capable

I believe the positive message from The Lorax is that we are ALL capable of change.  The word "Unless" is a warning. . a warning of the things we may lose if we don't harness that capability (case in point: truffula trees).  I'm looking forward to seeing the movie when it comes out this weekend :)

Also, I am happy to announce that I just finished my first picture book "A Moment in Time!"  The author/publisher has given me permission to post a few process photos.  Here is a sample of one of the pages, from sketch to finished illustration:

This is the initial sketch, where I roughly laid out the important elements, such as the character and the text.  I hadn't fully developed the character yet, so he looks a little odd.

Here, I've added in more detail and began working in the proper size for the book.  The red line marks the "safe" margin, in which all important elements must remain.  The thick black lines are the "bleed" margins, which is where the page will be cropped by the printers.

Here, I've inked the lines and removed the margins.  Notice that the smile has gotten weirder and weirder in each stage.

Final illustration: I shaded the lines to give more weight to the character, added color, and also fixed that smile ;)

 I hope you've found these process photos useful/informative.  The picture book took 8 months of planning, revising, sketching, inking, and painting. . and I learned so much along the way!  I'll let you know when the book comes out on Amazon later this year :D.