New children's book introduces new illustrator

Author Estée Cockcroft with illustrator Carmen Smit and the first copy of The Eye in the Yellow Bow Tie.

The book is about a boy who grew up in the 1950s, during the apartheid days of South Africa, in a household with a tyrant of a father and a sister who bullied him.

“Estée gave me the initial manuscript to read along with an extensive brief, however, she still allowed me to explore my own interpretations and creative concepts,” explains Smit. “We went through a variety of initial concepts and ideas, around eight until we ended up with the final design.”

“Having worked with Carmen extensively at Boomtown and knowing her dream to illustrate a children’s book, I knew she was the right person to illustrate my first novel,” remarks Cockcroft.

Using paint, fine liners and watercolours, Smit worked on the project for three months, outside of her graphic design job at branding agency Boomtown. “We love to see our people achieve their dreams and possibility and to see Carmen take her first step in children’s book illustration is heart warming,” adds Boomtown MD, Andrew MacKenzie.

Boomtown sponsored Smits’ membership to the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, “The workshops and the people there I met fuelled my drive to achieve my dream,” concludes Smit.

The book is will launch on 8 September 2016 at 6.30pm at The Athenaeum in Port Elizabeth.