I was delighted when one of my lovely clients approached me with an idea of creating a book. I have had the pleasure of working with Francesca, an equine physiotherapist, for over four years and in that time I have designed graphics, assets and Reels for her social media channels.
A few years ago we were discussing the best way to depict a range of exercises for horse owners to follow as a series of step by step illustrations over the course of weekly social media posts. I sketched out a little line drawing of her horse, then drew it digitally and ‘Dougal’ was born! From then on, I drew Dougal most weeks and he had many ‘adventures’; tackling some tricky trotting pole exercises, walking up and down steep hills and he even donned a rubber ring and went for a splash!
Feedback from Francesca’s clients and social media followers was really positive and many people regularly kept a look out for new training tips and tricks on her social media platforms, as the exercises were clear, concise and engaging. Francesca told me that quite a few of her clients were asking for a compilation of her exercises in one, easy to read, location so the logical next step was for me to design a little book for Dougal to star in.
I thoroughly enjoyed the process of laying out and illustrating Francesca’s book and it has certainly given me the bug for book illustrations! We decided to opt for ring binding, as opposed to saddle stitched binding, so that readers can easily flip through the exercises. The cover and pages are also coated so that it can withstand a certain amount of damp when stored in tack rooms, or used outside when readers are working with their horses.
“I love mine, it’s a great little book” ~ Christina Crowley
“Highly recommend” ~ Hannah Sykes
If you have written a book and are looking for an illustrator to bring your characters and written content to life, then please get in touch.
