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Shan Shan and Friends - Children's Book Series

2022
Ongoing
A two-page spread from 'Shan Shan Has No Friends?' (english version), showing Shan Shan playing with Little Sister Kitty, who is sitting a top her head, and telling mom that Little Sister Kitty is her friend.

This is a Chinese children's picture book series that I'm working on as both an author and illustrator, one of two that will feature a spirited and nature-loving young girl named Shan Shan along with her animal friends. "Shan Shan and Friends" is targeted at infants and toddlers from 0-4 years old, and cultivates their emotional development through short and humorous stories revolving around themes drawn from the daily lives of children from this age group and Shan Shan's interactions with her mum and her animal friends.

There are 5 titles slated to be part of this series:

  1. Shan Shan Has No Friends?
  2. Shan Shan Needs a Hug!
  3. Shan Shan's Hungry!
  4. Shan Shan Poo Poo!
  5. Shan Shan's Sleepy!

Artworks

Short animated Chinese New Year greeting card showing Shan Shan and Friends bounding upwards and greeting a happy year of the rabbit as flowers blossom
Digital painting of Shan Shan, Little Sister Kitty and Big Brother myna doing the Southern Lion Dance. Style is bright, graphic, with vivid colors, thick outlines and geometric shapes.
Digital painting of Mr Otter and Ms. Water Monitor doing the Southern Lion Dance. Style is bright, graphic, with vivid colors, thick outlines and geometric shapes.
Digital painting in a fuschia and dark blue theme, showing Shan Shan, Mr. Otter and Ms. Water Monitor admiring a cluster of blooming orchids. The style is slightly graphic, playing with outlines and positive/negative space.
Digital painting of Shan Shan emerging from a cluster or orchid blooms, again in a fuschia and dark blue theme. The auspicious Chinese phrase: A hundred flowers blooming in unison frames the top of the design.
Digital illustration showing a young girl with pigtails, Shan Shan, emerging from a few chrysanthemum blooms, with an auspicious chinese phrase above her. The color scheme is red/burgundy and navy blue on white with subtle texture on the color flats.
Digital illustration showing a little girl with a straight fringe and short pigtails, Shan Shan, taking in the fragrance of chrysanthemums in bloom for the new year, together with Little Sister Kitty. Big Brother Myna is perched on a sakura branch above, against a red sun/moon. The color scheme is red/burgundy and navy blue on white with subtle texture on the color flats.
Digital illustrated winter solstice greeting card in Mandarin, showing a young girl Shan Shan holding up a bowl of Tang Yuan, sticky glutinous rice balls in sweet soup with a sweet filing traditionally eaten during the winter solstice, as if offering it to the viewer. She is surrounded by the other characters from her universe, her animal-friends and mum, in colorful tang yuan-form.
A two-page spread from 'Shan Shan Poo Poo!' (english version), showing Shan Shan holding her tummy and making a face as she gets the sudden urge to poop while her animal friends look on in surprise.
A two-page spread from 'Shan Shan Needs a Hug' (english version), showing Shan Shan asking Mr. Otter, who has just come out of the river having caught fish, for a hug. On the next page they hug next to the river.
A two-page spread from 'Shan Shan Has No Friends?' (english version), showing Shan Shan playing with Little Sister Kitty, who is sitting a top her head, and telling mom that Little Sister Kitty is her friend.
Book cover design (english version) for 'Shan Shan Needs to Poo Poo'. The front cover shows a backview of Shan Shan sitting on the toilet bowl pooping as she looks to the left. On the back cover she sees the backsides of her animal friends, tails lifted and butts raised, all standing ready to poo.
Book cover design (english version) for 'Shan Shan Needs a Hug'. The front cover shows Shan Shan looking to the left, standing on tiptoes with her arms outstretched, expecting a hug. On the back cover her mom is walking towards her also with arms outstretched, and Big Brother and Little Sister Kitty are in a warm embrace, as are Mr. Otter and Ms. Water Monitor.
Book cover design (english version) for 'Shan Shan Has no Friends?'. The front cover shows Shan Shan squatting on a grassy patch playing with a twig of wood, looking to the left with a surprised expression. What she sees on the back cover are her animal friends - Little Sister Kitty, Ms. Water Monitor, Mr. Otter and Big Brother Myna - bounding and soaring towards her.
A vector art illustration showing Shan Shan, a young girl with pig tails, a blue headband, and a brown-striped yellow T-shirt, sitting around a table at a beach with her animal friends, Mr. Otter, Ms. Water Monitor, Big Brother Myna and Little Sister Kitty. They are ogling at a bowl of cendol on the table which Shan Shan is holding. Mr. Otter is on her right, a look of curiousity and wonder at a smidge of cendol and coconut ice cream he has on his finger. Big Brother Myna is perched on Shan Shan's left shoulder grinning at the bowl of cendol, while Little Sister Kitty is trying to peer at the cendol with her fore paws on the table. Ms. Water Monitor is in the foreground also grinning at the cendol.
Overview of the 6 characters in the children's book project Shan Shan's World. Each character is waving at the viewer and saying hello with a soeech bubble over their head. Characters are: Mr. Otter, Ms. Water Monitor, Shan Shan, Big Brother Myna, Little Sister Kitty, and Ah Tin (Shan Shan' mom).
Character design model sheet of Little Sister Kitty, who is a tortoiseshell kitten, showing her in a few different poses, juxtaposed with Shan Shan for size and mood reference.
Character design model sheet of Big Brother Myna, who is a Javan Myna, showing him in a few different poses, juxtaposed with Shan Shan for size and mood reference.
Character design model sheet of Ms. Water Monitor, who is a Malayan water monitor, showing her in a few different poses, some with Shan Shan for size and mood reference.
Digital painting of a scene in a storm. Shan Shan, a young girl with short pigtails in a blue denim jumpshoot and yellow shirt, is sprinting towards Mr. Otter and his family from the distance, on the right of the painting. She is carrying a green umbrella overhead as she sprints, mouth wide open and calling out to them. Mr. Otter is looking in her direction, surprised and touched. His partner is curled up next to him trying to comfort their young son, who has a fish in his two paws and is bawling, frightened by the sudden rain. Their daughted is snuggled between them both and playing with a fish in her paws, oblivious to the storm.
Character design model sheet of Ah Tin, Shan Shan's mother, showing her in a few different poses and expressions, some together with Shan Shan.
Character design model sheet for Mr. Otter, a smooth-coated otter who likes to roam about a park near Shan Shan's home. The sheet shows Mr. Otter in several different poses and expressions, also juxtaposed next to Shan Shan for size reference.
Character design model sheet of a young girl, with her in 6 different poses. She has two short pigtails with yellow hairbands, a blue headband, and wears a blue denim jumpsuit and brown-striped yellow shirt. She usually carries around a pair of binoculars which are slung over her shoulder.
Digital painting of a young girl with a blue hairband and pigtails in a denim jumpsuit and striped yellow T-shirt, with a pair of binoculars slung over her shoulder. She is standing in a park with spider lilies and tall grass in the background on a clear day with white clouds against a blue sky, and waving at the viewer.

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