Here's part two of my Writing Process Blog Tour post. I was traveling when
Kate Sullivan invited me to participate, so I wrote it on my iphone, and promised to show some samples of sketch to final when I got back to my studio.
I started making rough storyboards in my sketchbook. This sketch drew upon my memories of an actual beach at Cap d'Antibes, Plage de la Garoupe. I ended up making this illustration a landscape (horizontal) spread to focus on the water's edge and make the figures larger.
I went to iphoto and found some photos I had taken in Antibes, Cap d'Antibes and Nice a few years ago.
Using the photos I sketched a rough composition at 100% (16x10).
On another large sheet of paper I refined the sketches of individual people using a 00 watercolor brush and black ink. You may recognize some of these poses from the photos. Others I invented, like the kayaker.
I scanned the ink drawings and started moving them around in photoshop to try out several compositions. I lived with them for a few days before deciding which one to paint.
Though I liked the ink lines, I wanted to convey the feeling of being at the beach, light and airy like an ocean breeze, without heavy lines. I transferred the composition to watercolor paper with a light pencil. I wish I could show you this sketch, but I painted over it. Normally I scan and save the sketch in case I don't like the way the painting turns out.
On a scrap of watercolor paper I first experimented with colors before I started painting.
Here is the final painting.
I painted the dog with the frisbee
separately and added him in photoshop. I left space to the
right of the kayaker for the text.
fin
Even if we didn't get this great review, we'd still love following The Picture Book Review! it's a great source for new books for kids 3 and up. 
What author and illustrator James Mayhew had to say about Visual Literacy at the Asian Festival of Children’s Content at the National Library in Singapore,
Many children's book
illustrations make the mistake of being too simplistic, colourful, slick
and shallow. They linger on the surface; they have no depth. I wanted
to get across the importance of honest illustration, of being true to
yourself as an artist. So many students in Cambridge, including those from Asia, fall back on
being over-influenced. Generic, homogenised, cute… often their work is
completely different to their sketchbook studies. To put it simply, they
illustrate how they think children’s books should look, rather than could look."
I discovered it when I saw Danielle had rated Paris-Chien on Goodreads, calling it "Chic and so much fun." 
