THESIS BEGINS

Handmaid's Tale
first thesis piece in progress

For my thesis, I'm doing dystopian literature. In high school, I loved reading Brave New World, The Handmaid's Tale, Clockwork Orange, etc etc. So, in coming up with an illustration thesis idea, I figured, now was the time to do work about what I really loved.

So, after doing the book covers back in November, I realized that there was one thing I knew for certain when it came to illustration. I love books. Children's books, comic books, art books, journals, and novels. I have since I was little, and my life has never seemed to stray too far away from reading. I do work in a library, after all. After I thought of it that way, no other idea seemed to stick with me that I felt so strongly towards.

I was initially concerned that the work would be too serious, that in doing a body of work about nightmare societies, I'd completely ruin my portfolio for children's books and greeting card markets. But after spending the break reading and rereading dystopian books, I found that they weren't any more depressing than how life really is, and that the universal idea presented is that people will fight for a better way of life, always. It reminds me of that Gandhi quote-
"Whenever I despair, I remember that the way of truth and love has always won. There may be tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they may seem invincible, but in the end, they always fail. Think of it: always"

In other (happy, awesome) news, I finished my first children's book!! I won't post all 18 adorable pages, lest I lose my street cred, but here's one I like. The book is about a bunny who goes to the zoo and after causing all sorts of shenanigans, settles in for the night. This is the last page.


And with that, happy new year, and adieu.