The Process of Illustrating Princess Shuri of Wakanda

Ever since word of Black Panther’s filming first made rounds, I’d been ready to see it. I decided early that this film was not going to miss me. Nope, not at all. An Opening Weekend viewing, though, was impossible. You see, the local cinema chain reported in the Friday papers that the weekend tickets were all sold out. Not even joking. Luckily, Kat (yes, she was back in Jamaica for a bit) had the good sense to grab Monday’s tickets right then and there. Much as I expected, the majesty of Wakanda blew me away. Credit to the creative team behind the film; the visual overload alone was worth the ticket price. What I didn’t expect, but I should have, was that I’d fan-girl for none other than Princess Shuri.

October 30, 2018

What Happened While I was Missing In Action

by Peta-Ann Smith

It’s been a while since my last post (far too much of a while, to be quite honest), and that was never my intention. Believe me. Quite a lot has happened between then and now, both career-wise and health wise. To be honest, it was these aspects in tandem that made me be MIA for so long. The best place to start any story is at the beginning, so let’s get going.

December 13, 2016

My Brief Career as an Editorial Illustrator

by Peta-Ann Smith

Today, most of my work so far has been in children’s illustration. For a while, though, I had worked as an editorial illustrator. Was it for a major newspaper, read far and wide by the Jamaican masses?

Yes…and no.

In this post, I’ll explain

how I got started,
the topics I tended to cover, and
my general experience producing editorial illustrations for a teen newspaper.

I’ve also updated this post to include a bonus link to “How to Hire an Illustrator“, with great tips for potential clients and aspiring illustrators alike.

October 24, 2016

Picture Book Illustration – The Process of Illustrating “Hagga’s Last Vattiegirl” Pt. 2

by Peta-Ann Smith

In my last post, I shared the beginning of illustrating “Hagga’s Last Vattiegirl”. In this post, I’ll take you from rough sketches to the coloured final illustrations.

October 18, 2016

Picture Book Illustration – The Process of Illustrating “Hagga’s Last Vattiegirl” Pt. 1

by Peta-Ann Smith

“Hagga’s Last Vattiegirl” was my first picture book illustration project. It was also my most rewarding and my most challenging. Read on to see my work process from shaky beginning to glorious end.

Read more