DREAMS BECOME REALITY

Jennings resident Cameron Holmes collaborated with author Katrina Cannon to illustrate her children’s book, “Tre and TJ in the Mix: Turn Up Your Brain Power,” which is now available on Amazon.

Holmes said his father showed Cannon his artwork on Instagram and she contacted him soon after.

“She had a lot of (the book) written and she was looking to me for character designs,” he said. “The book is about the different learning styles children can use in school to better help them to learn.”

Holmes said there was a great deal of collaborating between Cannon and himself to make the illustrations a reality.

“She had in mind a particularly groovy style with wavy lines and different colors creating a 70s vibe,” he said. “It ultimately ended up a mix of what she wanted plus what I was already bringing to the table, with bigger eyes and more expressive facial expressions.”

Holmes said his favorite piece of artwork in the book is one scene in which TJ is holding a book over his head.

“It was my way of visually representing the depression and anxiety that has affected me personally when I’ve felt that it was impossible for me to catch on in class,” he said.

Cannon said she wanted a young, fresh artist for her book.

“I saw his artwork on Instagram, which was different and more modern,” she said. “I wanted a fresh insight into the art world and he was able to portray that.”

Cannon said the way the characters are drawn really brings their personalities to the pages. She said Holmes drew accurate caricatures of her grandsons, which were very expressive.

“TJ is a dancer who likes to move around and he was able to capture the drumbeat he had,” she said. “Trey loves superheroes and he was able to turn him into a cool, superreader in the book.”

Holmes said he began loving to draw in elementary school.

“My mom and brothers always gave me positive feedback,” he said. “Stuff like ‘keep going,’ ‘looks great’ and ‘oh, post that on the fridge.’ My brother also used to give me Yu-gi-oh cards to try to recreate, which helped me draw anatomy of different characters.”

Holmes said the Disney and Pixar film “Toy Story” inspired him to get into animation.

“When I was young, I liked to make movies with my toys,” he said.

“Seeing this animated film starring toys encouraged me to continue what I was already doing in animation.”

Holmes graduated from Jennings High School in 2011, going on to major in Animation and Visual Art at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. He graduated in 2016.

Holmes describes himself as a stylized cartoonist.

“I’m more interested in the Disney-esque look of characters in terms of vivid colors,” he said. “I also have been influenced by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, a French painter.”

Holmes said he plans to look for more work in children’s books and commission. He said Cannon also plans on working on more books featuring the same characters but with different topics, and she wants him to do more work for her on the next book around late July.