The Invisible Difference is a children’s picture book created for an international illustrated book competition that celebrates creativity and meaningful storytelling.

The book, written by my mum, Michaela Daulman, explores empathy and understanding through the friendship between Tux the Skunk and Quill the Porcupine, who struggles with social interactions due to his “Invisible Difference.” I illustrated six double-page spreads that bring their story to life, highlighting themes of patience, acceptance, and genuine connection.

From left to right: Tux the skunk, Quill the porcupine and Miss Bubble the bear.
I designed these characters in a hand-crafted, minimalist style to connect with a younger audience.

My goal was to make each character feel relatable and easy to draw, using loose textures and minimal black detailing to keep the designs simple, warm and approachable.

This illustration features on the opening page of the book, introducing the character 'