Hi there,
I just read your brief. Your book idea sounds like something I could easily relate to. I'd be happy to work on children's stories that with profound message and hoping that you'd be interested in real, handcrafted, custom art , please take my interested into consideration.
I'm a traditionally trained artist, and I've been working as an old-school illustrator for many years, with more than 30 published titles (including a series of three books about black tweens Edna and Eugene as main characters in stories dealing with various medical topics like growing cells and alergies, for example). I can offer all traditional media and I normally deliver digital files (high res scans), although sending the originals could also be arranged.
In the process of work, I would first draft a storyboard and design the characters, and then sketch the scenes in pencil. In this phase unlimited revisions are possible and welcome. I would proceed with the illustrations after we are completely happy with the sketches.
You can check samples of my previous work in the portfolio section here https://www.freelancer.com/u/ddimitrovska
I'm available to chat, so please feel free to contact me to request more samples (latest projects are not showcased yet) or simply to discuss your ideas. Please note that my offer is for 15 full bleed full colour handcrafted, custom illustrations.
I'd be happy to hear from you,
kind regards,
Dusica