The Search for the Perfect Illustrator!

The story idea for Between the Clouds came into my mind in September 2017. I wrote a first draft rather quickly. I then started considering the option of trying to publish my first children’s book. I sent the draft to a successful author friend. He loved the story and encouraged me to self-publish since my husband and I are pretty familiar with social media marketing. Self-publishing meant I would have to find an illustrator. So, I started to look them up. I scoured websites for hours, reading references, looking at artwork, saving potential illustrators’ information. I reached out to a few and was disheartened with my search. Some were busy, some were way out of my budget, some couldn’t speak English well enough for me to feel comfortable that they would understand what I was trying to convey, etc. I was unable to find a good fit and let my story sit.

Less than a year later, our family ended up moving overseas to the Pacific Island of Samoa. We sold everything we owned and lived off of our savings and started a family vlog called JAMily TV on YouTube. We did not have the sort of income we used to have in America, so self-publishing a book was not an option I could consider while we were there. But in 2021, my husband received a job offer that brought us back to America. We were quite sad to leave our island paradise and so I told my husband that if we had to leave Samoa, then I was going to finally publish my book. He agreed.

I renewed my efforts to find an illustrator when we returned to America. I joined FB groups for children’s book authors and illustrators. I followed illustrators on Instagram. I searched and searched and searched. And then one day, I received a notification from one of these FB groups that an illustrator had posted some photos. I don’t know why I received this notification as I don’t usually receive them. But I went to look at the photos. And I fell in love! The images were from the very talented Jade Le. I looked up everything I could about her through social media. I found even more examples of her work that I loved. I reached out to an author who had their book illustrated by Jade and asked about their experience with her. They highly recommended her work. So I reached out to Jade, hoping that somehow I would be able to afford her services. And lo and behold, she was not only incredibly talented, she was also one of the most affordable illustrators I have encountered.

The images below are some of her first images that I fell in love with. I knew my story would have night scenes and underwater scenes and I loved how she captured those types of moments. I loved her use of light with dark backgrounds. I loved the little elements of whimsy. I loved her cross-section of the ocean, which most illustrators would normally just show the top of the water when drawing a boat scene. I loved her color schemes.

As of today, my book is about 80% illustrated. I have received rough color sketches of all of my spreads. I am so excited to receive the final illustrations and cover images and send Between the Clouds to print! Thank you, Jade Le for helping to bring this dream to life!

About Jade Le Illustration

Jade is a Vietnamese artist. She works as a full-time freelance illustrator in Singapore. Her love for drawing began as a hobby and gradually evolved into a blooming career. One of her greatest joys is assisting inspired authors to present their engaging stories in beautiful artworks. When she has free time, Jade draws inspiration from everyday life. She hopes you will enjoy her work as much as she has fun illustrating it.