Here is an early concept sketch that I did for The Wonder Project. The story has covered a lot of ground since I drew this picture, and this scene ‘The Wonder Room’ sadly doesn’t have a place in the final book - but much of the spirit of it does.

I’ve never been much of a drawer which has always made the concept stage of production a real challenge for me. It is difficult to get the very real scenes I imagine out of my head. So often I long for a ‘print brain’ function. I feel I got it with this one. Which - as all frustrated illustrators can attest - is a fantastic feeling.

I’m currently in the ‘visual experimentation’ stage of production. I’ve got the first draft of the story down so I’m left scratching my head thinking ‘How will I build this thing!?’ and ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if…’

It’s hard to know what to show you readers of the concept art, because I really don’t want to spoil the twists and turns of the story. But I’m a visual person. I make pictures. It’s impossible to really express what I am working on in any other way. Hopefully this picture will go some way in transmitting a little of my excitement for what is to come.