Evolution of a cover

You might be surprised at how a book cover changes.

Plan A: A combination of a few characters and a train car.

Not this image, but maybe one of these people.

(And not that train car. That's where they sell cotton candy.)

Plan B: Maybe the main character hiding.

Plan C: Something like this, maybe. (I blotted out the 

title and author/illustrator info. I'm the illustrator

and I know who the author is, but the title might change.)

Plan D: 

I think we're going with an expansion of this.

Whatever we end up with, it'll be my best work.

-- Ruth McNally Barshaw

The Mouse and the Motorcycle

I was a big fan of Beverly Cleary in 4th and 5th grade.  But my favorite was the first book that I read from her, The Mouse and the Motorcycle.  Hmm, just something about a little mouse with a taste for danger tickled me then and still today.

Diandra-James and the Giant Peach

We're kicking off Book Month here on The Sketchables by going all out-a full color post for each of us!  Be sure to check back each day this week to see our book-inspired pieces!

My piece is inspired by one of my favorite Dahl books, James and the Giant Peach.  (Sorry for the poor image quality, it won't fit on my scanner) It was actually a toss-up between this and The Witches, but there's no way I could interpret The Witches without being influence by Quentin Blake's fabulous illustrations.

 

It's been some time since I've read JGP, and since I couldn't find my copy anywhere to reference a scene, I decided to show James and the insects enjoying another classic book: Charlotte's Web as their peach glides through the sky.

*update: Here's a closer look. I scanned it even though it was chopped up.