Friday, April 18, 2014

a smart girl's guide to money

I'm going to be doing more posts like this one soon.  That is, posts where I get to reveal a project that has been done for what feels like an eternity!  

I illustrated this book, A Smart Girls' Guide to Money, and it's partner, Making Money, almost a year ago.  I just got a big old box of them on my doorstep a few days ago, and I have to admit, no matter how many times it happens, it's always exciting to see your work in print and bound together as a book.

These books in particular are very, VERY dense with illustration.  There was at a least an illustration per page, and sometimes multiple illustrations or images that spread across more than one page.  A lot of work, in other words!

Things I had to learn while working on these books:
-how to design stacks of money in an appealing way
-how to design a box of receipts in an appealing way
-how to draw girls of every body type and ethnicity between the ages of 8 and 12 (it was easy to go to young and too old and I did both at times...the tweenage years are tough to draw!)
-how to design an illustration that packs many, many ideas into itself at once (the art notes for this book were DETAILED)
-how to have fun with an idea that could otherwise be very dry, like illustrating some credit cards, or a bank building. I had to make it fun for myself.  

Anyway, the books are published by American Girl (yes, THAT American Girl!) and they'll be available next month.  I have to admit, even though I'm supposed to be a grown up lady, I actually did learn a lot about money from reading the text as I worked on it.  It's VERY smart, and yet very easy to understand, and if you know a young girl with an entrepreneurial spirit, I'd say you've found yourself a birthday/Xmas/whatever gift if there ever was one.   Here's your sneak peak at what's inside!























7 comments:

Laura Wood said...

You're amazing Brigette!! Loved this post, and loved the illustrations!!! I believe you nailed it!:)

PurpurNena said...

I am an adult (I think) and I actually thought by looking at the pictures that these advices were for me. Beautiful Illustrations!! I remember I bought "The care and keeping of YOU" by American Girl when I was ten or eleven and it actually helped me a lot. :)

Tegan Clancy said...

These illustrations have so much spunk! Fantastic work

Cindy said...

I'm definitely past the tweenage years but this book looks like it's really informative and of course the illustrations are great! Thanks for sharing!

Chiyoko said...

I love your illustrations! They are cool! :)

Anonymous said...

Aww! I want a copy for my classroom :)

Austen. said...

Those illustrations were so cute! Love this.