Esme O'Rourke: Rafi Feels Different

Artist statement

My work as an artist is very explorative, utilizing various mediums and subjects, so I usually do not like to settle on one style or focal point of interest. However, one of the mediums that I have always gone back to was digital art, specifically using digital illustration for storytelling. I feel art is a wonderful way to express my younger self's whimsical imagination. This body of work includes my illustrations and formatting for a children¡¯s book written by my best childhood friend, Joelle McDonald. The book titled Rafi Feels Different is incredibly meaningful to me for a number of reasons, but primarily because I have the chance to collaborate with someone so important to me, and that it has always been a life-long goal of mine to illustrate a book.

My artistic process has involved an in-depth look into my inner child and the channeling of different behaviors and actions of 10 year-old me and Joelle. This project demanded a strong understanding of physical anatomy, being able to demonstrate a wide range of emotions, consistency in artistic style and character design, knowledge of book formatting, and the overall ability to represent words with the right visuals in order to bring the characters and story to life. I used several softwares and applications including Procreate, Adobe Illustrator, and InDesign. My process includes planning, formatting, sketching, digital painting, and then repeating that process multiple times until it feels right.

I hope my work gives you a more detailed visual and understanding of what it takes to illustrate a children¡¯s book and the ability to focus on the artwork along with the words on the page. 

This book is extremely pertinent to today¡¯s society and world, especially the LGBTQ+ community. Overall, I hope that this book teaches young children, and adults, to treat each other with kindness and to always be there for your friends. There is always a place for you in this world.