Book: Fairytale Honeydrops

My first actual book illustration! 
The cover was made with colored pencils, while the rest were made with black watercolor and ink.

The style of the book's tales is similar to the traditional Greek fairy tales. Therefore, I were asked to draw my inspiration from old illustrations of such tales. Their main elements were: they were single-color engravings with flat lines, an illustrated "ribbon" above the title and often a small image after the story. They were inspired from nature, the folk embroideries, the religious paintings, but also foreign influences such as the royal crowns or the long capes of the Frank noblemen. Their style was simple and approachable. I made use of all these elements - minus the religious paintings, as I chose a more flexible line to appeal better to the modern child. 
Something else that is, subconsciously, connected to tradition is the feeling of things hand-made. Which is why I drew most sketches multiple times, without an under-drawing or other pre-sketch, or even corrections: we just chose the best versions afterwards in order for them to remain spontaneous and authentic-looking. 
The cover is a bit different. It was drawn more diligently so it looks less spontaneous, also the color rules over the line in order for the result to maintain its sensitivity. For the cover's topic many ideas were presented. The chosen one is the most symbolic: a pair of heroes sail in the same "boat", at a landscape which reminds of Greece. The "boat" is the title's "honey", the stars inside being a reference to imagination and dreams. The waves which surround the picture are stormy since the life of heroes is rarely sugary. From these waves emerge symbols of the rest of the fairy tales, while at the bottom stand tiny figures of children, who observe and participate.

The lovely layout was made by someone else, as that part was included at a mass order from the writer's ream.