THE IDEA: ‘Fidget’ is a children’s book series written by a local author; ‘Fidget Screams for Ice Cream’ was a freelance project. I was the layout designer on this project and I collaborated with the illustrator and the author to coordinate the text and illustrations. I was also entrusted to edit the illustrations to better fit the pages or tweaked by the author’s request.

THE CHALLENGES: I was sent the illustrations in workable files because the majority of them needed to be edited. It was a challenge to mimic the artist’s strokes and style to effectively tweak the artwork and ensure consistency. I installed specific Photoshop paint brushes to better match the style. Some portions of the illustrations were completely overhauled and edited in order to fit the text and layout of the page. 

For example, in the spread below, many edits were made. The short bookcase behind Mom originally bled off the top of the page. I redrew it to fit the text above. The bumblebee on the book page was also added, making the bee a repeating element throughout the book. Third, the open book being held by Fidget needed to be moved and her arm redrawn to keep the book out of the book’s gutter.