Hank and Pearl, the Tale of a Captain and Crew

Project Overview

Hank and Pearl, the Tale of a Captain and Crew is a warmly illustrated picture book that follows two unlikely companions — Hank the cat and Pearl the dog — as they navigate Washington D.C.’s waterways together. From the Chesapeake Bay to the Tidal Basin, the pair’s adventures are anchored less by destination than by the friendship between them. Author Jodie Knox writes with a lightness and affection that makes the story feel effortless, and the Mom’s Choice Award recognition reflects how well it connects with families.

The illustration challenge was making animal characters feel genuinely expressive and emotionally readable — Hank and Pearl’s bond needed to be visible on the page, communicated through gesture, proximity, and the small details of how they occupy shared space, rather than through dialogue alone.

Role

Jodie’s story asked something specific of the illustration: animal characters who communicate an entire friendship without words. Hank and Pearl’s bond had to be readable in gesture, in proximity, in the way they share space on the page — because the emotional weight of the book rests entirely on what you can see, not what’s said aloud. The Mom’s Choice Award reflects how well that came through with young readers.

From developing Hank and Pearl’s character sheets through to print-ready files, I worked across the full 38-page illustration, making sure every spread carried both the warmth of their friendship and the visual energy of life on the water.

Character Design

Before a single page is illustrated, I develop the main characters in full — defining their proportions, expressions, and personality. This is the foundation that keeps your characters recognizable and consistent across every scene, every lighting condition, and every emotional moment in the project.

Process

Every project follows this same structured path, so you always know where we are and what comes next. You review and approve at the sketch stage and the line art stage — nothing moves to color until you’re happy. By the time the final spread is rendered, there are no surprises.