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YIMO SERIES

Cover of “No me quites el queso”, book 28: the creatures in a checkered-floor kitchen next to a big wedge of cheese. Cover of “Un día de otoño”, book 27 of the Yimo Series: three colorful furry creatures on a balcony with fallen leaves. Cover of “Ax or Fix?”, book 30: Vavo, the green creature, with a magnifying glass in front of toy boxes in the attic. Cover of “Quick, Quilt, Go!”, book 29: Yimo, the red creature, holds up a patchwork quilt between racing flags.

YIMO, VAVO & NULI

Pencil sketch sheets with early versions of the creatures. Yimo, Vavo and Nuli in line art: big, furry Yimo; Vavo, with antennae and a tail; and Nuli, a smaller bird with horns. The same three in color: red Yimo, teal Vavo and orange Nuli. Line turnarounds of Yimo, Vavo and Nuli from the front, side and back.

BACKGROUNDS

BOOK 27
UN DÍA DE OTOÑO
Background for “Un día de otoño”: a city street with purple buildings, orange trees and a streetlamp. Background for “Un día de otoño”: the balcony of the house, with a railing, potted plants and fallen leaves.
BOOK 28
NO ME QUITES
EL QUESO
Background for “No me quites el queso”: the kitchen, with a pink checkered floor, a curtained window and a wedge of cheese.
BOOK 29
QUICK, QUILT, GO!
Background for “Quick, Quilt, Go!”: under the bed, a wooden floor with bunting, spools of thread, scissors and a pincushion.
BOOK 30
AX OR FIX
Background for “Ax or Fix?”: the attic, with boxes marked Ax and Fix, old toys and a rocking horse.

SKETCHES

Four line sketches of interior pages from the series, one per book.

FULL-COLOR PAGES

Full-color pages from “No me quites el queso”: the creatures in the kitchen, around the cheese. Full-color pages from “Un día de otoño”: the bundled-up creatures chat on the autumn street. Full-color pages from “Quick, Quilt, Go!”: the quilt race under the bed. Full-color pages from “Ax or Fix?”: the creatures go through the toy boxes in the attic.

THE PROJECT

The Yimo Series is part of the Descubrir collection and consists of four decodable readers starring three miniature creatures—Vavo, Yimo, and Nuli—who combine animal traits with whimsical colors and textures. Each story takes place in a different corner of the same house (a balcony, a kitchen, under a bed, an attic), exploring friendship, co-existence, and humor through Vavo's antics, Nuli's innocence, and Yimo's role as a mediator.

Books in the Collection

  • Un día de otoño (Callie Lowenstein): Vavo and Nuli visit the balcony to meet Yimo's baby while sharing an afternoon of autumn games.
  • No me quites el queso (Yaxkin Hernández-Melville): a playful kitchen raid in search of crumbs, where Vavo’s mischief gets Nuli into trouble.
  • Quick, quilt, go! (Andrea Shuman): a fast-paced blanket race held under the bedroom bed.
  • Ax or fix (Andrea Shuman): an attic adventure exploring old toys to repair... or take apart.

PROJECT
SPECIFICATIONS

  • Authors: Callie Lowenstein, Yaxkin Hernández-Melville, Andrea Shuman
  • Client / Publisher: Acuarela Biliteracy Works LLC (formerly Acuarela Curriculum Co-op)
  • Year: 2025
  • Target Audience: early childhood education / early literacy (kindergarten) — bilingual decodable format
  • My Role: character and background design, interior illustration, and visual composition
  • Medium / Software: digital illustration (Adobe Photoshop)
  • Scope: 25 illustrations in total (6–7 per book)

Process and Teamwork

  • Visual Direction & World-Building: full character development from initial conceptualization, designing tiny creatures with inviting textures as they explore an everyday home transformed into a giant world from their perspective.
  • Art Direction & Collaboration: close conceptual and visual development in constant alignment with the editorial team at Acuarela.
  • Design Coordination: direct collaboration with the project’s graphic designer for text integration, page layout, and technical preparation of print-ready files.
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