The House in the Cerulean Sea is a book first and foremost about the discovery of the unexpected. My goal with this design was to achieve a sense of forward motion and curiosity with the layering of different watercolor techniques, pulling the reader forward into the narrative visually just before they immerse themselves in the rich text. The illustrations themselves were rendered on 11”x15” sheets of watercolor paper. Beginning with pencil sketches, I went on to add color using both watercolor pencil for brightness and traditional watercolor application to create a soft, dreamlike quality. The final step was to overlay the watercolor with archival pen and ink to ensure the details of the drawings weren’t lost in translation. The final products were photographed in my studio space, then uploaded, edited, re-sized, and mocked up in Photoshop to achieve what you see here.

The House in the Cerulean Sea