another book in development: an ABC for Lucy, illustrated

 

 ABC for Lucy, illustrated book, Rough initial page layout - subject to many changes!

I've been managing small amounts of time for more 'serious' painting - but the little bits of time here and there, while busy with other things,  I've been working on ideas for a book for Lucy who will be one at Christmas.

I thought I'd make it a little dual purpose and appeal to Sam (age 4) as well as he'll be learning to read any time soon.

Drawn in an A4 sketchpad, several of these to a page, done leaning on the steering wheel of the car while waiting when I was taxi for family to various appointments, so they are very rough and merely getting down thoughts and ideas of how it will go.

I didn't have my list with me when sketching but here is what I've got so far:

A - apple, angel, aardvark, apricot, anteater, ant,  auntie
B - blue, butterfly, bed, ball, boat, bear, bee, banana, boy, big, bouncing, batman, books, buzzing
C - crimson, cat, cot, carrot, camel, caroline (her auntie), cup, coffee, cake, camera, clever
D - dog, doll, dish, dinosaur, denim, daisy, dish, digging,
E - egg, elephant, elf, emu,ecru, enormous, ears
F - fuschia, fox, frog, field, flower, flag
G - green, gate, grass, game, glass
H - house, hat, hare, hair, heliotrope
I - iron, igloo, ice cream, ivy
J - jelly, jam, jockey, jade
K - kitten, kite, khaki
L - llama, lemur, lion, lemon
M - magenta, man, milk, mud, mouse, mat
N – nest, nut, naughty (Sam throwing a tantrum!)
O - orange, owl, okapi
P - purple, penguin, panda, pig, parrot
Q – quoit, quiver, quince
R - red, river, rain, rabbit, rug
S - silver, sock, shoe, sun, scarf, snowman
T - Tan, teddy, tiger
U - umber, umbrella, under
V - violet, van, violin, viper, vivien, vamoose, vampire
W - wool, wind, water, window, white
X – xylophone, xiava (Chinese water melon I'm told)  - poetic licence with things like extra??? exciting?
Y - yellow, yell, yacht
Z – zebra, zip, zig zag

I wanted to try to think of animals, objects etc and also descriptive words or verbs to go with them and if possible a colour.   Some of these won't make the final edit!   varicose veins was one great suggestion!  maybe not ......

I thought that sometimes I'd have a small creature sitting on the letter - like an ant on the A, a butterfly on the B etc

I'll write the name of each element curling around it and a silly sentence around the outside of the page, involving as many of the elements as possible.

Any ideas gratefully received and added!

I've been working out whether to do the whole book as an 'original' or whether to put it together in the computer.  I've worked both ways in the past.   I think I'll put it together on the computer - it means I can rescale images and move them around, erase parts - and even better, re-use past images  like this one of her brother Sam bouncing, dressed as Batman(B) and digging on the beach  (D).   I can remove backgrounds as necessary

Other illustration projects can be found here