Leaving the Nest–December 2023

This project was for an illustration class in my final year of university, and it spanned the entire semester. The goal was to create a development book that explores design solutions for environments, characters, and props found within an original story that I would develop later in the semester. The first part of the project focused on the earliest stages of the visual development allowing for me to freely explore what I want my story to be about. The second part of the project was to develop my concepts and use them to make a finished visual story. I created a children’s book with a wide and colourful exploration of environments, with a goal of making my readers think about important lessons for children ages 4-7 years old. The main lesson in my story is: we are part of a bigger picture, don’t forget to look outside of yourself and see others, and be kind to others. My story was based on habitats in Alberta, so I chose to create 4 characters based off of local animals and their respective habitats. I created moodboards that gave me inspiration for creating a derivative and abstract drawing style. I worked on a tight deadline, with design roughs due every week for the semester. The result of my efforts is a concept for a children’s story book. I am very proud of creating the story, characters and environments from trial and error, using inspiration and research to back up my story.

Below is a few pages from the prototype of final children's book.