YES. JESSICA HISCHE. One of my first design loves. Her work is gorgeous, she's super down-to-earth and she has the same first name as me, so she MUST be awesome. :)
I have followed her career for several years via Instagram and dropping in on her website every now and then. I actually got the opportunity to meet her while she's been doing her book tour for Tomorrow I'll Be Brave. As soon as I saw that AIGA was hosting her in Indianapolis, I immediately bought my ticket #noregrets. I don't think I stopped smiling the whole time I was there and I almost had a heart attack when she shook my hand #fangirl.
A few months ago, I had no idea she was even illustrating/writing a book. I happened upon it at Barnes & Noble actually. My husband and I take random trips there to just wander around. On this particular trip, I had acquired three hippie-dippie books about mindfulness, auras and dreams along with Mary Kate McDevitt's Handlettering Ledger (all excellent finds btw). We decided it was time to check out, but not before I got super distracted walking past the children's section and seeing a navy blue book with the name "Jessica Hische" front and center. I stopped in my tracks and gasped like this was the greatest thing since sliced bread and scooped up the book and knew I was never going to put it down.
Her illustrations are on POINT. I especially love the subtle gradients that bring each page to life.
Flat design is cool and everything, but those subtle gradients speak volumes to me. Seeing these characters come alive on the pages inspired me to see if it could work for my Wonderful Wild Souls - and let me tell you, I am so happy with the results. What a beautifully subtle accent. The difference was shocking to me (shown above)! That's when I started thinking I could revamp the entire series... And here I am today! Pumping out a website, starting a business, discovering new and exciting avenues I can take my Wonderful Wild Souls down.
Here's to a wonderful, wild adventure!