THE LINK TO THE BOOK

Here is the download link to my book, to read it you must have iBooks which comes on all apple devices. I hope you like it! https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/tangle-monster!/id1116191936?mt=11

Weekly Reflection 3

This week has been all about patience. Patience is the key emotion to submitting a book to be published. First and foremost you have to deal with any tech issues you may have, and let me say… I had a lot. Dealing with those can take ages, but luckily with the help of the Proctor tech office I was able to get everything fixed. This was all fine and dandy, but then you have to wait for your submission to be accepted. For me this part was really hard. What if iTunes didn’t accept my book, what was wrong with it, and could I fix it? Luckily, my book was accepted into the iBooks store.

Seeing my book in the store was super cool. I never thought that I could have a book, let alone for the world to have. This whole experience has been so fun, and worth all of the effort and time. I loved everything that I have done in this senior project. In the beginning I was afraid that things wouldn’t go as planned, but luckily Proctor provided me with the support that I needed, and I was able to complete and publish this book.

This week has benefited me immensely. I learned that sometimes things are out of your control, but you cannot panic, it isn’t worth it. Patience has always been hard for me. I like to see immediate results, and I know that things can’t always be that way, but that’s how I like it to be. I have learned about problem solving. Not everything went my way during this project, but I really taught myself to not sweat the small stuff. What matters is the big picture.

This project was amazing. I am so happy with the end product, and I cannot wait to share my book with everyone at the presentations!

Day 15

Hey Blog!
So today was the final day of senior project. I was able to complete my book a few days ahead, and the rest has been publishing. Today was mainly figuring out tech issues with Anna in the tech office. At first nothing was connecting and then my .epub file wouldn't download. Turns out that the school had blocked the website I was downloading from, even though it was fine. So Seth hooked me up to unfiltered wifi, and I was able to download my book. I was then able to upload it to iTunes Producer and submit it to the iBooks store. I have to wait 24 hours for it to be reviewed, but hopefully it will be accepted! Thanks for this journey, senior project has been super fun!

Day 14

(3:47)
Hey Blog! So I'm getting the blog up now, so I don't fall asleep without posting again. Today has been a struggle. It was a lot of new technology issues that I didn't see coming. For the beginning of the day I had to update my computer again, because apparently I still didn't have what I needed. Then it turned into me trying to connect to the school's wifi only to be denied a bunch of times. So eventually I went down to the tech office to try and resolve some of my issues. I was able to connect to the wifi, but once I got upstairs I then encountered another problem. My epub file (ie my book file) would not download to my computer. It was stressing me out a ton, and I can feel myself getting aggravated by the whole thing. I just would like things to work the way they should. Anyway I am now just going to finish writing this blog, and then head over to the theatre for the night. I will try and fix things tomorrow with tech. Hopefully everything will go smoothly. I think the only thing I am happy about today is finishing my hours. I was finally able to hit the 45 hour requirement, but I will definitley go over because of my issues today. Hope this blog wasn't to boring or just a rant (I'm reading over it and it is...). Hope to have a smoother day tomorrow. Senior Project has been great.
Total Hours 4 hours

Day 13

(11:56)
Hi Blog! Sorry again for another day late, I had a later night than expected last night so I didn't get to write this. But here I am now! So yesterday was really a day of updating and figuring more programs out. I want to publish to the iBooks store, but that means I need to use this app called iTunes Producer. I created an account, and downloaded the app. When I tried to open it I realized I had to update my computer, so I updated it. Then it turns out I needed another update so I did that as well. With our internet, it was a little tricky, but I got it all to work. Then I got to play around with iTunes Producer and figure out the steps that I would need to take for tomorrows setup. Once I got the hang of it, I started working on my self-reflection. I want to get a head start on that now, so I won't be worrying about it later. Now I'm off to complete today's work!
Total Hours: 3 Hours

Day 12

(2:40)
Hello blog! Today was a library day. I got up a little late, but that's ok because I had a late night last night. I got to the library and set up my station. I was ready to get my illustrations done. Thankfully I did! It was great knowing I'm almost done! I just have the cover left. I am really happy with how it all looks right now, and I can't wait to show more people. After I finished the illustrations I was also able to put them into BookWright. BookWright is the formatting and publishing app that I chose to use. It went smoothly and now I just need to edit and create a cover. I'm sorry this blog is a little short, it's been a long day, and I think a little senioritis is kicking in. Thanks for keeping up with me!
Total Hours 4

Monday, Day 11

(2:45)
Hey blog! So today I needed to get some hours done, so I hunkered and did some illustrations. I only have a few more left, and they will get finished tomorrow. I decided not to work in the library today, I wanted more comfort and I knew that last week the dorm worked. So, I stayed there today. It is super great that I am almost finished. I just need to make sure that I am not rushing things, but also I need to remember to stay on task. This week is going to be hard because it is the start of Hell Week for the musical. This means late nights and stressful hours. It will be really nice to not have homework for this hell week. I hope to share more with you tomorrow!
Total hours: 5 Hours

Weekly Reflection 2

This week has been amazing in terms of getting things done. For the week I worked on illustrations, developing my artistic style, and more! It was definitely much more fun and in depth than last week. I learned that writing and illustrating a book is hard! Sometimes you don’t have the motivation or creativity to work, and that’s ok. I learned that beating yourself up over missing a day isn’t worth anything. Illustrations don’t always come to you and that’s also ok. I knew coming in that this project wasn’t going to be easy, and I sure was right.

