This post is coming just a little later than I'd hoped, but with everything going on in the world, I think everyone has been a bit distracted. We are through the editing stage, and that means illustrations are next. A picture book is nothing without good illustrations.
It takes a lot to find an illustrator who has the same vision as you. I spent hours searching Instagram for and . I queried the members of the Facebook children's book writer/illustrator pages and had dozens of people send me their portfolios. I also sent a message to a Facebook group called Vetsy, sort of like Etsy but everything is made by veterinarians. Many of the members are great artists and I hoped I would get lucky.
After narrowing down the list to about six different illustrators, I paid each one to do a mock-up of one or two of the characters. Illustrating a book is a long and expensive process, and I wanted to ensure I was choosing someone with the same vision for the characters as I did. It was a tough decision, but I ended up choosing someone who was recommended to me by someone in the Vetsy group.
So meet some of our characters, as envisioned by the very talented Chennon Roberts! And follow her on Instagram at @chennanigan.
