Mandy
I loved Julie Andrews’ first children’s book Mandy when it was read to me as a child, so when I was offered a chance to illustrate an anniversary edition, I jumped at the chance. This was by far one of my favorite projects. I was able to work closely with Julie on the illustrations and it was one of the great highlights of my life. I modeled Mandy’s character off of Mary Badham’s character Scout, in the film To Kill a Mockingbird. She just had that Mandy energy!
Limited edition prints of the painting from the cover are available in my shop.
The tricky thing about painting a wraparound book jacket cover is not placing details where they will be covered up by type. I deliberately left open areas along where the spine would be. I had so much fun with this illustration. Hidden in the nasturtium leaves along the bottom are the names of my children in the vines. Watercolor and gouache
Discovering the Cottage — An interior from Mandy. Here Mandy discovers a neglected cottage, part of a large estate, that she cleans up to make her own little hideaway and escape from the orphanage where she lives. Pencil
Birds, “Spring” — This is a vignette from Mandy, illustrating the spring section of the book. Pencil
Squirrel, “Fall” — This is an illustration from my book Mandy, a vignette for the fall section. Pencil
Mandy Climbing the Wall — An interior from Mandy, where Mandy just makes it up over the wall into the garden where she discovers the cottage. Pencil