Nani at artist residence: Day 2

After warming up a bit, I mustered up the courage to begin to draw Nani. It took a while and I had to ask for her permission...in different ways and on many levels. 

And then this happened...

drawings for the first chatper of the book:

Mango Wanderings

Nani at artist residence: Day 1

It's been years since I started this project. 

And though I am very eager to finish it, it's been difficult concentrating on it with so many other things going on. 

So, as a gift to myself, and in hope of advancing on the book, I decided to come to La Cala de Chodes for an artist residence.

And I brought Nani with me! 

Well...not physically. But I have brought her recipes, her spices, her mantras and candles. I got here yesterday afternoon and got settled in to my new workspace: the beautiful library.
I started working on the cover of the book to help me find my bearings. 

A map of the book

Last year, for my first formal publisher's 

meeting I put together

this map of the project. 

It is a small guide for me to follow 

while working on the book.

A year later...

A year later and much has happened...

For one, Nani celebrated her 90th birthday in Casablanca two days ago. Although I couldn't be there physically, I managed 

(with the help of a very special friend) to have this card and a flowering plant hand-delivered to her.

A birthday card for Nani´s 90th

On the other hand, over the past year, a lot has happened

with this project. I finally have an overall structure

of the book. Though certainly it will change as I advance I think I am off to a solid start.

This is a little map of the chapters and structure of the book

I also have a color card:

The technique for this book is a mix of black ink pens for the outer lines,
colored with water color wooden pencils. I may add some colors,
but this is the general pallet

Sketches of sweets and spices:

Some herbs & spices that Nani in her recipes

Some spices that Nani uses for her sweets

Some of my favorites of Nani´s sweets

A couple of chapters planned and sketched out:

Title page for Chapter 1

Title page for Chapter 2

Add caption

And an imagined timeline of Nani's transformation over the years:

Nani in the different stages of her life

I have also decided to make this blog public today. 

In celebration of all these new developments.

So voila!!!

I don't have a launch date for the book, but I think it may be ready 

in the next year or in early 2016.

Happy Birthday Nani

it seems that Nani was born in 1924, or was it in 1923?

she also says the her real birthday is the 23rd of November but in school she once wrote December by mistake and it stuck!

just like Nani to be so playful about it.

In any case, two days ago Nani celebrated her 89th birthday with 

friends and family in Accra, Ghana.

I so wished I could have been there!

lots of love my super Nani

xxx 

k