I explore lots of different ideas when writing and illustrating my own stories. Some of those get fully fleshed out, while others don't. Some of the latter will appear here.
Turi lived on a bright coral reef.
She hunted for jellyfish in the sunny shallows.
But the reef was full of other floaty clear things...
Trash bags, bottles, and more- looked a lot like yummy jellies!
In the search for the right kind of turtle, I drew a half dozen species and ended up settling on the Leatherback turtle for the main character, Turi, and planned to include a green sea turtle in the story to show Turi's size. These studies were quick and meant to capture interesting posing and play with expression.
After picking my favorite pose, it was time to explore color and detail for Turi, as well as the style with which I planned to illustrate the short story.