Athena and the Golden Rose

Objective

Bring to life the story of Athena and the Golden Rose, a rhyming children’s fable, with illustrations that delight and engage children aged 4-8. 

Approach

In this fable, the heroine Athena embarks on a quest to save her wife. She meets brave creatures, battles the elements and discovers nature’s true power along the way. This story has a unique twist on the classic fairy tale with a same sex relationship at the heart of the story and environmental themes throughout.  

I started by getting to know the story and understanding the vision of the authors. I provided initial sketches of how I imagined the characters could look before developing a textured, colourful illustration style on Procreate.

Clients

Rhys Williamson, Ross Homdon (co-authors)

Services

Illustration

Book cover design

Book cover titled 'Athena and the Golden Rose' featuring illustrations of a bear, two children holding roses, and a vivid orange background.
Collage of colorful illustrated scenes featuring a man with plants, a bear, a red dragon, a forest with faces, and a person peering through a window, surrounded by flowers.
Illustrated bear surrounded by flowers with a quote about nature's beauty.
Illustration of a person with red hair, wearing a green dress and multicolored pants, sitting between a hamster and a snake. Surrounding plants and a quote above say: “For show of course, it’s not ours to take, I love all animals from hamster to snake.”
Illustration of a bear holding a rose with two people, one with green hair and a crown, and the other with red hair and green dress, surrounded by colorful flowers and leaves.