The Wonder At The Well

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Illustrations for Redemption Press
1 of 18

I recently finished a series of illustrations for a book titled The Wonder At The Well by Vicky Wedel for Redemption Press. By the publisher’s name, you can guess this is a story for the religious market. It tells the biblical story of the Samaritan woman who met Jesus at the well and was so moved by what He said that she immediately went to bring most of her village to come listen to and learn from Him.

Nothing against the story, but it’s not the most visually interesting tale. It’s basically just people talking in every panel. Talking about something that a Christian audience would find very important and inspiring, of course. But still just talking.

However, there was one interesting challenge. I’m sure you’re all aware of the controversy about how to best depict Jesus in art today. Historically, most cultures generally depicted Him as looking like themselves. So, in Asia, He looked Asian. In Africa, He looked black. And in America, He’s usually depicted as white. That’s not necessarily a problem except that, unfortunately, at least in the US, there’s been a lot of White Nationalism that’s become attached to the image of White Jesus. To avoid the stink of that, many Christians here now prefer a more historically accurate Brown Jesus. But not everyone.

To sidestep the whole messy issue, the author on this project decided she just didn’t want His face shown clearly in any of the images. She wanted all back views and obscured views. Nothing straight on with any clear details to his face.

So, the unique challenge for me was to illustrate this story so that it’s not just a series of back views of Jesus. To be clear, there are some back views of Jesus. It couldn’t be avoided. But I’m very proud that I managed to make sure it wasn’t all back views.

Here’s our first one. It shows Jesus’ back, but also the narrator, townspeople, and the town in the distance.

A cartoon illustration depicting a narrator introducing the opening scene in the story. She is in the foreground gesturing to the people behind her. In the distance, Jesus sits on the edge of the well while people travel by foot up and down a narrow road that leads to a walled town. All people are wearing Roman-style clothing from the time period of Jesus' life. One of the people approaching the well is the narrator, a woman carrying a vase.

Another thing to note is the speech bubble. This project is drawn using comic book elements including speech bubbles and panels. This panel is a two-page spread with a quarter-inch bleed. I’m not including the text of the manuscript in these art samples, only the art.

Hidden Picture – River Bank

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I recently completed a project for Utah-based Fish for Garbage, a nonprofit organization that mobilizes communities through waterway cleanups and watershed education. They commissioned me to create a series of illustrations for a children’s activity book.

This image is the second of two hidden picture puzzles. I saved this one until last because it’s my favorite. That’s the same duck from several pages ago. Having him visible both above and below the waterline really sold the idea that he was floating on the water and what was underneath was the underwater view. And just look at those duck feet! So cute!

I’m really not an expert at drawing fish, but I work from references and do my best. The client said the one brown trout I drew had a longer snout than the other, which is actually called a kype and is sought after by fishermen. I don’t really know enough about them to do that intentionally, but I’m so glad it turned out to be a feature and not a bug. Serendipity.

Can you find all 8 items? There’s a cigarette butt, a tin can, a plastic spoon, a plastic drinking straw, a deflated balloon, a deflated inner tube, a plastic bag, and a flip-flop sandal. The client said they find a surprising number of uninflated inner tubes at their cleanup events.

I will say that, between this one and the previous illustration, I spent SO much time drawing little circles for all that gravel. But it was worth it!

A hidden picture puzzle scene showing both underwater and above water views of a river bank.

Hidden Picture – Hiking Trail

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I recently completed a project for Utah-based Fish for Garbage, a nonprofit organization that mobilizes communities through waterway cleanups and watershed education. They commissioned me to create a series of illustrations for a children’s activity book.

This image is the first of two a hidden picture puzzles. Can you find all 8 items? There’s a soda bottle, a drink cup, a flip-flop sandal, a chip bag, a soda can, a plastic fork, a deflated balloon, and a set of 6-pack rings. The hidden items were chosen because they’re items often found during the organization’s cleanup events.

This image is a version of the illustration that was used as the cover image. The cover image was in color and without the hidden items. But it still has the same expansive view and variety of wild animals.

Windy Picnic

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I recently completed a project for Utah-based Fish for Garbage, a nonprofit organization that mobilizes communities through waterway cleanups and watershed education. They commissioned me to create a series of illustrations for a children’s activity book.

This image depicts four children on the shore of a river or lake. They were trying to have a picnic, but it’s too windy. The wind blows trash from their lunch along the shore. One boy chases a plastic bag. This illustration is meant to show another way that trash can get loose and into the environment. It was fun to draw all that mischief the wind got up to.

Two Children and a Dog

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I recently completed a project for Utah-based Fish for Garbage, a nonprofit organization that mobilizes communities through waterway cleanups and watershed education. They commissioned me to create a series of illustrations for a children’s activity book.

This image introduces two characters that will appear in the next illustration. The characters ae both wearing Fish for Garbage hats, work gloves, and mesh bags for collecting garbage. The dog was an afterthought requested by the client to make the image wider to better fit the layout. The client told me that some participants have trained their dogs to find and fetch trash to help with collection during cleanup events.

Lunch in Reusable Containers

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I recently completed a project for Utah-based Fish for Garbage, a nonprofit organization that mobilizes communities through waterway cleanups and watershed education. They commissioned me to create a series of illustrations for a children’s activity book.

This image was a small spot illustration depicting a metal lunchbox and reusable water bottle. The illustration is used to show an example of reusable containers for lunch that contribute to unnecessary trash in the environment. The water bottle has stickers for the Fish for Garbabe organization and a related fishing organization.

