Rosebud artist illustrates picture book

By Adelle Ellis, Times Reporter

Rosebud resident Anja Darien Jonsson, who goes by Anja Darien as her professional name, was selected to illustrate several drawings for a book put together by four local non-profits highlighting practical ways to support early childhood development.
The story, “Have You Seen My Human? A Badlands DinoStory” is set in the Drumheller Valley and is designed to help caregivers support children’s healthy development.
“The story is about resilience; when Eugene loses his human, he remains hopeful and accesses help from those around him,” said April Harrison, Drumheller Valley FCSS coordinator.
The book illustrates families doing a number of activities throughout the adventure, and includes two pages of suggested activities for each of the five domains of childhood development: physical health and well-being, social competence, emotional maturity, language and cognitive development, along with communication skills and general knowledge.
Darien entered a small portfolio to an open artist call for the book last spring. After completing an audition process, she was selected to create 31 illustrations for the story.
“It was a pretty unique opportunity,” said Darien. “It is kind of a touch home base to know these are the streets I have walked down myself and I get to capture them and put them in a book; it’s a little bit surreal.”
Darien, who is completing her third year of theatre arts studies at Rosebud School of the Arts, has drawn as a personal hobby ever since she could hold a crayon. She compares her style to being delicate, light, playful, cute and sweet with a bright palate and a lot of detail.
Harrison said several local artists submitted samples and the subcommittee for the book fell in love with Darien’s friendly style and ability to capture the landscapes that surround Drumheller, and early evidence that she was similarly committed to diversity in her work.
“What’s really important to me in my art is expressiveness and trying to catch a particular emotion before anything else,” said Darien, who created the illustrations at the same time the book was being written. She noted that there was a lot of “hurry up and wait,” and that she also had to re-design the main character to confirm that the dinosaur was anatomically correct after feedback from officials at the Royal Tyrrell Museum.
For Darien, the process for creating the book started in April 2019. She created 31 images between June to December 2019, doing rough sketches in June, moving to full colour illustrations in September and completing her part of the project just after Christmas.
The coalition that created the idea for the book and oversaw its completion is comprised of a partnership between the Drumheller and Area Early Childhood Development, Drumheller Family Literacy Society, FCSS and the Drumheller Public Library.
The book is aimed at children aged 4-8, however children and adults of all ages are sure to enjoy it.
Funds raised through the sale of the $12 book will support community-based projects offered by each of the partners.
The book is currently available at Drumheller Town Hall, Drumheller Public Library and the Drumheller Visitor Information Centre. Harrison hopes the book will be available to order online in the near future but said that you can currently hold a copy by contacting her at FCSS.
“Drumheller has a number of family-oriented venues that people should be more aware of,” said Harrison. “We hope this book inspires families to get out and enjoy this beautiful valley.”