Some more roughs of Kootjie Totjie

At the moment I'm busy with a picture book of one of CJ Langenhoven's children's stories - Tootjie Kotjie - publisher is Protea Boekhuis.

Just finished the rough illustrations - still to do the finals.

Finish art illustration - Back & Front cover - background painted with water colour then on that I worked with my oil pastels

Rough illustration with darker background with text- Colour done in photoshop

Rough illustration with darker background - Colour done in photoshop

Rough illustration - Colour done in photoshop

Rough Drawing

This is the second design - colour also inserted in photoshop - The publisher decided on a darker background

This design the publisher felt it might not appeal to boy - Asked for something "rougher"
The colour on this illustration was done VERY FAST in photoshop - Just so that the publisher could get the colour feel


After a winderful break during which I did NO WORK except make Christmas presents I started started working beginning of February 2009 - I climbed onto a roller coaster - Did a reader for Cambridge and then did a new cover illustration for the Afrikaans addition of Mr Humperdinck's wonderful Whatsit
Went through a few possibilities - Here are two examples

This book was completed just before Christmas - I think it will be released in May.

These are the finish art

these are the rough illustrations

These very very rough illustrations were thumbnail sketches

After delivering the Christmas card illustrations for NB Publishers - I started on a book for LAPA Publishers called Bertus soek 'n Boek written by Jaco Jacobs.

Finished (click on illustration to see bigger image)


after all animals were done I work on darking areas and lighting areas and working on the background - adding energy swirls


Then I started with the flying animals first puttong down a wash then working with my crayons

worked on the christmas lights

and the books

and lightening area of light source - then with with oil pastel I started building up the grass & figures.

Then started darkening areas


I was commisioned to design and do the illustration for NB Publishers Christmas card - Here is the process. After doing the drawing I put down a wash with watercolour paint.

Cover illustration & design of Long Juju Man.

Some of the final illustrations of Long Juju Man

These are layout with rough illustration for Long Juju Man
Long time since I posted -
Had deadlines and SCBWI SA stuff that had to be done so I was burning the midnight oil... But here are the stuff I have been working on since October 2008

Currently illustrating 2008 Macmillan Writer's Prize winning book

Here are some rough drawings for the book I ‘m currently busy illustrating. It is the winning book of the 2007/08 Macmillan Writer's Prize for Africa; by novelist Nnedi Okorafor-Mbachu. Though American-born, Nnedi's muse is Nigeria. Her winning unpublished children's book, Long Juju Man, a story about a girl's encounters with an irritating crafty ghost, will be published by Macmillan UK. The girl is harassed and taught lessons by an annoying, snickering, rotten fruit eating, sneaky, prank playing ghost named Long Juju Man.

Her first novel, Zahrah the Windseeker was shortlisted for the Parallax Award and Kindred Award in 2006, a finalist for the 2005 Golden Duck and GardenState Teen Choice awards and nominated for a Locus Award (Best First Novel) 2005; Her second novel, The Shadow Speaker (Hyperion Books, 2007) was a Booksense Pick for Winter 2007/08 and a finalist for the Essence Magazine Literary Award and the Andre Norton Award. It is also an NAACP Image Award nominee, a Tiptree Honor Book and a Locus Magazine Recommended Book.

I'm enjoying illustrating Nnedi's words!