bringing bailey’s world to life..

The stories, characters, and every illustration begin in my imagination. I can picture the scenes, the expressions, the colours and the emotions long before they appear on the page. For years, I simply didn't have the artistic ability to draw them.

Having access to AI-assisted creative tools has been a true game changer. They have given me the opportunity to bring the world I have always imagined to life. But the software doesn't create the vision…. it helps me express it.

Every illustration is carefully crafted and refined. I spend countless hours adjusting, layering, editing, rejecting and recreating images until they truly reflect the scene I had in my mind. If an illustration isn't quite right, I start again. It doesn't matter how long it takes; our goal is always the same, to ensure every image matches the vision and supports the story it is telling.

Alongside AI, I use a range of creative software, including Midjourney, Artistly, Canva and CorelDRAW, each playing its own part in the creative process. Like a painter choosing different brushes or a photographer selecting different lenses, each tool helps shape the final result.

AI has opened a door for people like me, whose creativity has always been rich with ideas but who were never able to create the artwork from a blank page. It has transformed imagination into something visible, beautiful, character-driven illustrations that we hope bring our readers as much joy as they have brought us while creating them.

At Red Belly Bean Publishing, technology will never replace imagination or storytelling. It simply gives us another way to share them with the world.