Some months ago I felt burned out on writing and illustrating books. The writing would take at least three months, but often much more. And then, wanting to have plenty of illustrations to justify the cost of books printed in color, I’d create anywhere from thirty-five to nearly fifty illustrations for each book! Not surprisingly, the illustrations take even longer than the writing, and by the time a book is complete, it’s been a pretty big project.
In and of itself, that’s fine. Except to make progress, I have to really focus on the book project and that can leave me longing to do other types of artwork. And if I give in to that, finishing the book fades further and further into the background.
What to do?
One day late this summer, after several weeks with no rain, we finally got a wonderful storm overnight. In the morning, it was still raining lightly and when I went outside to bring my duck out of her nighttime housing, I couldn’t resist lookin up, lifting up my arms, and twirling round and round in delight!
When I thought about that experience later, I got an idea! I felt like writing about it, but only something very short. Then, after I’d written the piece, illustrating it—with an animal as the character, of course—gave birth to two things: Parsleigh, the mouse, and a new format for me. I called the new format “vignettes,” meaning very short writings about a mere moment in time with an accompanying illustration.
Each vignette would be a short project, coming about after a random inspiration. And each vignette would be about Parsleigh.
After writing a few more vignettes, her sister, Persimmon, appeared. Then Mama came on the scene, and once the neighbor “bad boy,” Johnny Jump-Up, intruded on the girls’ peace.
I figure once I have enough of these short writings and their illustrations, I can collect them into a book. But there would be no developing story, just “slices of life.” So the vignettes could appear in any order, and each would be mostly independent of the others.
At the moment, I have written—though not edited in any detail—eleven vignettes. This drawing is the beginning of the first illustration. Ironically, it’s for the most recent vignette I’ve written, “Where Did We Come From?” This one is the longest so far. It’s about 775 words and takes two pages. So there will be two—of which this is the first—illustrations.
Here’s the text, but only the first part. I’ll share the rest once I’ve illustrated it.
Mama was approaching her girls’ sleeping chamber to tuck them in for the night, but as she drew nearer, muffled sobs and squeaks hastened her pace, then, when she reached the threshold, stopped her in her tracks. Little Persimmon, her shoulders heaving and her body trembling, was huddled against her older sister who was trying—without success—to give comfort.
“Whatever is the trouble?” Mama’s voice was tight with worry.
Concern clouded Parsleigh’s face. “Oh, Mama! I was just wondering if mice had always been? I didn’t think it was a bad question. I was just wondering…
“Then Persimmon reasoned that if mice haven’t always been, then they—we—needn’t always be either!
“She squeaked ‘What if we all vanish?’ and broke down in tears!”
Mama sank into the bedding and drew her girls close, one on each side. She sat quietly for a few moments, waiting for the tears to slow. “Let me tell you a story.” She knew the soothing power of stories.
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