I don't know about you, but I grew up loving and being drawn to all of Eric Carle's books. I still love reading "The Rainbow Fish" to my littles while taking in the beauty of those shiny scales.
The storyline for "The Lost Crown" came to me so quickly, but the illustration part overwhelmed me for months, i'll admit. I mean, I did not go to art school, I have no training, nor did I ever try drawing or painting before this endeavor. But, when I started dreaming up how I wanted the book to look, all I could think of was Eric Carle's fun cut paper illustrations. Then, I came across an artist on Instagram (Clover_Robin), her art truly fascinated me. Still to this day when I look at the things she creates, something leaps inside. I see it and immediately want to create my own version. I'm so drawn to this creative process and I love how unique each piece turns out to be . So, I just went for it. No book or video--I just went with what felt natural.
For me the process looks like deciding what colors I want the creation to be made of. Then, I simply paint the paper using various brushes to create different strokes. I mainly used acrylic paint, but sometimes used watercolor. After the papers dry I cut out various shapes. Then, begin to glue them one by one onto my main paper, creating the image I had in mind. From there the creation is scanned into photoshop. The entire book is not made up of cut paper illustrations, but a good portion of it is because I enjoyed it so much. The rest of the book was illustrated with watercolor. I am looking forward to creating more cut paper art and I'll make those prints available here on the blog.
This picture was taken on a morning when I was sitting in our office having quiet time, praying and honestly feeling a little discouraged and overwhelmed. When I looked over at all of the painted paper I was planning on cutting into images that day, I saw the most beautiful rainbow shining above. It was such a sweet reminder of the Lord's promises. I know He's all over this book and the hope it will bring to so many little hearts.
And now for a sneak peek of some of my favorite elements within the book. The story takes place in a garden, symbolizing the Garden of Eden. Each piece was created from what I imagine the original garden to be like-- A garden so full of color, life--vibrant fruits, and berries.
And just a heads up, I plan to tease you for a few more weeks before preorder begins! Enjoy!😊 Let me know if you have any questions, or thoughts, I would love to hear from you!!
