Illustrated Picture Books
Walk in the Woods
Benny and Tzvi are preexisting characters first designed by Marc Lumer for Hachai Publishing, and appear in four picture books: Hashem is Truly Everywhere, Benny’s Mitzvah Notes, Wherever We Go, and Benny’s Gift - and a board book called the Torah Book of Opposites. For Walk in the Woods we pushed the preexisting style and developed characters into new scenery.
Benny’s Gift
Benny and Tzvi are preexisting characters first designed by Marc Lumer for Hachai Publishing, and appear in three picture books: Hashem is Truly Everywhere, Benny’s Mitzvah Notes, and Wherever We Go - and a board book called the Torah Book of Opposites. For Benny’s Gift, it was important to keep to the preexisting style and developed characters. Marc’s style relies on traditional techniques and mediums to create life and texture, and it was an exciting challenge to incorporate these into my otherwise often digital practice. Additionally, because Chani’s lovely poem only offered hints at a setting, I enjoyed a great deal of freedom in directing the visuals. Benny’s gift is (spoiler alert) his smile, and his newfound lesson on the mitzvah of sharing that smile and welcoming spirit with others. A photography and neighborhood theme evolved naturally throughout the illustrations, allowing us to capture and share smiles on every page. This was the first book I did all the illustration and layout work for on my own, and my name finally appears on the cover.
Babel
The second book I assisted with under Marc Lumer’s art direction was this lovely telling of the story of Babel, for Apples and Honey Press. It was a fun challenge to try and match Marc’s style and create these spreads using both traditional and digital mediums.
My Little Prayer & Story Book from the Western Wall
I met Marc Lumer in 2015 through a friend at the neighborhood pool. It’s funny how these things always happen, don’t you think? I am so grateful to him for the faith he showed in my ability, and thanks to his encouragement I was able explore the compelling world of picture book illustration. The first book I assisted with was this prayer book for The Western Wall Heritage Foundation. Here are some of the pages I created:
