Kickstarter

CORRECTION:  I WAS NOT IN HIGH SCHOOL IN 2007, BUT I SAY I WAS IN THE VIDEO... I MEANT I HAD THE IDEA BACK IN HIGH SCHOOL (2001) BUT DIDN'T WRITE THE FIRST DRAFT OF THE STORY UNTIL 2007.  I WAS NERVOUS ON CAMERA :)

ABOUT: Heart is my new children's book about love and acceptance.  Heart will be a 6"x5.5" colored Hardcover.  It is about 90 pages, full color illustrations with easy to read text.

It was an idea I crafted as far back as high school.  The themes surrounding the book came from personal struggles in school with trying to fit in and finding out who I was as a young teenager.

When I developed my own children's book series, I came back to this idea because I thought the format would be the perfect way to tell the story. 

STYLE:  I wanted to have a different look to this book.  Something that the readers were not accustomed to with me.  I explored different options before really landing on water color.  Water colors showed everything, the thickness of the strokes, the fluidity of the hand, and the texture of the paint on paper.  It allowed you to see the illustration and within it, the slight imperfections that made it complete.  This was why I chose water colors to illustrate my story.

PROCESS:  Easing into the use of water colors, I practiced very little with it.  I roughed out a very loose sketch of what I wanted and began painting over it.  I felt like I didn't need to master the art of water colors because this was a learning process.  Just like how the characters in Heart learn something about themselves, I wanted to learn something new as well.  I felt that it really helped with the storytelling process and gave the book a gradual progression not only in look but in emotion.

CHARACTERS:  There are two main characters in this book,  L.B. who wanted to belong and Thump, who felt like he did. You will learn about them and grow to love these two characters because at one point we were like them.

DESIGN: I wanted to keep the look of this book simple and easy to read.  So it's told in a format of word's on the left followed by pictures on the right.  I kept the cover(s) of the book simple too.  I wanted the cover to peak your interest and arouse your curiosity.  It's been a fun process designing these elements around the story.  I hope you end up liking the overall package.

REWARDS: Heart is 85% complete.  It needs a little funding especially with this being my first Hardcover book.  With your contributions, I can get the first print run done as well as attend book shows and conventions for later in the year.

For your contributions you will be rewarded with all kinds of fun things ranging from buttons to custom prints and sketch cards.  

These rewards are created with heartfelt gratitude and love.  So please, if you can, contribute to a passion project I've had since 2001. 

Thanks for having a heart so I can help share mine!