Selected work

A estória do sol e do rinoceronte

A picture book about strength and tenderness

Illustration and book design
Rinoceronte cover and back shown flat on yellow

A picture book by Ondjaki and Catalina Vásquez about a rhinoceros who seeks help to understand his sadness. I illustrated and designed Alfaguara’s original Portuguese edition: cover, hand lettering, interior layout and print-ready files.

Publisher
Alfaguara · Portugal
Format
40-page picture book
Deliverables
  • Illustrations and character studies
  • Cover and interior layout
  • Hand lettering
  • Print-ready files

Text and illustration

I composed text and illustration together from the first pencil layouts, allowing for the book’s centre fold. Hand lettering, character scale and open space establish the reading rhythm of each spread.

Pink rhinoceros beneath flying dark birds and hanging vegetation
SketchFinal
Pencil spread layout with handwritten text for A estória do sol e do rinoceronte
Pencil spread layout with handwritten text for A estória do sol e do rinoceronte
Pencil spread layout with handwritten text for A estória do sol e do rinoceronte
Pencil spread layout with handwritten text for A estória do sol e do rinoceronte
Pencil spread layout with handwritten text for A estória do sol e do rinoceronte
Pencil spread layout with handwritten text for A estória do sol e do rinoceronte
Pencil spread layout with handwritten text for A estória do sol e do rinoceronte
Pencil spread layout with handwritten text for A estória do sol e do rinoceronte

The characters

I worked on gesture and proportion to give the rhinoceros a tender, vulnerable expression. For the sun, I explored different shapes and colours in search of a warm, approachable character.

Character explorations for the sun and the rhinoceros
Character explorations for the sun and the rhinoceros
Character explorations for the sun and the rhinoceros

Illustration and lettering

Radiating yellow sun beside blue sky and vividly patterned vegetation
Pink rhinoceroses moving through a golden landscape with blue pools
Rhinoceros beneath a large tree facing a bright radiating sun
Close-up of the pink rhinoceros and orange horn beside Portuguese text
Wide golden landscape beneath an orange sun at dusk

The finished book

Photograph of the printed book, A estória do sol e do rinoceronte
Estória do Sol e do Rinoceronte cover with plants framing a blue centre
Blue back-cover artwork with text inside a ring of colourful plants
Yellow-orange endpaper patterned with slender purple plants
Pattern of slender purple plants on a textured yellow field
Printed Rinoceronte book photographed at an angle on yellow
Stack of illustrated Rinoceronte books on yellow
Open Rinoceronte book with landscape illustrations on yellow
Printed spread of a pink rhinoceros crossing a pale landscape
Open illustrated book showing rhinoceroses beside blue water
Printed spread with a rhinoceros in a golden tree-lined landscape
Open book pairing the sun illustration with a dark golden scene
Photograph of the printed book, A estória do sol e do rinoceronte
Photograph of the printed book, A estória do sol e do rinoceronte
Photograph of the printed book, A estória do sol e do rinoceronte
Photograph of the printed book, A estória do sol e do rinoceronte
Photograph of the printed book, A estória do sol e do rinoceronte
Alfaguara editionPublisher’s sample

Editions and recognition

The book has been published in Portuguese, English and German, with editions in Portugal, Brazil, Germany and the UK.

Portugal · Portuguese
AlfaguaraOriginal edition · 2020
Brazil · Portuguese
Pallas MíniA estória do sol e do rinoceronte · 2021
Germany · German
Schaltzeit VerlagDas Zweihorn · 2022
UK · English
Tate PublishingThe Sun and the RhinocerosHardback · 2024 / Paperback · 2025

Illustration and book design featured in Best of Behance.

The German edition was recommended by the German Academy for Children’s and Young Adult Literature on 5 January 2023.

Credits

Text
Ondjaki
Illustration, cover, layout and lettering
Catalina Vásquez
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