Angela Latham

Artist Statement

"My vision and goal of the illustrated book “Splitonio and His Boring Schoolwork” was to emotionally and visually attract children to the message of the story and guide them through the reality of how children can conquer the feeling of not wanting to do their schoolwork. The seven-year-old author made clear his story about all of the dinosaurs and what those dino characters should look like, the types of dinosaurs and the colors that he wanted the dinosaurs to be. This being a children’s book that would attract students from ages five to eight, I knew that the caricatures created, and their environment, needed to not only be bright and enticing, but also fun with simple objects. I wanted the book to stimulate young minds both pictorially, mentally, and encourage them to want to do their own schoolwork through the emotional impact of the imagery alone.

The interpretation of what Splitonio and the other characters are feeling is shown through the use of expressions, gestures and body language. While the scenes have a realistic aspect, there are abstract elements included that make plain what they are, like the schoolwork on the wall and on the desk. The illustrations were created through pencil illustrations and placed into Adobe Illustrator, then brought to life through color and vector images. My work speaks through the expressive passion of each individual scene to show the whole story cohesively."

Angela Latham - Book Cover