A CHRISTMAS FABLE has been published and is available on Amazon. It will be available on Barnes & Noble's website soon, and I will have a limited amount of signed copies. You can comment here or send me an email at info@susanmonty.com for information or to reserve a signed copy.
This project was a labor of love by the author's, daughter and granddaughter. I was delighted and honored to be a part of this book. Joan Carter always loved to read and write. She wrote A Christmas Fable later in her life and read it to her family on Christmas Eve. After she died her daughter and her granddaughter, Debbie Ryan, decided to have the story published in her honor. When Debbie was trying to find an illustrator, a dear mutual friend introduced us, and the rest is history, as they say. I loved the story and Debbie was looking for an artist with a love for nature and a style like mine. We clicked and the book became a reality for Debbie and her family. A wonderful way to honor her grandmother.
This project was a labor of love by the author's, daughter and granddaughter. I was delighted and honored to be a part of this book. Joan Carter always loved to read and write. She wrote A Christmas Fable later in her life and read it to her family on Christmas Eve. After she died her daughter and her granddaughter, Debbie Ryan, decided to have the story published in her honor. When Debbie was trying to find an illustrator, a dear mutual friend introduced us, and the rest is history, as they say. I loved the story and Debbie was looking for an artist with a love for nature and a style like mine. We clicked and the book became a reality for Debbie and her family. A wonderful way to honor her grandmother.
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I learned so much doing this project. The illustrations had to adhere to very specific requirements for printing. I had to keep to a very strict size keeping in mind such printing terms such as bleeds and gutters. I had to be sure not to get any important figures too close to the edges or to the middle, and I had to plan a quiet area for the text. I truly loved working on these illustrations, but as an animal artist one of the biggest challenges was the people. The first few pages of woodland animals only were a breeze (well, sort of!), but eventually I had to sit down and do people. One of the things I did was to rely on family photos for poses and scale, etc. I was even able to add a tribute to my beloved dad by using him as the model for St. Nicholas. He would have loved that.
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Here's a look at my process for creating each illustration. Debbie gave me a page by page break down of the text and some suggestions for what the illustration should show. I started with a quick sketch based on Debbie's information which I refined and changed as I worked. I drew many of the figures separately so I could move them around the page and change the relative sizes. When I was happy with my initial sketch, I transferred it to carefully sized watercolor paper. After making any last minute changes I took a deep breath and started to ink in the lines. Once that was done, I used making fluid to cover the figures so I could be bold and quick when adding the background washes of forest or desert and sky. After letting all of that dry, I peeled off the masking fluid and painting in the characters. The whole project took many months.
Debbie and I were so thrilled to have this book ready for the holiday season. It would make a lovely Christmas gift for a special child in your life. It's available now on Amazon and will be available at other retailers including Barnes & Noble very soon. Debbie and I have a limited number of signed copies. If you would like a signed copy, please comment here or send me an email at: info@susanmonty.com. THANK YOU.
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