RaeRae Illustrations: Designs for the Shine Project

After being inspired by the batik and screen-print patterns of Zimbabwean fabrics, I decided to replicate the effect using brusho and bleach. It seemed to work quite well... I've had to make my own bleach pen so I don't have the problem of drips when using a brush but that's been a useful invention for future brusho projects too. Keeps the lines much cleaner.

I've drawn designs today for the endpapers, characters and general layout of the book. Although this book is for a very young audience, I like the idea of having little visual jokes and a beauty in the design for the parents and older children to appreciate too. For example, I've designed the pages for the 'lost shoe story' so that there is a clear narrative progression across the double page spread by following Tatenda's footprints (this story is only one double spread because we are limited on the number of pages we can print), but I've made the footprints a little joke too by making one a shoe print and one a bare footprint. Poor Tatenda!