Zondervan Blog

---

Bringing Scripture to life… one illustration at a time Posted: 01 Mar 2013 02:51 PM PST Richard Jesse Watson writes about how the scriptures inspire him to create beautiful illustrations that convey God’s word and inspire us to think of God as bigger than we could have ever imagine. God is so much more than we can fathom. And yet, He reveals Himself to us little by little as we are able to receive it. I think it is so cool, and so unlike the human bent toward power-grasping, that Jesus said, "Unless you become as a little child, you cannot even see the Kingdom of God. Wow. Psalm 23 speaks to a child so clearly: You are like a little lamb, and God, The Good Shepherd, will take care of you.  But it also speaks comfort to the been-around-the-block adult as well. "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me…" Throughout my life I have found comfort in this elegant, relevant Psalm. When our kids were young, we used to read Psalm 23 to them and draw pictures together to illustrate the imagery of the psalm. Here is a painting that I did with my son, Jesse, dreaming of being a brave shepherd like the psalm's author, David, tending his sheep. I gave Jesse permanent marker pens and let him finish the painting. I left the room to keep from art directing. When I returned he had drawn David with his sling and lots of swords and arrows, battling the giant, Goliath. He also added a Boy Scout tent to suggest to me that we go camping. When I was illustrating this new version of Psalm 23, I asked Jesse again to pose as a shepherd. He now has "little lambs" of his own, and is also a children's book author and illustrator. Jesse's book, Hope For Haiti, is an example of his ongoing love of God's little lambs. And here's a photo of Jesse with Haitian children: It is clear to me that goodness and mercy have followed me all the days of my life.  No kidding.   (Photo credit: Sonya Sones) Richard Jesse Watson has been making books for children since 1984. He collaborated with Ruth Bell Graham on One Wintry Night, and his version of The Night Before Christmas was a New York Times bestseller. Watson won the Golden Kite Award for his picture book, Tom Thumb, and his illustrations have also been selected for the Society of Illustrator's Annual Exhibits. Richard and his wife, Susi, live in Port Townsend, Washington. Their children are following in his footsteps as writers and illustrators of children's books. www.RichardJesseWatson.com

You are subscribed to email updates from Zondervan BlogZondervan Blog - Think Outside The Book To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610