Hi, Janell here. A fun fact about me. Along with teaching art to awesome kids I’m also an illustrator. (janellgenovese.com) I’ve had some super fun clients and have created illustrations for a variety of markets including books, magazines, toys, bedding, posters, etc.
One day while teaching at my local library I was approached by the director about doing an illustration for their new library card for children. I was thrilled! The library was one of my favorite places to go when I was a child. I can remember getting my new library card and feeling like I’d been given something special that was all mine. Now the kids in my town would get their new card with one of my illustrations on it!
When starting an illustration I like to make a list of words that help me set the mood for the visual. For the library card I wrote:
- cozy
- adult reading to child
- imagination
- home
- adventure/fun
- books
- safe
- for everyone
My specialty is drawing anthropomorphic animals. I chose Hedgehogs to be the characters in my illustration. If you look closely, the hedgehog family is reading one of my favorite children’s’ books, The Little Red Hen.
Here is the finished illustration.
I’m so proud to have my artwork on something as special as a library card.