Even though I did go through those hardships, I was able to overcome. I finished almost all of my illustrations and developed my character design. It was super cool to see myself getting better at drawing her, and using the drawing app.

This week was also a week for keeping everyone updated. I really wanted to keep this book secretive until the release, but I realized it was a little to secret. I spoke with my mentor Erikka and she helped me expand my blog with pictures. I was able to hint at the book without giving too much away.

Overall this week was very beneficial. I got my illustrations mostly done, and I was able to develop a relationship with my character. I’m super happy with the results and I can’t wait until I can hold the final project.

Day 10

(3:00)
Hey blog! Just checking in from the library today. I have found that I am most productive here, but every few days I need to change location so I don't get a creative block. It is really helpful to have changing environments, but also a space that is reliable. I am so happy with myself today because I was able to complete 9 illustrations. Everything just came easier today, and I was really feeling motivated. I think it might be the rain and clouds. I know that sounds weird, but if you ask anyone that knows me, I loveeeee rainy days. Since I'm coming close to the end of illustrations I have to plan the formatting of the book. I haven't started that yet, but it is in the back of my mind. I also decided that today I will reveal my main characters name. The little girl in my book is named Sunday. I had a list of names, and just saw how different people reacted to all of the names. Sunday was the most well received. Again, I will include some pictures from todays work, so enjoy!

Day 9

(10:52)
Hello blog! Sorry this is a day late I totally spaced on the blog! But I'm bringing it to you today! So yesterday I worked on getting more illustrations done, and designing the Mom character in my book. It was super fun, and really cool to look back and see that my style is evolving. I like that I can now use the app with ease, and drawing them is going by a little faster because of it. Now of course I will share some pictures, but only a sneak peek!

And I would also like to announce that the title of my book is....

Tangle Monster!

Thanks for keeping with my blog, I can't wait until the book is finished!

Day 7

(8:50)
Hey blog! So today I got a lot done, but it was pretty much the same as yesterday. All I worked on was some illustrations. I did stumble upon a new app today called Adobe Capture. It lets me crate my own stamps, so that I can replicate a face, or a body, or a scene! It's super cool and helpful. I'm not going to bore you with the details, I just want to keep these blogs quick and to the point. So basically, I finished the illustration from yesterday, and then did 4 more. I'm on the right track, and if I keep going at this pace I will be done before my deadline. It's great. So I did want to share a few more pictures of what I'm doing. I also thought I will reveal the name shortly, so stay posted! Now here are some peeks at illustrations!

Also stay posted for the title of the book! I'm really proud of what I have done so far, and I can't wait to share more with you!

Total Hours: 4 Hours

Day 6

(8:48)

Hey blog! So today I am super proud of myself. I was really productive today, and accomplished some illustrations today! I got 4 totally done and 1 is on it's way. I think they all took a little longer today because I was just figuring out the programs and also developing the style that I wanted to use. I don't want to share too much because I want to have more of a reveal, but there will be some pictures today! 

I started the day off with a trip to Slocumb. I wanted to get some watercolors done to be the background of my pages. so it wasn't just white all throughout. I didn't want to make one for every page because I need the book to flow nicely, so I made 4 basic ones. 

 First blue...

 Then yellow

 Can't forget pink!

And of course green.

Making these was something fun for me to do, and they turned out looking pretty cool. So I know that I can't hide all of the illustrations from the blog. So, I took some screenshots of parts of the drawings to tease the book.

Here is the first...

And here are some fun curls!

Overall I had a lot of fun today, and I'm so excited to continue drawing!

Total hours: 5 hours

1st Week Reflection

(9:00)

This week was a lot of learning for me. I was able to manage my own time, and I had to put my focus to the test. For my project this week was all about building and preparing for the next two weeks. I was able to accomplish a base for my book, find a publisher, and figure out my programs. I really enjoyed my work, and seeing what was easy for me and what wasn’t. Mornings were hard, because I didn’t have classes so I didn’t really want to get out of bed. And setting hours for myself proved to be a struggle, but I was able to get my goals done. I liked being able to collaborate, but then also decide that I wanted to do something by myself. Being my own boss was a nice change of pace for the week.

