Cute illustrations for a series of cute picture books!

There was an abrupt halt to my illustration career last year. It’s time to explain. The cute illustrations here came after a series of unhelpful events but I eventually got back up.

I have been posting painted furniture related stories instead of illustrations as a result. This is not to say I haven’t been illustrating this year. I have – HEAPS! But last year was a very different story and for a good reason. Read on…

The crash in my illustration business.

I want to be transparent with my followers so here is the backstory.

I had 12 months off illustrating children’s books in 2016. I decided to stop illustrating until the perfectly inspired project came along.  Unless published by a large publisher, it is terribly difficult to make ends meet as a children’s illustrator. Take a few hits and it can cancel you out altogether. Or it did me anyway.  I wanted to bless kids with my books but it became impossible to sustain after a series of unhelpful events and misplaced trust.

I was discouraged after a few things happened, but this was the final straw…

I had a surprising experience with an author who commissioned me for a project and never paid.  Everything was okay and he seems very excited and then suddenly cancelled!  I haven’t determined why and he wouldn’t say.  I imagined it was about money and perhaps his previous illustrator (who he didn’t want to use), charged less and he changed his mind. At this stage, it was easy enough to show her all my concepts to derive new illustrations from. I’m not sure if that happened but I have seen illustrations that suggest it could have. They are very close!

There was also a possibility it could have been a conversation we had over copyright.  Just before he cancelled I had tried to explain why I couldn’t copy his photo reference after discovering he didn’t own the photos.  They had been taken off the Internet and I couldn’t copy from them that closely.   It went against my integrity no matter how much he wanted me to and he wasn’t happy about that.  Instead, I offered to film character actions, using my son as a reference and sent him video stills similar to one of the poses.   In any case, well into the project, he cancelled out of the blue and informed me he didn’t owe me a cent for all my hours on this project.  A solicitor advised me to sue as the correspondence between us was sufficient proof, but later I felt God tell me to give the debt to him.   I agreed and then prayed for him.

I was shocked.  I had assumed his integrity because we were of the same faith and he certainly talked like he could be trusted assuring me the payments were coming and could I give him more time. In my mind, someone who talked like a Christian would NEVER do that to anyone- EVER! I wonder if he was accumulating the concepts with the intention to farm them out to someone else. Who knows but it made me feel sick!

So burned out from working around the clock for his super-tight deadline and all the pages of correspondence back and forth, I decided I was done working so hard and getting no time with family.  I was left with little funds in my business account to continue anyway and kicking myself I’d turned away other paying work for him.  But I knew that what the enemy steals must be paid back sevenfold. Not always the way you imagine, but somehow it would happen. I would not be left in this position if I gave it all to God.

I had to let it go but wisdom told me I needed 12 months off to shift focus for a while.  There were no funds to keep the associated children’s literacy membership going anymore anyway. There was no point and I didn’t feel God telling me to do anything other than the stop for a year. I didn’t say anything when my husband confirmed I should take a year off. He was furious with the dishonest and entitled attitude of my client.  He had no time with me in weeks due to the nominated deadline and then his wife wasn’t even reimbursed. So in 2016, there were more books or major illustration projects for this reason and others unfortunate challenges I didn’t expect either. In any case, I am back on the horse.

Paint after books then?

Not being one to sit completely still and watch Doctor Phil all day, I began refurbishing furniture to beautify our home instead.  I needed a positive creative focus.  The kids were old enough to have lighter coloured furniture, so I began with a dresser, turning it into a TV cabinet. After I created a hobby Facebook Page called Upcycled Beauty (now PLAYfessionalEDU) it snowballed from there!

Little did I know it would take off and turn into a little business and help us financially!  We had a tough financial year in 2015 to early 2016, but selling furniture makeovers helped us tremendously.  It even paid for a few date days too – whoot!

Artistically, I continued with my illustrated church notes, completed a few graphics jobs like logo design and scribbled in my sketchbooks. I barely touched my website and why the big gap in my blogging. I was too discouraged to do much more.

I did participate in the Memory Project.

“The Memory Project is a charitable nonprofit organization that invites art teachers and their students to create and donate portraits to youth around the world who have faced substantial challenges, such as violence, disasters, extreme poverty, neglect, and loss of parents.” ~ www.memoryproject.org

I’ll post on that later.

But then…

These cute illustrations had to happen.

2017 things shifted – Yay!

I was feeling inspired to paint again, imagining elaborate paintings on furniture, when one day two lovely debut authors I knew, approached me about a series of picture books. Wendy Mason (a school teacher) and Lisa Maravelis (a Councillor) were working on a rhyming series called When I’m Shining with Light.  In one conversation I knew I was meant to be part of the journey. Admittedly, I was still nervous from my last experience though. Several months later and I can say it has been the BEST book project ever!  I have LOVED every illustration and these ladies have been a pure delight to work with. We have all been on the same page all the way through.

The cute illustrations reflect the freedom and confidence the authors have had in my part all throughout every book.  Not a stroke is laboured and every page has been fun!  They understood how I work creatively and enjoyed the process alongside me.  I was able to help with the text as it seemed to drop into our laps when we were together. We have become a solid team and good friends in the process.

These books are going to be incredibly special, speaking to children in so many constructive and delightful ways.  There are 10 in the series. We finished the first 4 (LOVE, PEACE, KINDNESS & JOY) this week ready for the printer. This is some of the images taken along the way.  I have enjoyed these characters more than I can tell you and haven’t tired of drawing them – thankfully –I still have 6 more to do!  Look out for publications, When I’m Shining with LOVE, PEACE, KINDNESS & JOY in the first quarter of 2018!

Out of the ashes!

Although I did a tremendous amount of work on the unpaid project, not all was lost.  I had a concept in that book I used for one of these.  I was particularly fond of a jumping castle scene I created so recycled it replacing the new characters in the setting.

An amazing thing that happened the night I gave the debt to God. An incredible story literally downloaded into my head within minutes of choosing forgiveness. The story came so quickly so I jotted it down onto a word document as fast as I could. I know it will be a book one day.  One that will speak to any child with a disability and thinks it is a weakness. It will help them see strength in their weakness instead. Not a bad trade hey? In fact, I felt God whisper to me…Now THAT is my book. Take that one instead. I have my hand on it.

AWESOME! I’ll be doing that one day!

As for the furniture, I’m building a teaching platform to share more and will do those elaborately painted pieces I have still in my overly inspired mind. I’ve got my creative mojo back people! Are you up for the ride with me?

Colouring Book Fans…

I haven’t forgotten you either. There is exciting news coming up for those who follow me for the colouring book information and goodies. Watch out for some new things for you!