22. Inspiration Boost + Final Art #3

Jellyfish Picture Book Process

Photos I took at The Florida Aquarium in Tampa!

Hi y’all!

I’m back at work on my jellyfish book, We Are Fungi! During my break, we took a trip to the aquarium too see some real, live jellyfish! Sometimes halfway through a book project, you need to immerse yourself in the topic again or in a different way, to give you a little boost of inspiration and remember why you are so in love with this topic!

So, that’s just what I did. I went to the aquarium and stared and oogled at the jellies. I watched how they move, how they float, how they squeeze and reach.

We even got to touch some moon jellies! They’re not venomous to humans and you can gently touch them on the tops of their bells. They were slimy and mushy, though a bit more solid than you might expect! Butterbean got a kick out of touching them too.

And perhaps most excitingly, I also got to see comb jellies! These jellyfish are a bit more obscure than your typical aquarium fare, and I was thrilled to be able to see them in person. The pulses of light are hypnotic and amazing and…

It happened to be the next final art spread I was working on! Below, you can see my process for making my third final art spread (though it’s not done yet!).