Peety and The Magic Bone (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781494462604)

Author and illustrator Nikole Lawson has been drawing since the age of five. A picture she drew of the family's dining room was not only her first work of art, but the first real evidence her parents had of her having sight. Legally blind as a result of Albinism, she draws with limited vision. She attended a well-known art school as a young adult, only to leave after deciding the school was not a good fit for her. Feeling that her lighthearted style was not aligned with the college's focus on technical drawing, Lawson instead went to work for a local government agency, started a family, and set set her aspirations for an art career aside.

Eventually changes in her eyesight made it too difficult to draw. Lawson was forced to abandon her love of art for ten years. One day she discovered that her Samsung Galaxy Note had a drawing app included. Curious, she started off slowly, as she began to explore the app's features and possibilities. At first limiting herself to just doodling and mixing colors she would soon discover that the app could offer features such as back lighting and a zoom feature. These two elements together would enable her to resume her art again. Her skill level progressed quickly as she became more comfortable with the apps features. Soon after she upgrading to a drawing app that allowed her to develop more complexity in her drawings. Ultimately this revelation inspired her to write and illustrate Peety and The Magic Bone. From that one afternoon of doodling was born this book. Every illustration was created on Lawson's cell phone. She views her book as an example of what can happen when one door opens.