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book expo america

This is a panel from Pashmina. The word shabash means congratulations in Hindi. Beta is the word for son/daughter. Around our house we’re always saying shabash to our daughter – and I imagine my mom saying this to me as I embark on my trip to New York tomorrow for Book Expo America.

The trip will mark a lot of firsts – my first author trip to promote Pashmina, first publisher luncheon with other authors, first round of interviews and meetings for Pashmina. Among many of those firsts – I will see and hold my book for the first time at my first book signing (advance copies, the book still releases on October 3rd).

It’s about to become very real and I am very excited (and nervous, too!)

 

mother’s day cards

We have put a lot of cards on sale, including our two remaining Mother’s day cards.

Also, I am happy and humbled that Pashmina was included in Teen Vogue’s list “8 YA Books with Powerful Stories about being South Asian.”

pashmina cover

pashminacover

I’m super excited to share the cover of my debut graphic novel, Pashmina, with you! It was shared with a host of other great covers on Entertainment Weekly.

Have a great weekend!

priyanka

prisss

 

I’m back in the studio after a 2 month break to be with my daughter. It’s the longest break I’ve had from art in 5 years! My biggest project is working on the final art for my graphic novel, Pashmina. As I opened my completed pages I noticed my main character, Priyanka, looked different in a few panels. I started to worry that I wouldn’t be able to keep her consistent throughout the book. As I revised the panels that bothered me, I thought about how much work isn’t seen by the reader. There’s so much pre-work – sketches, notes, ideas, drafts. Through the next few months as I work on final art I want to share some glimpses of the pre-work with you.

As I worried about character consistency, I pulled up a file with a bunch of Priyanka expressions I drew during the thumbnail process. This exercise not only gave me an idea of her personality, but also how to draw her face up, face down, and from the side. Once I brought this file up, I felt calm. I already did the work that could help me with consistency. I use the file for reference through each page.

This is my first attempt at a graphic novel. The whole process is a learning experience. By the time you hold a copy in your hands, each page will have been revised, redrawn and edited at least eight times. The manuscript had five drafts. The thumbnails had three rounds of editing. The final art will no doubt have at least two. Some pages are easier than others. I’ve read about other creator’s processes in writing and drawing. I’m sure I’m doing things wrong and I know I’ve made lots of mistakes. I’m okay with that. Once I finish, I will know what works for me.

For now, I must push forward, making mistakes and learning along the way.

pashmina announcement

PashminaPg1

I am thrilled to share the official announcement of my graphic novel Pashmina! You can read about the story, my inspiration and see 3 final pages here! I will be working on the final art through the end of this year and into the beginning of next year. As we move forward my publisher, First Second Books, has said I can share progress posts with you, so look forward to those monthly!

Thanks for all your support ^_^