Teaming up for mosquito novella

When local writer Debora Broadhead landed a publishing deal with her first manuscript, it also meant a call up to the publishing big leagues for a local artist.

Therena Carlin was Broadhead's personal choice to illustrate The Meaning of Life According To the Mosquito, a fantasy novella for youth in the same vein as A Bug's Life or Little Bear or The Bee Movie. Just like she expected rejection from Topaz Publishing for her script, but was approved, she also expected rejection of her wish for Carlin to do the drawings but again was pleasantly disappointed. Topaz agreed that her fellow Fraser Lake creator could provide the images for the wayward mosquito Prince George (named in honour of the city but before the real royal baby was born) and his merry band of bugs.

"I got the contract in January and I met Therena in February at a ladies retreat at Birch Bay Resort," said Broadhead. "As we talked, I found out she was an aspiring artist, and when I told her about my book she was game to do it right away. She drew out what I had in my mind and she nailed it right away."

"As she talked about her book I asked if she would be OK with me sketching while she tells me about it and I just let the ideas flow. She liked what I had in mind and we went from there," said Carlin.

But Broadhead wasn't the only one captivated by the sketches of the fantastical bugs characters.

"My publisher was so impressed with her artwork that they offered her a job to be on their payroll as their main children's illustrator," said Broadhead.

"Presently I am working on illustrating another kids book for Topaz in hopes of building a portfolio and gaining some exposure as an artist," Carlin said. "I have written and illustrated a kids potty book which I would love to publish one day. I started it a couple years ago, trying to train my own son who is a very visual learner. This got me into illustration and digital art. I also have two other ideas for kids books that I would love to write, illustrate and publish. Eventually my goal, aside from publishing my own books, is to be a freelance artist for some of the larger publishers within Canada, working from home and doing something I love. Ultimately I also want to get good enough to create a cover art for fantasy books. But that is a far way off still, as my skill still has much to grow in realistic digital art."

The improbabilities are in a long line, when considering Carlin's ascent to professional book illustrator in such a short amount of time, for an international publishing house based in the U.S. while she is based in rural Fraser Lake, after a chance encounter at a Francois Lake retreat. Adding to this is Carlin's history as an artist - she has none.

Her profession, in fact, is rooted in the personal health and small business worlds. Carlin is the proprietor of Barefoot Fitness in Fraser Lake where she provides services in everything from pre- and postnatal fitness to personal exercise training to weight management. She is a Certified Exercise Physiologist with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physiology / Kinesiology. Plus, she was born and raised in South Africa and English is her second language. She and her husband Chris have two young boys, just to subtract even more time and energy from artistic aspirations.

There is a deep, counterintuitive link within it all, though.

"I grew up in an academically oriented household," she explained. "My dad would not allow me to take an art degree in university, so I took the next best thing: Kinesiology, the study of the human body. This has taught me a lot about anatomy and human movement. And in turn it benefited my art. So in a roundabout way it was always about art. I have always done art in my spare time between school and sports growing up. Art has been an escape for me and one of my few talents I am proud of. I guess it started when i was in preschool, and a teacher told me I was good at it. I haven't stopped drawing since. I am mostly self taught and do not have any formal training. I took art as an elective in school and joined the art club in high school, but for the most part my teachers, though encouraging, allowed me to do my own thing as they ended up having to focus more on the kids that struggled with art in class."

The typical beginning point for Carlin's art is a pencil sketch, to rough out the basic concepts in her mind. This is how she began the images needed for Broadhead's book. Once the sketches were finished to a point of general satisfaction, Carlin scanned them into her computer for the next phase.

"From there I did the line art, colouring, composition and adjustments etc. using a bamboo pen tablet and Photoshop Elements on my computer," she said. "Art flows easily once I have a good idea and Debbie's cover came naturally to me."

The Meaning of Life According To the Mosquito is available in bookstores in the United States, and can be downloaded or ordered online from anywhere. The hardcopy release in Canada comes this September, but Broadhead and Carlin will be in Prince George on Saturday at Books and Company with an advance supply . Come meet them at 1 p.m., free of charge, but bring cash for books.