Christine McParland
Fine Art, Illustration, and Graphic Design
Children's Book Illustration
The Process
These illustrations are part of a children's book entitled Hanukkah is Great, written by David and Betty Weinberger (copyright 2012 David and Betty Weinberger) and published by Messianic Family Publishers, University Park, IL.
For this book, I painted 18 full-page illustrations, the cover image, as well as several spot paintings. Working from photographs, I cut and pasted elements such as figures, surroundings, and objects, until I finalized a composition. I then rendered these compositions in acrylic paint and ink pens, combining the colorful vibrancy of the paint with the hand-drawn feel of the ink lines.
The process of illustrating a children's book was both exciting and enjoyable; I appreciated the opportunity and freedom to explore the many different directions each painting could take stylistically, schematically, and compositionally. Below are some examples of the numerous sketches and color studies I completed before rendering the final illustrations.
Catherine went up to the menorah with a huge smile on her face and a happy spring to her step. Her eyes were full of wonder and joy as the fire started to bounce from one candle to the next. But on her way back to her seat, she looked kind of sad.
Anja was not letting herself get her hopes up yet. Maybe Catherine liked being there, but maybe she didn't.
"...Then a favorite Hanukkah sing began... Oh Hanukkah, oh Hanukkah, come light the menorah. Let's have a party; we'll all dance the hora..."
Text copyright 2012 David and Betty Weinberger, used with permission,