I really liked writing the outline for my book, surprisingly it came to me easier than the illustrations. I really thought it would be the opposite. It was surprising that even though I may enjoy art over writing it was much harder for me. I guess I put more strain on my art…

I think that everything in this process is super important. Although, this week was probably the most important week for me. If the foundation of your house isn’t right then your house will come crumbling down. I definitely don’t want that for my book. I think that this coming week will now be less about planning and thinking, and more about doing.

Overall this week was super fun. I had a blast coming up with this book, and I can’t wait to share some illustrations with you when they are ready! I’m just ready for this next week!

Day 5

(9:30)
Hi Blog! So today was pretty interesting. The past days of my project I had been working in the library, and it was getting kind of boring. Today I needed a change of pace so I worked in and around my dorm. My goal for today was to finish the visual storyboard of my book, and start planning out more illustrations. I was able to complete the visual storyboard, but it definitely took longer than expected. The visual storyboard basically maps out all of the illustrations and gives me a layout for my book. I thought it was going to be pretty easy, but when I started I kind of hit a hard place. I had to mov my location so I went to the upstairs common room in my dorm and got to work. There I was able to plan and export all of my ideas into the book making app. I'm really happy with the progress, and I can't wait to start detailing my book!

Total Hours: 3 Hours

Day 4

(8:20)
Hey blog! Today I had a lot of fun working on my project. I started my day by going to the library and setting up my space. I like to sit on one of the red couches by the window and towards the back. My goals for the day were pretty simple. I wanted to get the app to design and write my book, and create an outline for what was going to happen on every page. Nothing too detailed, I just wanted to have a basis so my mind can focus in on the book. I was super happy to finish that set goal, and also read what I had to a few close friends. I wanted to get feedback and help with characters. They were a great help. Outlining some pages proved to be tough, but some came easy. At the end I could see the length and setup of my book, it was amazing. I am so excited to keep working on it, and hopefully get some art done for the book tomorrow.

Total hours: 3 hours

Day Three

(8:15)
Hello blog! So today's blog is going to be a little shorter because I don't want to spoil too much. Today I went to the library and checked in with Erikka we discussed more publishing options, and what I wanted to do for the day. To start I wanted to check out a few more publishing sites that Erikka had suggested. I then wanted to start brainstorming a plot that I really liked. I started a document and wrote down a bunch of ideas that I could pursue. Finally, I found one and a possible title (but I won't give anything away). I sketched a few ideas for a main character, as well as looking up some possible name choices. It was really fun getting into the start of my book, because before this it was mainly research. Today was really important in getting me into the mindset of writing a book, and that things don't always come easy. Sorry for no pictures today, there really wasn't anything I could show you. Anyway, I can't wait to work on it even more tomorrow!

Total Hours: 2 Hours

Day Two

(8:40)
Today I let myself enjoy project period, so I enjoyed a little sleep in. At around 10 I headed over to advisory just to check in with everyone. After I went over to see Alex Estin in the bookstore so we could head over to Andover Elementary and Middle School. I wanted to continue research today so I thought the best thing to do is read actual children's books. Our library at Proctor has a great selection of book, but we don't own any children's books seeing as we are a high school.

Alex and I arrived at AEMS and she introduced me to Gale who let us into the building by providing us with visitor passes.

Alex then introduced me to Christine the librarian. She was super helpful in identifying books that might cater to my subject. It was really nice speaking to her about children's books and authors. Going over to AEMS was a great idea, and I really enjoyed my time there. 

It was really awesome seeing all new children's books that I never read like Flora and the Flamingo, but also reading classics like Where the Wild Things Are.

I also found a really amazing book called, Grace for President. I really enjoyed the art style and the message in the book. It was also great seeing some positive representation for little girls.

Today was really cool and I can't wait to start brainstorming my own story tomorrow. Looking at all of these books was inspirational and has motivated me to keep thinking about my own book!

Total Hours: 1 1/2 Hours

May 2nd: Day One

(11:30)
Today started out with me waking up at 8AM and panicking because I thought I was going to get points. Yet, then I realized that after 4 years I am finally on Senior Project. I walked over to the library and started researching. Today I wanted to accomplish a inspiration board, research on publishing options, and a more developed schedule. This morning I have accomplished those goals and I am really excited to develop this project more.

Oh, and I realized that I should probably describe my project before I go any further with this blog. In these three weeks I hope to write and illustrate a children's book for little girls with natural hair like mine. The afrocentric market is growing, and I would love to contribute the self love that the movement encourages. I think it is really important for little girls to have representation in the media, and I want to contribute to that in any way I can.

Looking forward into this project excites me. I am excited to have a tangible book that I have created, and I want to share it with everyone. I hope to feel proud and satisfied with my work. I can't wait until tomorrow to keep going.
-Sophie King

Hours Worked: 2hr 20min