DREAM BIG!

Paper, felt, and dream is where it all began... and I couldn’t have accomplished it without my Fiskars scissors. I never considered illustrating a children’s book, much less with cut paper and other materials. However, I’ve loved all things artistic and creative since I was a little girl. I accepted the challenge to create a special book with my sister. What started out as just a “passion project” turned into a stepping stone!

My sister came up with the character “Keisha Cane”, which is loosely based on her as a kid and little girls that she taught at school and church. She asked me if I would illustrate Keisha Cane and her Very Sweet Tooth and gave me the general idea for how it should look. I showed her initial sketches for the cover and they weren't quite there. So, she described exactly what she envisioned and I ran with it. I bought felt and colorful paper, looking specifically for a deep "brown-skinned" paper and some textured black paper for the afro puffs. My sister and I always focus on the details, so you'll see she has "real" pearl earrings and little pink fingernails. EVERYTHING WAS CUT BY HAND. So, I needed reliable tools that would allow for precision and comfort, as I would be holding scissors for hours at a time.

This project was a true collaboration. We labored long and hard to create really fun illustrations! We were inspired by books with a similar style of cut paper, such as Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats and The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. We used vivid colors as well as African-inspired prints. Our collage technique allowed us to layer texture, color and shapes.

In most cases, I sketched the designs that I wanted to cut with a pencil. (But there were times when I would freestyle and just grab my scissors and start cutting shapes.) It was fun to have that creative freedom because my sister trusted me with her vision. For example, one of my favorite characters was not actually written in the story. I decided to use some of my creative license to add a black cat to all the scenes, just for visual interest. (In one scene, the cat has his paw in the fish bowl!)

Not only were illustrations cut for the book, but to go along with the theme of sweet treats, I created fun desserts with cut paper that I used for promotional posters, note cards and recipe cards.

My sister was an elementary school teacher at the time and set up several school readings to gauge teacher and student engagement. During school readings, it was always great to see children's reactions to our book. As much as I love getting to live out a childhood dream as an artist, seeing the impact on children and their desire to read made this project even more fulfilling.

We wanted to be an example to young Black children, in particular. A book which featured a Black character, by a Black author and illustrator can be difficult to find, but we wanted to show that it’s possible and encourage little readers to DREAM BIG!

Although this project was great for me as an artist, it was the most challenging thing I’d ever done. There were days I wasn’t sure of myself. But I kept pushing and praying, relying on my family’s encouragement, God-given talent and my purpose as a creative.

Once it was done, I knew we were on to something... The plan is to create two more Keisha Cane books!

Now that I think about it, this dream all started with paper, felt and scissors while sitting at my dining room table. It’s awesome what’s possible when you challenge yourself, pursue aspirations and live in your purpose!