Since Grandma and the Internet – The Smart TV is my first book, I have learned a lot about the process of creating a picture book. One of the most important and challenging parts involves the illustrations. I love to write, and it has always been a passion for me, even in grade school. However, drawing is a different story. I am still at the stage where every person I draw is a stick figure, and every animal is just a ball of fluff. Obviously, illustrating the story myself was never an option.
When I chose Friesen Press as my publisher, one of the first things I did was examine samples of illustrations that had previously been created for books in their shop. I narrowed them down to about six different types, and then I began visiting the children’s section of the public library a couple of times a week to look at other books and take pictures of drawings that I liked. Then I sent the images to my publisher, and we chose an illustrator together. Pia was my first choice; I was so blessed to get her.
I sent the pictures of my mom to Pia, and she created some sketches. We went back and forth a bit as I gave instructions to consider, such as Grandma’s height of five feet, her youthful appearance and demeanor, and her usual selection of outfits. After several rounds back and forth, I eventually chose the one you see in the book. Making my mom into a cartoon character has been one of the most rewarding and challenging parts of this journey so far, but I am very pleased with the results.
I hope you enjoy getting to know ‘Grandma’ as she takes you through a very real event in her life, navigating through the confusing era of the internet.
