Erie Coloring Book Concept

A little bit about the book itself! It consists of 12 coloring pages, 4 activity pages (connect the dots etc.) and a full color cover. The book is going to be printed at the size of 8.5 x 5.5. The most exciting thing about this whole thing is that the committee has decided to print 2,000 copies! I am so incredibly humbled and honored by the confidence that they have in me.

Since the coloring book is being designed to accompany a DINOSAUR sculpture park, choosing the theme was pretty simple... I decided to design 3 little dinos for the book:

Original character sketches

The names that I had originally chosen are shown in the images above, however Cindy asked that I change them to Mr. Dorris' nicknames- Diesel, Scraps, and GM. I was happy to do so, these names make the project specific to the town of Erie and much more personal. Love it. 

Now for the story line! Our new little friends lived on a beautiful and exotic island called Dino Isle. One day they decided to go on an adventure so they hopped on a raft and set off. Out at sea, Diesel made a new friend- Riptide Rosie (a sea turtle sculpture was named by the local school children of Erie, another lovely personal detail that I was asked to include.) When they reached the shore, they explored the deep, dark, bat filled forest... the hot and sunny desert... and the snowy mountains. Finally they found themselves in a FANTASTIC place called "Kansas" where they find a new home at the Erie Dinosaur Park!

A few rough sketches of my storyboard.

A design for the cover. We'll see if I change my mind.

My next post will take you through the process of penciling, inking, and editing a page in the book!