childrens picture book
Surfing the ABCs
Follow this dynamic duo as they surf through the alphabet on their search for the perfect waves. One is a seasoned surfer maneuvering through the water with effortless grace, and the other is not – but very quickly overshadows a lack of skill with his boundless enthusiasm.
childrens picture book
Surfing the ABCs
Ride the waves from A to Z in this delightful picture book, where each letter introduces a fun surfing term.Â
$2,618
pledged of $5,000 goal
The money raised during my 30-day campaign will be used to meet the minimum print requirements and cover the shipping costs for all books ordered. If there is any extra money I will be purchasing a set of iPads and Apple pencils to begin offering kids art classes. See more details here.
58
backers
54
books ordered
1
days left
surfing the ABCs
Campaign info
crowdfund campaign home
about the campaign
My goal is to get my book physically printed so I can finally share what started as a passion project nearly ten years ago – and ultimately ended up as an homage to our time living in Micronesia – with friends and family. The cost of printing is higher in smaller amounts and requires an upfront payment, which is why I am running my campaign before I place my book order.
My $5,000 goal should cover the order as well as the shipping of the books. My kids – who love to draw – have been curious about the process as I have been illustrating this book, and I’ve ended up showing them the basics of how to use Procreate. They have enjoyed it so much that I would like to start offering classes to kids in our community. So if I am lucky and have any additional contributions I plan to buy some iPads and Apple pencils for this purpose.
The campaign will run for 30 days, after which I will place the book order. I am using a local printer near Denver that has about a 1 month turnaround time. I will then pick up the books and ship them to you all!
about the book
By the second year of our adventure abroad, I was really discovering my independence and eagerness to try new things. One night, in the midst of a competitive euchre tournament that spanned many months (we ended up playing best out of 100), a friend mentioned that he had a cool idea for a kid’s picture book but hadn’t had any luck finding someone to illustrate it; being already several vodka-water-limes into the evening, I decided out of nowhere that I could illustrate a book. Why not? I had always enjoyed drawing, had taken a couple of art classes in high school and college.
As such, I started this project with a great deal of enthusiasm and curiosity, and very little else. In between swells, using a Mickey Mouse pencil I’d found in an old children’s drawing set, I’d sketch on the backs of recycled worksheets from my classroom. When I finally drew something I liked, I would use our front door window as a lightbox to trace extra copies, allowing me to experiment with different color combinations. Â
I quickly realized that my limited skills and lack of organization wouldn’t take me very far. Since I wasn’t in a rush to finish anything, brainstorming, surfing, and naps to help me “reset” became my regular routine. I went from watercolors, to colored pencils, back to watercolors, back to colored pencils, and finally – over two years later – to using the Procreate app on an iPad.
In the 9 years since I’ve started, I had several spurts of productivity. Often I made the conscious decision to set the project aside, only to return to it years later. Because this project spanned so many years, both during and after the time we lived in Micronesia, it unknowingly became a commemoration of sorts of our time there. The bird character evolved from Matt – a closer friend and mentor who took me under his wing and taught me everything I know about surfing – while I saw myself in the goofier, less experienced furball character.
campaign updates
September 9, 2024
I have completed my 30-Day campaign. THANK YOU to all who contributed. I am in contact with the printer and will be placing the book order soon! Once that is complete I will be sure to update you all on a timeline for you to get your books. Â
August 26, 2024
1/2 done with the campaign, and I just crossed the half-way point on my goal!
August 22, 2024
Almost halfway there!
I know I can get there. Thanks to everyone that has contributed to or shared my project.
August 14, 2024
4 days in and I’m so close to half-way to my goal. Thank you all so much!
August 13, 2024
I appreciate the messages letting me know when there have been any problems with the website. I’m sure there will continue to be some here and there, but I try to fix them as soon as I can. Thanks for your patience.
August 11, 2024
I am finally launching my crowdfund campaign today!
