Number 5 of 150

December 1, 2022November 27, 2022Leave a comment

I was proud of how the tie-dye pattern and cornrows turned out. This one is intentionally ambiguous on gender because we wanted to be fully inclusive.

A child aged 7-9 stands with one finger to their cheek in a thoughtful expression. They are wearing a pastel tie-dye t-shirt over a white long-sleeved t-shirt, a patched pair of sweatpants, and sneakers. Their hair is in short cornrows. Their gender expression is ambiguous.

Fourth One…

November 29, 2022November 27, 2022Leave a comment

Number four of 150.

This project was divided into 10 batches of 15 images each. Most batches had two little kids aged 4-6, 6 kids ages 7-9, 3 aged 10-13, and four adults. Most of the batches focused on a specific racial/ethnic group in order to ensure that we included a full range of ages and gender expressions for each racial/ethnic group, especially for the kids. We didn’t want to risk leaving anyone out.

As you can see, this guy is supposed to be black, age 7-9, thin body type, with a male gender expression, wearing glasses.

A black boy aged 7-9 stands with one hand raised as if waving. He's wearing plaid shorts, a turquoise hoodie, and sneakers. He's also wearing glasses.

Third One…

November 27, 2022November 23, 2022Leave a comment

Another one. This project is for a Build-a-Book App for Learning A-Z.

A cartoon illustration of a black girl. She's standing with one hand on her hip and the other raised, palm up. She's wearing a pink t-shirt with a giraffe print, jeans with the cuffs rolled up, and sneakers. Her hair is in braids.

Second One…

November 25, 2022November 23, 2022Leave a comment

Yes, this is going to be a series. I’m planning to share all 150 of these, one every other day.

This little guy seems happy.

A little black boy stands with his hands holding his belly as he laughs. He's wearing a t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers.

First One…

November 23, 2022November 23, 2022Leave a comment

I just recently completed a project for Learning A-Z. I drew 150 characters, full color, isolated on white. Here’s the first one.

Isn’t she cute?

A cartoon drawing of a preschool-aged, little black girl. She has an afro pulled back with a scarf. She's wearing a pink dress, striped leggings, and sneakers. She is standing with one hand raised as if waving.

Girl Rescuing Duck

August 15, 2021August 15, 2021Leave a comment

a.k.a. Don’t litter the sky!

Here’s an illustration of a girl with a pocket knife preparing to cut a duck loose from a balloon string it’s tangled in.

When you release a helium balloon into the sky, you’re actually littering. That balloon has to come down somewhere and many times it causes trouble for wildlife when it does. Animals often try to eat it and can get choked or tangled in the process. It can kill them.

A girl kneels, preparing to cut a tangled balloon string off of a trapped duck with a pocket knife.

Orc Dad

April 7, 2021April 2, 2021Leave a comment

Here’s a personal piece I just finished. I’ve been playing Dungeons & Dragons with my family and I think it’s sad how orcs are depicted as just a bunch of mindlessly aggressive monsters. They have families, right? They must. So, here’s a candid portrait of an orc dad and his offspring.

A candid portrait of an orc father and his toddler offspring. The child is on the father's shoulders, holding onto his thumb. The background is a monochromatic forest scent.

The Neighborhood’s Night – Page 15

April 6, 2021March 25, 20211 Comment

Page 14 doesn’t have an image, so we skip on to page 15 from The Neighborhood’s Night by Juliana Catherine. This is the last illustration and the end of the book.

It’s not a completely happy ending because, even though Leena’s back in her own home, Amaya’s family lost their house. This is supposed to be a “tough subjects” series, so a not entirely happy ending is appropriate. But it’s not all bad because Amaya has sent Leena a letter saying how they found a place to live and are doing okay. They even sent pictures.

I made sure it’s the same couch and wall as page 4 so it’s definitely the same house. It comes full circle.

An illustration for page 15 of The Neighborhood's Night by Juliana Catherine. A girl curled up on her couch leans back against her mother who is sitting beside her. The girl is reading a letter and the mother is looking at some photo prints. They are both smiling.

The Neighborhood’s Night – Page 13

April 5, 2021March 25, 2021Leave a comment

Here’s the 11th illustration for the book project I just finished for Learning A-Z. Page 13 of The Neighborhood’s Night by Juliana Catherine.

This is the last one set in the school gymnasium. Amaya is crying after learning Juana’s news. Their house didn’t make it.

An illustration for page 13 of The Neighborhood's Night by Juliana Catherine. A family sits on a cot opposite an ash-covered old woman. The girl cries in her mom's lap, and both her parents look stunned and worried.

The Neighborhood’s Night – Page 7

March 30, 2021March 25, 20212 Comments

Here’s the 5th illustration for the book project I just finished for Learning A-Z. Page 7 of The Neighborhood’s Night by Juliana Catherine.

This is the last one in the project that has fancy lighting. From here on out the characters will be indoors under regular lights, which is a lot easier, but not as pretty.

Anyway, Leena and Amir are in the backseat of the car as their mom drives them away from their house towards the evacuation shelter. Leena is sad and worried. Amir is too young to understand, so is sleeping. He spends most of the book asleep, actually.

In the sketch phase for this one, I originally drew it at a different angle because I didn’t realize two-year olds, the age Amir is supposed to be, still have to be in rear-facing carseats. I thought they could front-face when they turned one. Nope. It either changed since my kids were that age, or I was remembering it wrong. Anyway, at first I drew them both facing forward. I had to completely redraw it at this angle so that both the kids’ faces are visible. Glad I caught it before I sent it to the client.