Artist Jennifer Mercede

Creating and publishing a children’s book can take months and even years to see the light.  I wrote Gerry the Giraffe about five years ago and had the story on the back burner until I came across an illustration of a giraffe in a Land of Nod catalogue.  The picture of the giraffe was so unique and wonderful that I wanted to see Gerry come to life with this illustrator!  By chance, the following month the illustrator’s name was mentioned in the updated Land of Nod catalogue so I proceeded to find out more about this creative artist.  I contacted Jennifer Mercede and we spoke about the possibility of doing a book and app together.  This was before Penelope the Purple Pirate had found her place in the world so we were on new territory.  It took us some time to bring Gerry to light – but it was worth the wait as I find Jennifer’s work so gorgeous and unique.  Below, Jennifer talks about her challenges that she faced and her creative process.  Enjoy! 

In Her Own Words:

Three years ago I was contacted by a woman about illustrating her giraffe book. Three years later, today, my now dear friend Melissa Northway and I are releasing Gerry the Giraffe!  It took me a while (three years!) to actually get these illustrations going. 

You all know I love to paint and draw and doodle. However, something about these illustrations was challenging. I had this fear that there was one way a book had to be illustrated. For example, that the main character had to look the same in all pages, had to be personified precisely.  These thoughts stifled my carefree ways of art-making. It took conscious effort, and notes on my studio wall, like ‘You Can Do This’,  ‘Have fun’ & ‘Do what YOU want’ to ease myself into the process of illustrating Gerry.   

 After months and months (okay, years) of putting it off, I finally sat myself down, not without the constant encouragement and patience from Melissa, to complete Gerry.  Ironically, it didn’t really take that long.

In order to illustrate Gerry, it was necessary to:

 *Research– I spent time looking up images of animals in different poses, and looking for images such as volleyball nets and cars driving away.

 *Sketch– I like to be comfortable with what I’m drawing so that I can draw it in one shot without erasing. Since I hadn’t drawn many of these animals/images before I had to practice.  For example, many pages of my sketchbook are filled with cheetah drawings, just so I could get comfortable enough to execute the final page.

 *Have fun– Having fun is essential to the way that I create.  I needed to put in my time researching & sketching so that I could eventually relax, play with color & doodle within the images I created.

 What you are seeing here, in this brand new illustrated ipad app/ book/ educational tool, is my first experience in illustrating someone else’s story.  I learned a lot along the way; had some fun and had some struggle.  Ultimately, I am excited that it is complete and in a format that you and the youngsters in your life can enjoy!

 I am still learning and evolving as my own type of ‘illustrator’ and hope for more opportunities to create magical worlds for characters to live and stories to be told, perhaps yours? Perhaps some of my own.

 For now, please enjoy Gerry the Giraffe and his adventures with…. volleyball!

You can find Gerry the Giraffe HD at:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/gerry-the-giraffe-hd/id548810045?mt=8

 You can find Jennifer on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DandelionMoms?skip_nax_wizard=true#!/jennifermercedeart

And at: www.jennifermercede.com

 At the drawing board with Gerry and his friends:

 Hard at work – but loving it!