Overflowing Trash Bin

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I recently completed a project for Utah-based Fish for Garbage, a nonprofit organization that mobilizes communities through waterway cleanups and watershed education. They commissioned me to create a series of illustrations for a children’s activity book.

This image was a small spot illustration depicting an overflowing trash bin. It will be used to illustrate one way trash can get into the environment unintentionally.

Tangled Duck

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I recently completed a project for Utah-based Fish for Garbage, a nonprofit organization that mobilizes communities through waterway cleanups and watershed education. They commissioned me to create a series of illustrations for a children’s activity book.

This image was a small spot illustration. It was based on a previous illustration I created as a portfolio piece depicting a girl cutting a balloon string from a tangled duck. That’s the illustration that initially attracted the client to my work. In this case, the duck was drawn to be a mallard.

Remember, balloons are fun, but if they get out into the environment, they can be a deadly hazard to wildlife which may swallow or become entangled in them.

Today’s Email Scammer

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So, today I got this in from my website’s contact form:

Name: Anthony Steven

Email: anthony311steven@gmail.com

Message:
Good day,
How are you today? I trust this email finds you in good health. My name is Anthony Steven, a learning facilitator, and I feel privileged to reach out to you. I discovered your contact details on your website, and I am currently seeking the services of an illustrator, animator, or cartoonist.

Your showcased skill and creativity on your website have intrigued me, and I believe you would be an excellent fit for our upcoming workshop. I’d like to share the specific ideas for illustrations or drawings needed, and I invite you to provide a quote for the work. I look forward to hearing from you soon for more details.

Best Regards,
Anthony.

Received 3/7/2024 6:38pm CST

None of this is wrong. The word choice reads a bit AI, but could also be legit corporate-speak. I can’t point to a single definitive red flag. Yet, I am experienced enough to recognize that this is definitely the opening bid of a scammer. This is NOT a legit contact. It’s just not.

Let’s respond and see how this plays out, shall we?

Hi Anthony,

Can you tell me more about your project? 

Thank you,

Karen B. Jones
Illustrator

www.KarenBJones.com

Sent 3/8/2024 9:05am CST

And this is the response which confirms my suspicions:

The project pertains to Montgomery County Schools in Troy, NC.

These illustrations will be utilized for a presentation in an upcoming workshop titled “LEARN ABOUT IT (SAFEGUARD AND AVERTING).” The audience comprises students aged 15-17. I am seeking your services to illustrate the scenarios listed below, presented in a horizontal (landscape) format, digital, cartoon-styled, colored images with a plain background.

The illustrations should be sized to fit a standard letter (8.5 x 11″) and delivered in PDF format. I request exclusive rights/perpetuity to the images, as they will be distributed to participants in printed form during the two-phase workshop.

For Phase One, we require the completion of 3 illustrations within 3 weeks. Subsequently, 3 more illustrations for Phase Two are due for submission 6 weeks before the final event.

Phase One scenarios:

. Road medical rescue scene

. Sick man with an arm sling (clavicle and forearm fracture)

. Doctor’s office (the doctor sitting and talking to two clients)

Phase Two scenarios:

. Scientists in a lab conducting experiments

. Doctor performing an ultrasound scan for a pregnant woman

. A sick female patient on a hospital bed in a hospital setting.

The project deadline is June 22, and my budget is $900 max per piece, totaling $4,800. Kindly confirm if this is acceptable. If not, please provide your price quote. Additionally, what is your preferred mode of payment? I am suggesting a bank draft, cashier’s check, or bank-certified check considering the amount involved. I eagerly await your response.

Warm regards,

Anthony

Received 3/8/2024 2:58pm CST

How does this confirm my suspicions?

First, it’s rare that I get a cold contact coming in through my contact form who is quite this well-organized. It feels like AI to me because, although it’s quite detailed, it isn’t actually telling me the sort of information that an actual human client typically does. Like explaining his history or connection to this type of work or his vision for the project. He’s not telling me why he thinks it’s important or exciting. He’s not mentioning any challenges we might need to work around or asking me about parts of the process he is unsure of.

However, it’s not glaring. It could be an Art Director type with all his ducks in a row. Those types of clients usually come in through my Art Rep, not my contact form, but it could be one of those that found me on instagram or something. That can happen. If I hadn’t seen these sorts of scams before, I might fall for it.

It looks pretty plausible all the way down to that last paragraph. That’s when he comes in with a budget already. A budget that’s significantly higher than it should be for the amount of work he’s asking about. Especially if he’s supposed to be working for a public school. And, finally, as the definitive red flag, he suggests payment by any of three different (supposedly secure) forms of check.

Yeah, definitely a scam.

To avoid all the numerous fake check scams floating around out on the internet (most of which involve a bank draft, cashier’s check, or bank-certified check) I do not take payment by check for private commissions. I mean, if I personally know the person or if someone I trust has vouched for them, maybe. But not from random internet strangers. That’s a firm boundary.

Just to see what happens, I’m going to tell him I only take payment through PayPal. Let’s see if he ghosts me.

I’m sorry.  I only take payment through PayPal for private commissions.

Karen B. Jones
Illustrator

www.KarenBJones.com

Sent 3/8/2024 4:07pm CST

I’ll update if I hear back from him. But I’m not holding my breath.

Be wary, fellow artists.