standing in my own shoes - book illustration

Standing In My Own Shoes is a book of letters from 21 Kiwi Olympians and Paralympians to young people, sharing what they learned about ‘success’ from their experiences at the Tokyo Olympics. Each letter is illustrated by a Kiwi illustrator.  

Below is an excerpt from the last chapter of the book called Conversations with the Illustrators, where I talk about my process when approaching this brief.  

What was your process for illustrating the letter?

I read it a few times to gather the strongest message Grace was conveying then scribbled down a few sketches. I then chose the two strongest ideas to send to the editor. Once a final idea was chosen I made decisions around skin tones, clothing and colour palette before refining my initial sketch and beginning the final art - which I started with markers and coloured pencils on paper and finished in Procreate and Photoshop.

What did you enjoy about illustrating this letter?

I enjoyed the whole process, from reminiscing about my hockey playing past, Grace's message about the importance of connection, and overcoming that moment of fear and frustration you get with every creative brief when you think you're never going to come up with an idea… and then seeing the whole thing come together.

What was the hardest part to do?

The hardest part was getting the composition and angle right. I started off with a much wider angle but decided halfway through to zoom in – the beauty of digital! – and make it feel more cosy, like the viewer is part of the huddle.