Red Bull Chapter Book

A new book as illustrator, from sketch to final artwork

Introducing Red Bull, a tale of courage and determination, by Michael Beynon and Mel Darbon, illustrated by me, published by Fuzzy Flamingo.

I was contacted by the team at Searchlight Children’s Awards earlier this year, as I was on their email list following entering one of their competitions with Louisa Macdougall and our book The Highland Cowgirl, which has since been published. You can read more about that here.

They were looking for an illustrator for a chapter book about horses. Once I read that, I was all ears. Drawing horses, and horses in general, has been a passion of mine since the age of 6. I was desperate to learn to ride after seeing my mum have riding lessons, and although I sat on the pony and cried to begin with, I did overcome my fear, and when I was old enough, I spent as much time as possible at the riding stables, mucking out and grooming in exchange for a free ride.

I also drew horses all of the time, mainly copying ink drawings from Thelwell books, and after years of practice, I have got pretty good at drawing them. I was thrilled when Michael and Mel chose me as the illustrator for this book.

The story of Red Bull truly is a tale of courage and determination, mirroring what Michael has been through to achieve his goals and ambitions. It is a very inspiring tale told through the eyes of a horse. It also spoke to me with regard to becoming a book illustrator/author, which has been, and still is, a long road. It certainly has required a lot of courage and determination (to keep going despite rejections and challenges in a very competitive industry.) Once I read the story, I couldn’t wait to start drawing.

I conversed with Michael and Mel about what they envisioned for the covers and also Red Bull’s character. Michael had a strong vision of Red Bull front and centre with his family around him, with a more mysterious silhouette of a horse in the background. The story begins in the wilderness of South Africa, and moves to the rolling hills of Wales, so it was fun to depict the South African landscape on the front, including some of the birdlife mentioned in the book, and the green fields of Wales on the back.

There is a section in the back of the book which tells the reader all about Michael’s amazing achievements, which are sure to inspire readers of all ages.

You can buy your copy here.

I thought I would also share some of the preliminary sketches and stages before the final cover illustration was finished and some of the interior illustrations as well.