Hi there potential readers!
So recently I have been absolutely blown away by the response to the current state of affairs by the kidlit and book communities. Authors, illustrators, teachers, librarians, you name it, they are all out there doing their best to provide activities and resources to help us all try to have fun during these tough times. And so I also wanted to contribute a little something (make sure to read to the end!), and along with it a little behind the scenes of the character Sea Dragon from my picture book, Seagull & Sea Dragon!
So first off, in case you haven’t met him yet, let me introduce you to Sea Dragon!
Sea Dragon lives in the sea but looks up to the surface everyday wondering about the world above. But did you know, this isn’t what Sea Dragon originally looked like? Nope! Sea Dragon actually went through a little transformation before he ended up looking this way! Check it out:
This is one of the very first sketches I ever made of Sea Dragon! He used to be much more snake-like and smooth, and faded from yellow to red! Before I had decided on the final, overall style of the book, I was imagining something a lot softer and more like pastel or watercolor. But then came the next design:
This next version was where I decided to take a more angular approach to the design, and this decision would stick for the rest the process. It’s also where I decided to make Sea Dragon green! And did you know? Originally I imagined Sea Dragon as actual, full dragon size! More like a mythical dragon than the real world sea dragons we know. But as you’ll soon see, that was also going to change:
I decided to slim Sea Dragon down a bit, and give his head a more clear definition from the rest of his body. I also moved away from the color fade and decided to make him a more solid green with yellow-green scales. And now for the final, and most dramatic change!
And finally we arrive at the official Sea Dragon Design! It was at this point that we decided to make Sea Dragon look more like a REAL sea dragon. So I made him less skinny, decided to make his fins transparent and more delicate, and funny enough his color ended up going back to yellow!
It’s really incredible to me to look back on how many aspects of not just Sea Dragon, but the entire book evolved over the course of its development. I can say without a doubt that it was one of the most difficult and valuable learning experiences I’ve ever had. And in the end of course it was all worth it! I’ve loved Sea Dragon during every step of the process, but I really am so happy with his final design.
Now, after looking back on the transformation that Sea Dragon has gone through, I wanted to share with all of you the chance to create and design your very OWN dragon! Maybe your dragon has wings instead of fins! Maybe your dragon is hot pink and covered in stars! Maybe your dragon lives in a volcano instead of the sky or the sea?! Another fun idea might be to use colored paper to glue on those fins or wings, or maybe some glitter to make those scales sparkle! Be as creative as you want and have fun, because no matter what kind of dragon you create I know it will be awesome! Just click the button or image below and a window will pop up with this blank Sea Dragon coloring sheet, where you are free to print or download it!
And if you or your little one DO end up designing your very own dragon and feel like sharing your creation, I’d love to see it! Feel free to tag me @SydniGregg on Instagram or on Twitter! Have fun!
