The Making of... Oaky and the Sun

The story of Oaky and the Sun was first written by poet AE Ballakisten in 1998.

In 2012, he adapted it to be a children's book.

Taryn Lock, with no formal training in Art (only having done Art in grades 8 and 9 many years ago!), took on the challenge to do the illustrations to bring Oaky to life.

Here are some pictures showing the original pencil drawings of Oaky while on a trip near Montague in the Western Cape in early 2012.

While on sabbatical in the US (June 2012 to June 2013), Taryn worked on the digital drawings of Oaky and the Sun. She scanned in her pencil drawings, read up a lot about illustrations and experimented (with a lot of trials and errors!) with different types of graphic software and eventually used a combination of Photoshop and Paint. Many hours of hard work went into the final product but all worth it in the end!

 See Oaky and the Sun coming to life! :)

 

About the Author... AE Ballakisten

I am a poet and social philosopher from Cape Town, South Africa.  At the age of forty, I retired from business to focus on writing and exploring new ideas for human prosperity.  I am an eternal student; I hold degrees from four universities, including M.I.T. and Harvard, however my best learning happens through my reading and engagement with other people. 

I have published two books of poetry – Heap of Stones and Talking to a Tree – both express my fear and great hope for humanity. 

 

 

Oaky and the Sun is my first children’s book.  I believe that we all have purpose to our lives but are often distracted from knowing this purpose and pursuing it.  This book encourages us all, young and old, to stay true to our purpose. 

Oaky and the Sun - E-Book now available!

Oaky and the Sun..... A brightly illustrated children's picture book about Oaky, a little acorn, searching for direction in life. It is a story about finding one's true purpose and not being distracted.

Suitable for children under 9 years old.

Author: AE Ballakisten

Illustrator: Taryn Lock

E-Book available at the Blurbstore for $1.99:
http://store.blurb.com/ebooks/394620-oaky-and-the-sun