A Chapter Ends

Collaborations come and go; as one chapter ends, another begins. Illustration is the central chapter in the life of a children’s book, and it has been the focus of the last few years of production of “Misho of the Mountain.” Followers of Misho’s progress will have noticed multiple postponements of the release date.

Back to the drawing board

One of the most challenging phases of the illustration process is finding the right medium that suits the story. My original illustrator had planned to create Misho in watercolor with other mixed media such as colored pencil and ink.

After playing around with those media for several months, she reported that she just wasn’t getting the colors she wanted. So she moved to digital and played with textures to emulate the look of the paper below the color. More experimentation ensued, and we unveiled a suitable prototype cover on social media. We care about what our Facebook/Twitter/Instagram followers think and we want to appeal to a wider audience to get the word out so we can connect through this. Social media is a painstakingly difficult domain when it comes to follower growth if a creator does not have proper content. This might cause them to lose followers as well! Maybe looking at reviews such as a Socialboost review, and implementing them could do a world of good for a brand or business like mine.

A misalignment of stars

Slowly and painstakingly, the thumbnails and sketches were revealed. Unfortunately, after multiple years’ pushing back the launch date, it was clear that our schedules and stars were not aligned. We had been working on “Misho of the Mountain” illustrations since early 2014. In early 2017, I had to make a fresh start. It was a sad parting; however, time waits for no one.

A chapter ends — new beginnings

As painful as beginning anew can be, it offers a chance to rethink directions. I took some time for research and reflection. The core message and themes of my book remained the same. “Misho of the Mountain” is still about grit and gratitude, failure and friendship. It’s a book about preserving nature and the power of perseverance.

However, this break in production allowed me to change the way I positioned “Misho…” in the children’s literature marketplace. I restructured the layout. Misho slimmed down from a 64-page book of 2-page spreads to a new format: a 48-page book with denser text and more strategically placed illustrations. It would more closely match other early chapter books.

The Quest

Next came the search for a new illustrator. My quest was a journey of many stages with many conversations via email, face-to-face visits, and phone calls. I cast a wide net:

• Poring over the portfolios of art agencies in the U.S. and abroad
• Evaluating styles and artists online at Deviant Art, Behance, RedBubble, and many more
• Reviewing samples in the SCBWI illustrator gallery
• Advertising through and visiting art schools
• Talking one-on-one to illustrators at conventions, art stores, and exhibits

I met many talented artists along the way. My search ended near the end of 2017 when I was introduced to my current illustrator through another artist I met at Wondercon, Mia Araujo. (I meet the most wonderful people at conventions!) She told me about an artist in her Facebook group who was looking for a project. Daria Theodora had a style she was sure would lend itself well to my story.

I immediately fell in love with Daria’s creativity, whimsy, and flowing lines. We’ve been working on the imagery of Misho’s journey ever since.

The project has been a protracted one. But I feel sure I can promise a launch date in 2018. Wish me luck!

Composite image from photographs by Steve Halama on Unsplash and Mario Taferner on Unsplash