Today’s post is my current best version of Pearl as she will likely appear in “How To Explain Christmas To Chickens.” The background is a scrap of old gift wrap which fits the story’s two main characters: Pearl and The Bottle Cap Lady.

And so she began studying the lights which she hoped would be new friends to take the place of the fireflies and Blanche.

Over the next evenings, more of these lights appeared up and down our street. Some blinked. Others did not. Some had colors which Pearl had never seen before. The more she studied them, the more she wondered if they were truly fireflies. She had to find out. She would need to sneak beyond the boundaries of our safe yard.

Pearl moved quickly from one front yard to another, hiding behind the shrubbery. She would lay very low and then wait to see if anyone or anything had noticed her. She listened for dogs. She watched for silent cats.

When she got as close as she dared to the yard that had the most lights, she was amazed at what she saw. There were strings of lights just like there had been when she did her comedy show in our backyard, but there were more of them and with many more colors than she could have ever imagined.

Her heart beat faster. What a wondrous sight! Perhaps this was where Blanche was. It was certainly a beautiful place. Blanche belonged in a beautiful place.

There were lights and decorations everywhere, just as the wrens and songbirds had described. Some looked shiny and new, but most had the worn look of some of the things Pearl had collected after they had fallen out of the garbage truck. Still the strings of Christmas lights made everything appear beautiful against the darkness of the night.

Pearl wandered slowly through the decorations. They seemed to be set out in groupings to tell stories, and she studied them to figure out what those stories might be. In some places there would just be an assortment of odds and ends. Those didn’t feel like they had come from the pages of a story book like the others did, but they were still beautiful.

Blanche had to be somewhere close by.

Just as Pearl was ready to call out for Blanche, the front door opened. A dark shadowy lump of a figure stepped out onto the porch and sat down in a rocking chair. Pearl squinted her eyes to see more clearly.

From “How To Explain Christmas To Chickens”

If you have followed my posts for a while, you know the illustration style for this book has really been a struggle for me. No matter what, I always seem to come back to this particular colorful cartoon-like style, and so I guess it’s what is best for my chickens and for me!

The app that I have been using up to now, Tayasui Sketches, has been fine until a recent update has made it difficult to use on my iPad due to the size of my files. The “new Pearl” above was drawn using Affinity Designer.

Because of this change, Pearl is no longer a “Raster Girl.” She is now a “Vector Girl.” (Unless you work with graphics, these terms may not mean much, and really, it’s the results that count. But for some reason, “Raster Girl” and “Vector Girl” make me imagine Pearl wearing a motorcycle jacket and singing “Born To Be Wild.” But that is another drawing for another story!) Anyway, there was a huge learning curve for me to make this transition, but the results were worth it.

You may notice a few differences in how Pearl is drawn. This is especially true of the outlining which does not use the standard blueish-gray that has been in all of my other chicken drawings. Instead the outline colors vary based on the portion of Pearl they are outlining.

Moving back in time, below is an illustration of Pearl in the same pose (without a hat) from “Seasons Of Friendship.” Some subtle changes were made for improved printing quality.

Moving even further back in time, below is the original post illustration of Pearl and The Bottle Cap Lady. It was made when their story was just a two-part post. At the time, I had no idea of ever developing their transformations into a 32,000 word novel or even of ever trying to publish a book.

You will notice how an irregular crayon drawing tool was used for outlining which did not do well in print. Because of that, I changed to the smoother outlining you see in the illustrations for “Seasons Of Friendship” directly above.

After comparing the illustration below with the one at the very top, hopefully you will agree with me when I say, “Pearl, my little girl, you sure have changed!”

Each post shares a glimpse into my journey as a writer and illustrator. Every “Like,” “Follow,” and “Comment” is truly appreciated!