Erin Harris-- "Elephant on the Roof"



Hello fellow illustrators and everybody else out there!
Introducing "Elephant on the Roof"...

Last year I took a children's book illustration at SCAD at about the same time that Red Cygnet sent out their call for entries. It was also the same time that a couple of friends returned from Thailand with about 5,000 photos. I sat down to watch them in slideshow form, and after seeing photo number 3,497, I thought "Hmmm... maybe I'll do a story about Thailand".

(It took me a few tries before I painted a cover that I was happy with!)

In class, we developed our stories and illustrations over ten weeks. The final product was a "dummy book" of sketches and a few final pieces. I mailed it off in January then went off to take rainforest conservation courses in Central America. It was at an internet cafe in Belize that I recieved an email from Red Cygnet Press saying they were interested-- I was so excited, but also terrified because I wouldn't be able to work on it until I could get back to the U.S., and that meant I wouldn't be able to meet the first deadline.
It turns out Josh and Bruce were very understanding. They were easy to work with and were encouraging throughout the entire process. Every time I turned in work, they gave both positive and constructive feedback-- it's been such a learning process for me. I'm very thankful to everyone at Red Cygnet Press and can't wait to see everyone else's books out in print!