Hi there! I’m Veronica Miller Jamison, and I’ve been the SCBWI guest blogger for the month of March. I’m a picture book illustrator, and my author-illustrator debut, The Stories In You: Inspired by the Wisdom of Toni Morrison (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) will be released later this year.
This month I’ve been blogging about how great writing can inspire the illustration process. I started by going behind the scenes of the first book I illustrated, A Computer Called Katherine, written by Suzanne Slade. Then I dove into the artistic process behind This Is A School, written by John Schu. Last week I talked about how I developed the main character design for Up Periscope! How Engineer Raye Montague Revolutionized Shipbuilding, written by Jennifer Swanson.
This week, I reached out to some illustrator friends to ask them how great writing inspired their book projects.
Selina Alko - The Keeper of Stories
I met writer and illustrator Selina Alko when we both served on the board of ICON: The Illustration Conference between 2016 and 2018. Selina is a powerhouse - a prolific, award-winning picture book maker who creates vibrant, stunning artwork. Her latest book, Otherwise Known as Judy the Great, is an illustrated collection of poems celebrating author Judy Blume.
When we served on the ICON board together, I was working on my first picture book and stressing out a little – okay, stressing out a lot. Selina gave me the best piece of advice: “Let go of perfection.” That was permission enough for me to loosen my grip on my work and get back to having fun with creating, and I’ve carried that with me ever since. Any time I get stuck on a project, I come back to our conversation from all those years ago. So thank you, Selina!
Selina shared with me her process behind creating the art for The Keeper of Stories, written by Caroline Kusin Pritchard.
A passage from the manuscript that inspired Selina's artwork:
The people looked up at the wounded building, the one they had trusted for years.
They knew the truth.
That this keeper:
their keeper,
trusted them, too.
They couldn't let it down.
Hundreds of students and teachers, rabbis and pastors,
neighbors and strangers became "Operation Booklift."
They wound up the staircase like the flames had before,
forged together by stories.
Hand
over hand
over hand
over hand
they passed one drenched book down, then the next.
For two weeks, they lifted and reached, together:
An unbreakable human chain.
Outstretched hands, keep our stories alive.
How Selina approached the art for this passage:
I depicted a diverse human chain in the cross-section of the charred building–- purposefully making the image almost abstract so the eye could focus on the zig zag of the staircase following the flow of helping humans. I wanted to get the feelings of seriousness and urgency across by using somber colors and rusty, burnt textures in the mixed media art.
Interior spread for The Keeper of Stories, illustrated by Selina Alko.
Alleanna Harris - Oshún and Me: A Story of Love and Braids
Alleanna is my tri-state buddy (I live near Philadelphia, she’s in Southern New Jersey) and is a veteran illustrator of picture books about Black history and culture. Alleanna’s work is imbued with warmth and connection, and celebrates all corners of the Black diaspora.
Alleanna’s latest book, Prayer Is, written by Tameka Fryer-Brown, introduces young readers to prayer and its many different meanings. And her author-illustrator debut, O Holy Night: A Modern Day Christmas Carol, debuts with Bloomsbury Kids this fall!
Here, Alleana tells us about her work in Oshún and Me: A Story of Love and Braids, written by Adiba Nelson.
A passage from the manuscript that inspired Alleanna:
“The cowrie shells told Oshún how to help the people she loved. And because I love you, I put the cowries in your hair so you carry her protection with you. When you’re scared or sad, you can just touch your cowrie shell, and it will give you the strength and power of Oshún, the most beautiful and loving goddess.”
How Alleanna approached the art:
Creating the art was a straightforward, yet fun process. I wanted the illustration to be a literal representation of Adiba’s words, so I had to show little Yadira touching her cowrie shell and Oshún showing up to protect her. However, It was the very first time in the picture book where Yadira and Oshún interact directly, so I also looked at the passage as the perfect chance to symbolically show Oshun’s strength.
I ended up illustrating Oshún behind Yadira, and touching her shoulder as if she was actively supporting her. I wanted to show Oshún’s power and strength as a sun-kissed, glowy, enveloping space, so I decided on having a golden yellow and orange background. I painted light emanating from Oshún’s gold gele, but I wanted the light to have movement and rhythm, so I sketched in a geometric pattern based on Yoruba Adire textiles. I also illustrated sunflowers growing around them because Oshún is always associated with sunflowers.
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| Interior illustration for Oshún and Me: A Story of Love and Braids, illustrated by Alleanna Harris. |
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Veronica Miller Jamison is surface pattern designer, fashion educator and illustrator of picture books. She is the illustrator of A Computer Called Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Helped Put America on The Moon (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2019), This Is A School, written by John Schu (Candlewick Press, 2022), and Up Periscope! How Engineer Raye Montague Revolutionized Shipbuilding, written by Jennifer Swanson (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2024). Veronica’s author-illustrator debut, The Stories In You: Inspired by the Wisdom of Toni Morrison, will be published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers in Fall 2026. Veronica lives near Philadelphia, PA. You can visit her at veronicajamisonart.com.
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