The Story of Chang'E

Book Illustration + Visual Development

My identity as a first generation Chinese immigrant and artist has shaped every aspect of my life. I wanted to illustrate a story that lets me honor and share my roots with a younger audience.

I chose to create a children's storybook version of Chang’e, which is a famous old Chinese folktale. It revolves around Chang’e, who became immortal through her love and now resides on the moon.

Timeline

Fall 2022

Software

Procreate + Figma

Role

Illustrator + Editor

Research

I wanted the art to have an ethereal, flowing feel, while still retaining the content. I started by gathering reference material, thumbnailing, and planning the overall structure of the book.

Rough Draft

The next step was to create a rough draft of the entire book. I planned out the text and general composition of every page to make sure I knew how the content would flow and mesh. Then, I created a physical dummy to see how things looked and felt in real life.

Finishes

I brought the cover, a full page illustration, and a spot illustration to finish. It was important to keep the character designs and overall feel cohesive. You can view how they were evolved and refined below.

Takeaways

This project let me flex my illustration skills in a subject I was passionate in. It was also a lesson in long-form content, since I usually just do one off illustrations. It was important for me to keep the character designs cohesive throughout each page.

Also, this was a lesson in the importance of planning. Instead of jumping straight into illustration, I took the time to plan every aspect of the story and compositions first, which saved dividends later on in the process. Planning ahead meant the entire process stayed smooth and straightforward.

If you'd like to chat about this project, shoot me an email at kellyjincreative@gmail.com!