This full spread comes from a mockup book I created in 2024 as a personal project, All the Things Lenore is Not.
A whimsical tale of a forgetful grandma and her clever granddaughter diving through the ocean to find a beloved,
but mysteriously undefined, pet named Lenore.
This tale was inspired by the silliness of my late grandmother who first sparked my love for painting and creativity.
character design
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I have always loved mermaids, and I find the elderly especially charming.
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An older sketch of an elderly mermaid from 2022 influenced this idea for the Lenore storyline.
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By blending that concept with sweet traits from my own grandmother, and her favorite color purple,
I created a character design that beautifully complements the design of the hero in this children's story.
references
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As someone who does not live near the ocean, the imagery of my book became a mix of online references
and photos of creatures I had taken on recent trips to well known aquariums.
I have used these images and sketches for several ocean themed projects!
This click-through slide show lets you see the thought process behind this piece. Water is notoriously difficult to draw. Figuring out layers within an environment, and how that worked with my concept sketches was a learning curve.
