“A Nature Journal Belonging to Auburn” is a concept for a picture book I developed during my third year at university. It follows a young boy named Auburn who records what he sees, hears, and feels on a quiet walk through nature–told through a diaristic lens.
The project evolved through two contrasting directions. While I originally envisioned a reflective, sensory-driven book, one that felt like quietly sitting by a river, simply observing – the final outcome was shaped by external pressures to lean into a more traditional children’s format. The result never fully captured what I had hoped for, but the process taught me a lot about creative boundaries and the importance of holding onto artistic intent.
What I’ve chosen to share here reflects the version I felt most connected to. If I were to revisit the project now, it would likely look quite different, but it still holds an important place in my development as an illustrator.
Early Auburn Character Concepts
My Sketchbooks:
Final Book Concept
