"The Moment Before I Lost My Mom" Kids Book Project Progress for SCBIW Portfolio Preview. . .and eventually Self Publish by April 2020
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@Squirrel-Size lookin' good!
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Yeah, going back to full time at work is making it super hard! I managed to finish drawing spread #2, but I just barely touched my two spreads from last week. It didn't help that I had several pre engagements this weekend. But the good news! This next weekend is empty! Which means I'm going to be sitting on my butt drawing all weekend to catch up! Only two weeks left before my drawing deadline! And four weeks to have my dummy-book printed out and done. This week, I'm going to start on the cover. I'll be posting more thumbnails on that later this week.
My goals for the next several weeks:
Aug18-24: finish spreads #4 & #7, Cover thumbnails and start cover
Aug 25-31: Final drawing edits and final details added to spreads, Finish cover, drawing and color.
Sept 1-7: Formate book, Print
Sept 8 - 13 Bind book
Due Date for the Open Portfolio Preview at Mid central SCBWI Conference Sept 14th
After the SCBWI conference, I'm going to take a little break, then start the process to finishing the book and have it out my late March 2020
#2
#4
#7
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@Squirrel-Size best wishes in meeting your goals!
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@BichonBistro Thanks! I appreciate it
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I love this so much! The artwork is wonderful and this story is just a pure piece of you and your mom! Amazing! Can't want to see layout #2 painted. Love the use of depth of field. You really move through the image.
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Awe! Thanks @Whitney-Simms Thats so sweet
I'm just itching to start coloring it! -
I was thinking, this would be a sweet book to sell at a flowershop for the bereaved who have lost their mothers and especially for kids who lose their mothers. It could be so comforting for a child. Even if they don't plant gardens there might be something else that would bring them peace that connected them with their mother. Cooking, reading together, etc. I love this~!
Marsha Ottum Owen
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@Marsha-Kay-Ottum-Owen awe! That is a great idea! I love it!
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Okay Art Peeps! Vote which book cover sketch do you Like! I think my fav right now is #3
#1
#2
#3
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I also like number three!
This will be a lovely (and hopefully very healing) book when you are done with it.
Your garden pictures make me wonder if you have ever read The Secret Garden. If you haven't, I'd highly suggest it. It's a lovely book about healing and love, at its core. And my mental images of the garden in the book looked a lot like your real life garden that you made. I think you'd really understand the protagonist in a way that those of us who've never built a garden can't.
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@Squirrel-Size I love #3 too—in addition to the feeling of tender closeness, it communicates that her mom will always be supporting her, has her back so to speak, and is almost like her shadow (in the good sense of the word)
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@Squirrel-Size I like number 2 best in these sketches. the characters are right in the center of the page but the foliage on the sides is higher on one side than the other so it seems to balance out somehow. At least for me! Sweet!
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@Kasey-Snow Thanks, yeah! I've both read and watch the Secret Garden. I love that story! I think it could have for sure been some of the inspiration for the building of my little flower garden. Tasha Tudor was also another big inspiration for my garden building as well.
@BichonBistro Yeah! Thats exactly what I was going for in #3! I was wanting mama squirrel to look a shadow or an angel of sorts. I think it could really portray that when it gets colored.
@coley yeah, I think #2 is for sure one of my top favs! Its hard to pick! Thanks for your input!
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Absolutely stunning book. All your illustrations are so moving... can't wait to see the final product. Regarding the cover page, 2 and 3 are my favorites. I love them equally. Perhaps you can choose your favorite for the cover and use the other as a vignette to close the book.
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@Su Awe! Thanks! Thats a great idea, I might just do that
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Almost made my goals for this week. These two spreads could use a few more hours of work, but this is how far I got. I also had my editor (my grandma, she is a retired English professor) look over my text for me. She gave me some good suggestions and yummy pancakes too!
Goals for this week is to finish all final details, do some last minute edits on all spreads, add final text and finish cover. A tall order! Wish me luck you all!
(P.S. I'm keeping the final spread (#12) a surprise for you all!)
#4
#7
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I also choose 3
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Okay, I've been gathering title ideas for several months now. I've gone through them all and kept only the ones that are not used by books already. Here is the collection I have:
- I Remember Too
- I'm Happy Too
- I Can Remember
- How I Remember You
- A Little Place to Remember
- Flower Squirrel
What do you all think?
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@Squirrel-Size I like A Little Place to Remember the best
But that's just one person ! I love the new sketches you posted a couple days ago!!!! -
Hi!
I've been thinking quite a bit about your copy for the book. Did you think about Sarah Lawrence's post (right after your hummingbirds illo post) regarding some suggestions for improving the text? For me she was spot on. Varying the thoughts and emotions and adding sensory words makes the story richer and deeper. I found that repeating the word happy or happiness often to be distracting and made it less special. I'd recommend typing out the story and studying it separately from the art to see if you like it. The story is very important and should be able to stand on its own. Then when you combine it with your gorgeous art, they can soar together.
If you could post just the final text for the book, it'll help to see what title works best with the story itself.
Best,
Su
