After four months of work, I finally finished illustrating a wonderfully written, sensitive book about Organ Donation and Transplantation.
What a journey this has been.
I officially started this project last May, and last May, my health began its year long spiral. Since that time, I’ve endured multiple hospitalizations, one corrective bowel surgery, a liver drain placement procedure, with multiple follow up adjustments every two weeks, and the pain, fatigue, and everything else that goes along with it.
And through it all, I worked on this project. I completed the entire batch of color studies in the hospital, on my Cintiq companion laptop! Often I would be sitting in my studio, putting up with number 6 pain, working on the details of a particular illustrated spread. In a story about people struggling with failing organs, I was actively living it—working on this project.
Okay, so I know the question some of you are asking.
How did a guy with a liver transplant get to illustrate a book on transplantation? Was this mere coincidence? Well, sort of. You see, I was specifically chosen because of my history with organ donation. The author picked me up from one of my organ donation hashtags on Instagram, loved my work, and proceeded to hire me.
This is a somber book, as it deals with organ donation from the donor families’ point of view (and is meant for families who’ve endured such tragedy). While bittersweet, it’s tender in its storytelling. And as typical with all Benjamin Hummel children’s books, there are a lot of cool little hidden items and easter eggs to discover throughout the book. A list of everything to look for will be released in an upcoming blog.
The book is not yet published, but my work is done. I will give out the link as soon as it is available to purchase. For now, I hope you can enjoy and appreciate the work I put into it.
