Twas the Night Before Bayou Classic: A Tiger’s Tale

Project Overview

‘Twas the Night Before Bayou Classic: A Tiger’s Tale by Andrea Brew celebrates one of the South’s most culturally significant college football rivalries through the warmth of a family’s pre-game traditions. With its structure drawn from the beloved holiday rhyme, the story captures the electric anticipation of the night before the Bayou Classic — the blue-and-gold decorations, the shared excitement, the sense that something meaningful is about to happen — before an unexpected visitor adds a magical twist to the celebration. Andrea Brew writes with the pride and nostalgia of someone who has lived these traditions, making the book as much about community and heritage as it is about football.

The illustration challenge was conveying the specific energy of Southern University pride — its colours, its culture, its sense of occasion — with enough visual specificity to feel like a genuine tribute rather than a generic game-day story.

Role

• Character design (the Southern University family and surprise visitor)
• Full book illustration
• Game-day tradition and blue-and-gold atmosphere illustration
• Lyrical narrative pacing reflected in visual rhythm and composition
• Print-ready file preparation