Yup, once again I have been taken out…
Biological weapons of the chicken pox kind have been acquired by my children to reduce their dad into a bedridden mess for a few weeks. It was around this time last year that I had an illness of epic proportions which lead to mass introspective analysis and philosophical adventuring. This year’s illness has lead to inspiration and commitment.
Do you remember this guy?
During the second week of illness I was able to actually do some art. My sons were also afflicted, so the four of us spent a lot of time colouring and drawing. This led to me revisiting the idea of tackling my children’s books. I was going to enter a children’s illustration competition using Jasper (my character) as the theme. But due to the illness I realised I was not going to complete the brief on time. The boys were very interested in what I was doing and wanted to be a part of the design process. My middle son, in particular, loved the concept, as he is at the age of questioning.
So I embarked on producing one of the stories I had planned. As I drew them out, my whole family wanted copies so that they could have a go at colouring them as well. This led to the idea of actually making colouring pages.
I’ve never really considered this as something that I should do but it’s actually a really exciting idea. Most of my art can be converted into colouring pages so it seems like a no brainer.
I’ve actually managed to achieve a large amount of work and create a cool, unique story, with many possible stories that could follow, for different age groups. It’s a large project though as each book has a page count of 32-60pgs… that’s a lot of drawing.
I’m quite excited.
Alongside this, I’ve dived head first back into my love of history and its many possible interpretations, which have inspired my creative side immensely.
Even though being sick is horrible, I always manage to find a way to get something positive out of the experience.
So keep your eye’s out for some colouring pages and next year a possible kids book!
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