Hold Yer Horses, Pardner!
This was my first book project with Cody Spencer. He was 13 at the time he wrote the story of two cowboy brothers who go about trying to solve the mystery behind a missing sandwich. It was a lot of fun visually bringing his characters to life. I spent some time studying characteristics of the wild west like landscapes, structures, desert plants, and cowboy fashion. I usually have a lot of fun sketching out what the characters will wear, their facial expressions, and try to get their personalities out on display. And after several months of working together, we were able to finalize and publish “Hold Yer Horses, Pardner!” on Amazon.
I am very grateful to have had an opportunity to collaborate with Cody and create this book together. It was really just good timing that I was able to connect with him through UCSD Extension’s Arts and Humanities Department. They contacted some of us who had just recently completed their Children’s Book Illustration program, and when I’d heard that this young author was looking for an illustrator, I just jumped right into it.
Tales From Wiggleberry
This was a fun book to illustrate. Carrie Dawn, the author, is full of creative imagination! Her book introduces a magical world called Wiggleberry and the fun, wacky things that happen there. There are dancing jams, wiggling pies, and jellybean rainstorms (my favorite). The first edition of this book was illustrated by her late husband, and so this is the second edition. One thing that I don’t take for granted is helping people materialize something that they dreamed inside of themselves for a long time. And it’s a huge joy and honor for me to think that I helped someone live out their dream and bring it to the world. This is book one of a series, so there will be more to come.
Carol Choi 