Number 10 of 150

December 11, 2022December 2, 2022Leave a comment

I love his freckles! And his hair!

A light-skinned black boy aged 10-12 standing with his hand on his hip. He has freckles and an afro. He's wearing a white T-shirt with 3 green and orange stripes across the chest. He has green cargo shorts and sneakers.

Number 9 of 150

December 9, 2022December 2, 2022Leave a comment

This is the first of three age 9-12 in this batch. I like the pleated skirt on her dress. I had a little trouble getting the angle right on her glasses.

Black girl aged 10-12 stands with one hand raised, palm up, as if gesturing. She is wearing glasses, a blue jumper with a pleated skirt, white blouse, and sneakers. Her hair is in long twist braids.

Number 8 of 150

December 7, 2022December 6, 2022Leave a comment

Here’s the last 7-9 year old for this batch. They’re in a gender-neutral outfit and posed in a side view. The original version of this one had them turned away from the viewer, 3/4 view from the back, but the client wanted to see more of their face.

A black child aged 7-9 stands with their arms clutching their belly, laughing. They are viewed from the side. They're wearing a purple sweatshirt with a black star pattern, jeans, and red sneakers. Their hair is in an afro.

Number 7 of 150

December 5, 2022December 2, 2022Leave a comment

The project also includes diverse body types. So, this boy has a larger body type than the others so far.

Black boy aged 7-9 standing with his hand raised, palm up, as if holding something. He's wearing a salmon and black plaid button up shirt, black jeans, and sneakers.

Number 6 of 150

December 3, 2022December 2, 2022Leave a comment

A pretty color plaid overshirt and bantu knots. I hadn’t drawn that hairstyle before. I think she’s cute.

A black girl age 7-9 stands with a hand up as if waving. She's wearing a purple and pink plaid overshirt, white t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers. Her hair is in bantu knots.

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.

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 11

April 3, 2021March 25, 2021Leave a comment

Here’s the 9th illustration for the book project I just finished for Learning A-Z. Page 11 of The Neighborhood’s Night by Juliana Catherine.

This one is another gym scene. Almost like the camera pulled backwards from the last illustration.