I Wheelie Love You

Cover reveal and process

This week on Instagram I shared a cover reveal for a new baby board that I illustrated. I Wheelie Love You, written by Hannah Eliot, published by Little Simon, will be out in the world on December 6, 2022. You can preorder a copy using my affiliate link on Bookshop.org or from the place where you buy your books! As you know, preordering is a wonderful way to support your favorite writer and/or illustrator!

I wanted to share a little more with you, my newsletter friends! I received the manuscript awhile back and when I saw it, I was literally jumping up and down because 1. it’s a baby board book and they are my absolute favorite projects to work on and 2. it’s a book full of puns and I absolutely love a good pun!

I was tasked with starting on the cover first and the publisher was thinking of having it show cars or trucks (anthropomorphic parent w/child) with a high level of sweetness. I did start to get nervous because I really haven’t drawn many vehicles before, so I spent a lot of time researching and sketching out different types. I ended up creating 8 cover illustration ideas and sketching out two of the interior spreads - the interior spreads showed diggers and race cars.

If you don’t know me, I tend to deliver a lot of sketches. Some illustrators don’t work this way and that is totally fine, but I love giving options. It’s how I think things through. Some are great ideas and some are terrible, but through sketching many many times - something amazing tends to turn up. Since I shared so many ideas, the publisher ended up going a different direction for the cover and I am so happy they did, because it turned out really really cute!

Here is what I sent the editor for my first round of sketches:

Here are the cover sketches that I shared. I was playing around with different handlettering, trying out perspectives and just really trying to make cars and trucks look cute!

These are thumbnails for the first spread that featured diggers. I mean, come on! Scooping up hearts!

Here is what the final page looks like!

And thumbnails for the second spread with race cars.

And final art for this spread.

I wheelie loved working on this book! Did you like seeing my process? These are always my favorite thing to see from other artists, so I hope you enjoyed!

Best,

Denise