MANCHESTER – Home from her first semester of college, Central graduate Ana Liz Bourassa was bored and looking for something to do. A family connection led to a job opportunity she hadn’t expected – illustrating a children’s book series.
Bourassa, a member of the Class of 2022, is creating the artwork for author Karen F. Comer’s Harriet the Bumblebee series. The first book in that series, “Gold Glitter in the Air,” was released on Amazon this summer, and Bourassa asked to donate a copy to each Manchester School District elementary school.
“I'm extremely grateful for everything the Manchester School District has done for me throughout my childhood, and I fully attribute everything I have become as an artist and a person to the teachers I've had and the education I have received,” Bourassa said. “The book is such a heartwarming story, and I would love for the kids who are growing up where I grew up to have the chance to read about Harriet and her adventures.”
In July, Bourassa met up with Superintendent of Schools Jennifer Gillis and Assistant Principal Richard Chretien at Weston Elementary School, to drop off the books.
“I was so thrilled to hear that one of our graduates – a very recent one, at that – was a published artist, but what really warmed my heart was that she wanted to give back to her school district,” Gillis said. “I jumped at the chance to meet her in person so I could thank her and congratulate her on this accomplishment.”
Bourassa said the illustration process began with the author sending her the first four books in the series. Her first task was to sketch out what the main character – who only existed in words at that point – looked like. It turned out she nailed the author’s vision.
“Once I sent Karen the sketch, I'll never forget her saying ‘That's the Harriet I've been envisioning!’ and from there, the project took off,” Bourassa said. “That first sketch I sent her is actually the first picture of Harriet you see in the Introduction of the book.”
“The illustrating process is so much fun, and it's funny to me that I didn't realize sooner how good of a fit this type of work is for me,” she said. “I've always been able to create art quickly, and I've been drawing cartoon characters with facial expressions since I was a little kid. Those skills have helped me a lot in this job.”
The first two books in the series are now available on Amazon or directly from harrietthebumblebee.com. You can find more of Bourassa’s artwork at etsy.com/shop/analizarts/.