Twinkle and Luna's Creation and eBook

Trying to self-publish a full-color children's book is an uphill battle. This is the way this page from Twinkle and Luna looked when I created and then scanned it as a high pixel image.  It got chopped down a bit, and, while the eBook image looks really great, 

the printed image is quite disappointing and I'm still working on it.  

So, I'll hold off on saying the printed paperback is done until it really is done. 

Which means, however, that the eBook is ready to go 

YAY!!   

Lulu publishing has done a good job, I believe, on the eBook, so here's a link to Twinkle and Luna as an eBook:

http://www.lulu.com/shop/http://www.lulu.com/shop/j-e-sakura/twinkle-and-luna/ebook/product-22202915.html

Just copy/paste this link into your browser if it won't let you just click on it.  I'll get my IT guy (my son) to help me with this stuff when I see him next in Los Angeles.

If you're like me, in that you've never purchased a children's book in eBook form, you might feel confused if you receive a string of vertical images. As I understand it, the type of device you download the book onto has everything to do with what you see. 

If yours comes out in vertical format, here's what to do:

• Open the file you purchased in Adobe.
• At the top of your computer screen, click on "VIEW."
• Next hover your mouse over "PAGE DISPLAY."
• Then click on "2 PAGE VIEW" as well as "COVER PAGE IN 2 PAGE VIEW."

http://connect.lulu.com/t5/eBook-Download/How-to-Read-an-eBook/ta-p/31639 --is a useful link provided by Lulu.

After that, your eBook, children's version of Twinkle and Luna 

should read in the 2 page format!  

Here's a bit of what went into illustrating this story:

The background for the stormy scenes and cover was created many moons ago (over a decade, in fact) as a unique faux finish for a client in North Rockville, Maryland.  She wanted rich cobalt blues and purples for the dressing room area and this is what we came up with.  It's the result of pouring different hues of paint together over long sheets of thick, brown craft paper and then swirling the colors together randomly with a wide, soft-bristled brush.  Overnight, a fan blew the layers of paint and paper dry.  If tearing things up sounds like fun, the next step's the most fun because it requires ripping those sheets of dried paint and paper into large erratic shapes, then pasting them onto walls.  

After years of holding onto the leftover scraps of that paper (loved 'em too much to chuck out), 

I scanned them in as different patterns for the background in some of Twinkle and Luna's night skies.  

Other skies were formed by coloring over unusual paper purchased 

in Sacheon, South Korea 2 years ago. Like this page:

Dragging pastels over the textured paper added dimensions of "scariness," to which I simply added swirls of purple and blue, and a few angry stormy little faces peaking out at Twinkle, as she tumbled through a dark and moonless night, scattering glitter along the way.  So fun! 

Most of the characters are drawn onto separate paper, cut out, and attached with a small patch of  adhesive so they don't lay flat.  Then comes additional shading and glitter for  

definition and to make them pop 

out as the most important elements of the story.

This happy scene includes the cut-outs has glitter and a thin line of paint applied
before being cutting out.  They're attached on top of smooth, rich blue paper
with pastel clouds and acrylic, bright-white, sparkling stardust.

Sharpies on transparencies facilitate hand-lettered text

over the original artwork:

Seriously, creating the illustrations, while time consuming, is

but an absolute joy to do!  The stories themselves (there are more) seem

to find their way into my head in the form of melodies 

as I'm pondering over the "what ifs" of this or that.  

I'm both nervous and excited about recording the CD for this story, 

as well as those to follow.  Stay tuned.

Meanwhile, my quest for a decent printed version of

this book continues.   So far, Lulu has used much nicer paper than
Amazon, but the colors remain a problem in print--too dark and grayish.  

I'm waiting for the second edition to be mailed,

 with high hopes that this time, 

the purple, blue and swirly night skies 

created for Twinkle, Luna and friends

will be what result! 

I'll continue to post updates on the Artwork by Joanna page of Facebook, as well as this blog.

Please feel free to "Follow" our journey, as well as meet other members 

of our little faerie land when it's their turn to find life through publication!