bear attack article

This was a fun project about a little girl that gets attacked by a bear. They were debating a bit about the age group and if it was ok to show the bear, or if a scared little girl and a big bear shadow would do the trick. I was happy to do such an exciting story.

I called Hogle Zoo to try and get some reference of a bear and felt like a stalker. "Do you have any black bears? No, not stuffed teddy bears. Real ones? Are they out today by chance (it was snowing)? What kind of cage are they in? Do you think I get good pictures of them in that kind of cage?" I couldn't find any scrap of a black bear from behind at this angle. Not that is was absolutely necessary, but I get stubborn. Apparently grizzly bears are more photogenic. Finally someone mentioned the Bean Science Museum at BYU, and I called and asked if they had any black bears (not grizzlies), and if they were standing. Art direction was by Eric Johnsen.

shoes

This one was fun to do, especially the wallpaper in the background. I was living in a 104 year old house at the time and liked the pattern of the ripping tattered paper in our living room. I swear the colors are richer in person.

Candle

Thought I'd post the cover of my children's book. I finally got to see the finished product. They did a good job with the graphic design, but as always with reproductions the colors in the paintings turned much more golden than the originals. But I bet most people won't notice. I interned with Paul O. Zelinsky a few years ago and he was telling me there is always a huge difference once things go to print, and even showed me his Rapunzel originals which were amazingly rich. But he was right, we compared his reds to those in the book and they weren't nearly as gorgeous. Many thanks to my models Jennessa, Barry and Michelle, for all their wonderful help!
deseret book link