Drawn to Words

Writing the story about Ryal and his discoveries-- finished (for now). I began illustrating what I've written. I know I have a lot to work on. I keep learning more things about illustrating and drawing pictures on my computer.

I have a feeling that I'm nowhere near finished with the text, but I have gotten to a stopping point. I'll go back, edit, and figure out what needs to change. I am currently reading The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster, which is a fantastic children's book. Most of the people I've talked to keep saying, "Oh, yeah! I've read that. Like in middle school, but I don't remember what it was about." I've reminded a bunch of them who have told me they want/need to reread it. I've really enjoyed it. It's reminded me of my love of words and perspectives and the importance of them. I think it'll inspire me to flip about my words a little bit with this book.

Two characters below. I drew them both freehand using a Wacom tablet, which is a really awesome tool. The tablet allows you to use a stylus as a pen, which controls the cursor, on the tablet, which acts as the canvas. When using a program such as Photoshop, it feels more intuitive and natural using the tablet to draw.

I would like to introduce you to Ryal:

And Ms. Swanson, whom Ryal insists on calling Ms. Swansong. She is Ryal's counselor:

I don't know if these characters will look the same when I'm finished with the book. For now, though, these are the characters that I have. I'm quite pleased. But also excited to see where we'll go.

"For always remember that while it is wrong to use too few [words], it is often far worse to use too many." --Norton Juster, The Phantom Tollbooth