ILLUSTRATION / BOOK COVER REDESIGN
Childhood warmth, imagined in watercolour.
THE BRIEF
This book-cover redesign explores the imagination, warmth and emotional connection in The Grandma in the Apple Tree by Mira Lobe. The intended audience is children aged 6–14.
I wanted to move beyond the repeated green-tree and seated-grandmother imagery I found across existing covers, while keeping the story’s tenderness and sense of wonder.
DESIGN DECISION 01
An early idea placed the boy and grandmother on an apple-shaped planet, but it felt too close to The Little Prince. Another centred the boy alone inside a large apple; it conveyed loneliness more strongly than the warmth I wanted.
The final direction uses diagonal branches, character silhouettes and a dreamy pink, purple and blue palette to suggest imagination and connection.
MATERIAL EXPLORATION
I experimented with oil pastel and watercolour, but the edges blurred. Painting directly over a pale watercolour background also gave insufficient coverage. I ultimately painted the illustration in separate watercolour layers, then combined and refined them in Photoshop.
Purple branches and blue leaves depart from naturalistic colour. Black gel-pen silhouettes provide contrast against the soft, starry background, while digital adjustments bring the layers together.
EXTENDING THE VISUAL WORLD
The project includes a wraparound book cover, a companion poster and a seven-frame storyboard. The storyboard moves from a boy standing beneath the tree to receiving an apple and sitting alongside his grandmother.
This is an academic redesign, rather than an official commissioned edition. The original story is by Mira Lobe.