My friends in Cyberland,
I’ve been MIA because I was caught up in something new.
You know that this caricaturist wasn’t into illustrating for kids. In fact, until about a couple of months ago, she’d was over-awed by anyone who drew for kids. Using solid colors and simple lines to create a character or a place that would draw the kids (and their moms, of course,) into a story, appeared to be magical to me.
Then Bigsaw happened. First there was Bigsaw Designer and then Bigsaw Classic…and for both these wonderful picture-puzzle collections, I was called upon to create Albums for Kids. Granted that only one the many albums in each had pictures of kids, but I ended up creating 18 artworks in all. I felt blessed, because I could let my imagination go places where it hadn’t been before. I just let myself slip into the past and become the little girl that loved picture-books. What I saw from that little girl’s eyes, magically and almost effortlessly began to form on paper. Among the first ones to appear on the pages of my sketchbook was a snake mom coiled about a branch to form a swing for her little’uns, a pencil getting a haircut in a saloon with the sharpener having shaved off the lead, and a goldfish giving math lessons to little goldies in a fish bowl.
After I had sketched for a few days, I had about 40 ideas ready to be colored. I randomly picked eighteen of them, inked them in, and colored them up…hoping that they’d look good. However, the response that I got totally swept me off my feet. I was told that they looked really really good, and that kids loved them too.
Believe it or not, I’m still having a hard time accepting that I can draw for kids. I’m thrilled to be illustrating for kids because these illustrations are so full of happiness, innocence, and…colors.
So friends, that’s where I’ve been – in the beautiful fantastical world that exists in a child’s imagination.
I’ll shortly be sharing some of these pictures with you, but if you are in a hurry and you want to check them out now, download any of the Bigsaws for iPad and checkout the Kids Albums.
Shafali's Caricatures, Portraits, and Cartoons 