Behind the Scenes – Louisiana Animals ABC

This is an exciting time for me to see my art in a book that will be in the hands of my collectors, Louisianans, children, and animal lovers. It was a joy painting all of the art and I thought I’d give you a peek behind the curtain to see my favorite illustrations and some of the changes that happened in creating this book.

MY FAVORITES

BLUE JAY
This guy was fun to paint because of his color and distinctive feathers.

 

FUN FACTS:
The Blue Jay can imitate the cries of other birds and even mimics
human words!

Blue jays are territorial and can be aggressive. They hold nuts with their feet and crack them with their sharp beaks. They can imitate the cries of hawks.

 

CRAWFISH
I love eating crawfish. I have never painted one though.
It was interesting to paint the hard bumpy surface of its shell.

FUN FACTS:
Crawfish can live up to thirty years, and are Louisiana’s official crustacean.
They walk backward but swim forward in ponds and the Atchafalaya Basin

Crawfish are also called crawdads, crayfish and mudbugs.
Many Louisiana festivals celebrate crawfish.

LOU-GAROU
Because Lou-Garou is a legend or folklore I painted
him like an old painting or photograph to create a feeling
of nostalgia or a feeling of something long past.

The rougarou (or loup-garou) is a monster from Cajun folklore.
In the legend, this beast is often described as having the body
of a man and the head of a wolf or a dog and prowls Louisiana
swamps looking for misbehaving children.

 

HUMMINGBIRDS
It was cool creating the soft fine lines of the spiderwebs used in their nest.

Hummingbirds can hover and fly backwards, and they can migrate long distances. Sometimes they use spider webs to build their nest. Many yards
have feeders for them that some hummingbirds return to year after year.

EDITED ILLUSTRATIONS
While working on the book there are suggestions and edits so the next few images are of illustrations I painted and the publisher took out or requested I change something about the illustration.

OYSTERS CHANGED TO AN OCELOT
OYSTERS TO OCELOT
The original manuscript included oysters but once all of the illustrations were done these stuck out as food, not an animal. The text was changed to information about the Ocelot.

MAD SQUIRREL CHANGED TO A SWEET SQUIRREL
The production manager thought the first one looked mad. LOL!!!
Maybe so but I made sure the second one was sweeter looking.

EVIL OPOSSUM CHANGED TO A KINDER EYE OPOSSUM
As the title says the publisher and production manager thought the first opossum looked evil and suggested kinder eyes for the opossum. Also, after sending in the second illustration I was asked to give him more of a smile.
Truth is most people don’t think opossums are very friendly looking.
Do you like opossums?

I hope you found this interesting.
There’s a lot of work that goes into creating a children’s book. I thought pulling back the curtain with some behind-the-scenes process would help you understand a little more about how children’s books are created.
The publisher and production manager’s thoughts about the illustrations are crucial in making sure the book is at its best.
For me getting to paint all of the illustrations is a dream come true.
If you choose to buy the book for yourself or for someone else please let me know your thoughts about the book. Which illustrated animal(s) is your favorite?

Feel free to share this post with someone you think would find it interesting, too.