The Commonwealth Foundation - Short Story Illustration

I was commissioned by the Commonwealth Foundation to illustrate two short stories for Adda, the “Online magazine of new writing from around the globe”. The stories were part of the shortlist for the 2024 Commonwealth Short Story Prize.

The stories I illustrated were the following:

Sookie Woodrow Goes to Heaven – by Ceilidh Michelle

Milk – by Eaton Hamilton

Each piece called for a different emotional approach—Sookie Woodrow had a darker, haunting tone, exploring themes of trauma, identity, and release. While Milk explored softness, maternal love, sacrifice and pain and the world as seen through a child’s eyes. The commission allowed me to fully use my own illustration style and sources of inspiration, which made the process especially enjoyable. The process was done with Procreate and Photoshop.

Working in a vivid, emotionally expressive style, I focused on symbolism, mood, and texture to reflect each narrative’s unique voice. The project was a meaningful blend of literature and visual storytelling, allowing me to translate powerful written stories into equally thoughtful visual interpretations.

Role
Illustrator

Year
2024

These illustrations have been made public and can be found at the addastories.org website.

An illustration of a woman with long, flowing blonde hair, wearing a blue shirt with arms outstretched and eyes closed, surrounded by floating papers against a cosmic purple background.

Final illustration for short story: Sookie Woodrow Goes to Heaven - By Ceilidh Michelle

Sketch of a woman with long, flowing hair with her arms raised, surrounded by flying sheets of paper.

Initial sketch for short story: Sookie Woodrow Goes to Heaven - By Ceilidh Michelle

Digital illustration of a woman with long yellow hair floating in space, surrounded by flying sheets of paper, with a purple and starry background.

Adda.com snippet

A colorful, whimsical illustration of a woman with blue hair and two children surrounded by clouds, a goat, a bird, and a birdcage, with stars in the background.

Final illustration for short story: Milk - Story by  Eaton Hamilton

Sketch of a woman with curly hair in curlers holding a child, surrounded by a goat on the left and a bird on the right, with stars and clouds in the background.

Sketch for short story: Milk - Story by  Eaton Hamilton

Digital illustration featuring a woman with blue hair, a goat wearing a pink hat, a bird in flight near an open birdcage, and colorful clouds in the background.

Adda.com snippet