“Bruises” is a short story by Penny Scott, written for children between the ages 04 to 07 years old, exploring the theme of getting hurt, along with bruises in the aftermath of an accident or activity and how these bruises are not something to fear but rather a normal biological response, as well as part of growing up. This thematic was refreshing for me, since throughout my childhood the age appropriate books were mostly comprised of talking animals in wacky adventures and not so much down to earth relatable stories, about different stages of the human experience. 

Due to the conceptual nature of the story, it was challenging to depict some of the most abstract texts that reflected on the emotional growth, the principles of safety in play and various healing stages after getting hurt. All whilst maintaining the visuals interesting enough to capture the attention of such a young audience for a long period of time. For such, I turned towards a more chromatic approach and proceeded to create a vibrant, colourful and bright colour scheme that is appealing to children and added a wide assortment of textures and shapes (such as the leaf, the butterfly and tree), in order to maintain the audience’s interest as the story progresses.