From September 2020 until January 2022 I participated in the honours programme of my studies. In a special group of eight students, we have the opportunity to work on self-initiated projects, gain extra knowledge and grow as an upcoming designer.
The biggest challenge in the honours class is to plan, structure and realize our own projects. In the first semester, my goal was to write and illustrate a children's book, so I asked myself what knowledge and skills do I need to accomplish this goal?
I did research into storytelling, thought about a topic and went to the library a couple of times to discover the endless variety of children's books.
As the story is about a child who learns how to handle strong emotions properly, I decided that a monster should play the role of the bad thoughts which chase the child. It was difficult to find a not-too-cute and not-too-scary appearance for the monster.
I learned a lot about character illustration, practiced my drawing skills and talked to children and their parents.
Eventually, I have written, illustrated and tested a children's story that I am proud of and that could be valuable for families.
This project was a blessing to work on even though I had some trouble with testing my prototypes and finding a good monster. I enjoyed setting my own goals, plan the milestones and finally see what I have accomplished after one semester.