The Process:
The two projects that I have been a part of is the published children's book "Dig World" by Codie Wright, as well as the unpublished project "Halo the Protector" by Ken Mumford.
For both of these projects I approached them in similar ways: nailing down a style and tone that the client/author wanted to achieve, as well as gathering reference images and creating a mood board for the project.
For Dig World, the book was education oriented and construction themed, so my color palette leaned more towards primary, saturated colors with lots of greens, reds and yellows that emphasized the frequent outdoor and construction imagery.
For Halo the Protector, the story centered more around an origin story/"hero's journey" narrative, so I leaned more towards a painterly style with more dramatic lighting and strong complimentary color choices that drove the illustrations.