Coco passed away in September of 2024. I was simultaneously overwhelmed by grief and a desire to create. So I created.
The night before Coco's appointment, I wrote the story of "Will Coco be in Heaven?". These preliminary sketches were created hours after her appointment.
A core childhood memory of mine is asking my Momma if Coco would go to heaven. I was sitting on the pink bedsheets of my bunkbed, while my Momma kneeled at my bedside. Momma didn't know what to say. I remember her smiling. All she said was, "I don't know. How about you ask God." I wanted to draw that.
Here's the second page of quick painterly sketches. I created minimally before turning to my iPad. I didn't dig as deep into the creative process because I was already digging deep into my grief. So these first two photos are of the only sketches I did through traditional media.
This is my first digital painting for Page 1. I will love this artwork forever. It serves the purpose of communicating my vision for the entire book.
I love the playful lighting. I love the pink bedsheets. After creating this mockup, I realized I wanted the color pink to be a character in the book. Pink represents childhood innocence. So, keep an eye out for Pink!
The little giraffe is "Gigidow". "Gigidow" was my childhood stuffie. I couldn't pronounce "giraffe" properly, so I'd say "gigidow [jee - jee - jow]." She looks a little different in reality, but I wanted her to included in my childhood bedroom design.
This is my most recent version of Page 1, created January 2, 2026. It's more pink! It's brighter. The colors looks more harmonious. I think I will go back to edit it more.