As I was finishing a color/texture background for the book I’m currently illustrating, I suddenly had a sense of déjà vu. I’ve seen this before. Somewhere. I’ve MADE this before! My family saw it too. We all recognized its similarity to a fun little illustration I rendered over 20 years ago for the Appaloosa Journal (the publication of the ApHC, an international registry for the Appaloosa horse).
Once upon a time, I was a graphic designer at the Appaloosa Journal and eventually became the art and production director there before moving on. But working at the Journal was an amazing experience! It was both rewarding and extremely taxing. Each publication required two weeks of intense planning, designing, proofing, and meeting deadlines.
There was a lot of overtime at the Journal. The first issue I worked on as the art director (a salary job, so I no longer got paid overtime) was the issue that would come out for the ApHC World Show in Fort Worth. My longest shift was going to work Friday morning at 8am and working straight through—with two one-hour naps on the breakroom couch—until Monday afternoon (I’m not great at maths, but I think that’s about 80 hours in four days). But the deadline was met! Let me tell you, the life skill of meeting deadlines serves well.
So here is the illustration for a feature article about Appaloosa horse exports that started this jaunt down memory lane. There’s a lot behind it. Not the least of which is the memories of grueling but rewarding work.
jessica linn evans 