Vehicles behind the cover
SKETCH #1
Armed with a likeness to show what we envisioned for the Growing Up Lillooet cover plus two old photographs, caricaturist Cory Van Ieperen drew the first professional draft.
THE VEHICLE
The vehicle was McEwen’s Model A Ford. Pictured, upper right, are (l-r) John Munt, Dale McEwen, Tom Reid and Clifford Kane.
The lower left photo (l-r) Clifford Kane, Lyle Angman, John Munt and Dale McEwen.
SKETCH #2
Because the cover had to convey the general feeling of the book, we shared one of the short stories with Cory. The result was a very expressive caricature. Although a moment in that particular story may have caused the participants some anxious moments, the sketch missed the mark on the feeling of the book in general.
It was back to the drawing board …
THE VEHICLE
The Model A Ford style limited Cory’s placement of caricatures so a switch was made to a small pickup.
Phelphs’ 1936 Willys was selected as the model. (See “What Was Phelphs Thinking?” story on Page 211 of Growing Up Lillooet.)
SKETCH #3
It was the right thing to do. The small pickup allowed additional animation and improved positioning.
It was looking good. We liked the energy. However, there was a problem. The width of the sketch meant a small rendition on the tall 9 x6 inch cover.
SKETCH #4
Cory reconfigured the positions and details were refined.
By this point we had decided to go with a white glossy cover to leave the artwork without competition and the full back cover easier to read.
The black vehicle wasn’t working, so the pickup got a ‘paint job’ to berry red. We liked it.
The red pickup, the colourful clad characters, the frantic chicken and the boys, with their youthful carefree exuberance reflected the joys Terry felt as he shared the 1950s with his Lillooet buddies.
The artwork took its place on the front cover of Growing Up Lillooet, against a background image of Lillooet’s wide Main Street, the Victoria Hotel and the distant skyline of Fountain Ridge.
