Project Feature – A is for... Awesome!
Updated: Sep 8, 2021
My first children’s book is completed! Over the past several months, I have had the wonderful opportunity of collaborating with a local Atlanta author to showcase poems inspired by her daughter, who is autistic.
These children’s book illustrations, including cover, end page patterns, and character design, as well as accompanying book design, for the self-published book “A is for… Autism Awesome!” by Gwendra Samuels, provides advocacy for children with autism and helps educate peers who are not on the spectrum.
Having a background in design was a huge plus, giving me the ability to know how a book should be properly structured. Recent experience from storyboarding courses via the School of Visual Arts in 2020, was also extremely helpful and allowed Gwendra and I to find the right solutions to properly tell her daughter’s story.
What was especially wonderful to work with was the color scheme. Through project-related research, I found that there is a direct correlation between the comfort level of an autistic individual to the colors and textures surrounding them. Autistic individuals especially gravitate towards soft color palettes. This particularly was a challenge, since I am often known for my bold and vivid color. Working with the author, I was able to find a color palette of purples, oranges, and pinks that were still vibrant, but much softer – like the setting of the sun.
The book is currently in production. Release dates and more information coming soon.
Created utilizing Procreate and Adobe CC.
Thank you to everyone who has taken time to read this artist journal, and who continues to support my work by following me on any of my social media ( IG | Tw | FB ), subscribing to my monthly newsletter, and/or supporting me through Patreon or my web shop.
For more information about my process, or to inquire with an illustration project, visit my website or contact me at artforsayles [at] gmail [dot] com.