find a way to match them from the old color pallet. I’m excited to have you along for the journey

Thanks @Valerie-Light! Yes, it has been a crazy journey indeed

Re: "The Moment Before I Lost My Mom" Kids Book Project Progress for SCBIW Portfolio Preview. . .and eventually Self Publish by April 2020

Hello wonderful Art Folks! I’m back! So now thats its been over a year since I’ve worked on this book project I’m picking it back up. (Old WIP book project thread link above if ya want the whole story and progress journey)

Here is the short(ish) back story:

It all started with this drawing:

I did this drawing about my mom, the moment before she passed away in response to the April 2019 monthly prompt, “The Moment Before. . .”

Link below of the WIP of this drawing:

https://forum.svslearn.com/topic/7343/the-moment-before-my-mom-left-wip

I lost my mom when I was 15 years old. Its been almost 13 years now. Somehow, that drawing I did for the prompt seemed to open a place in my heart that was closed up. And then a few months later, the whole story just dropped in my heart and I knew I wanted to turn this drawing into something more, something big, something like a kids book story. Its been a very difficult journey to say the least. Mostly because its my own story and its about a very painful part of my life. But looking back I can see how this project has truly been touching and healing parts of my heart that were untouchable because of the grief and pain from losing someone so dear.

Picking up from where I left off over a year ago. I had made it to my goal of having the Mock-up book done after the 6 weeks Art Challenge ending on September 1st 2019. And then had decided to go ahead and finish the project, coloring and final editing and what not. I had made it as far as the end of January 2020 before I had to stop. I did not have peace on finishing the book. So I had let it sit. . .

I friend told me around that time that, “this book is for your heart first before it’s for others.” And I realized that I was trying to finish the book for the sake of finishing and not listening to my heart and what it needed. My heart needed time.

Now time has passed and I feel the peace to start again. I’m doing another 6 week Art Challenge to finish the ending of the book and color it. Since the book project has sat this past year, I’ve come to realize my heart did not relate to the ending of the original Mock-up book story. Now I’ve added approximately 6 more spreads or 12 more pages to the ending of the story.

This thread is for the Work In Progress of those pages and the final coloring and editing of the whole story.
I’m open to any comments, tips or suggestions as this next journey unfolds here. Feel free to speak up! It’s because of all the friends, family and community speaking freely about this project to me that has allowed me to grow and change the story for the better. And also thanks so much to everyone who put in their two cents during the past threads of this project.

Below are some coloring I just finished this past week (this first week of the Art Challenge). And then a spread and the cover from the Mock-Up book version of the story:

Awe man! I love everyone’s entries!! My dad and I have throughly enjoyed looking at everyone’s yeti renditions!
Here we have Yeti Little. She loves frolicking in the snow fields and picking flowers. Mama Yeti is becoming a little concerned with the abnormal Yeti behavior.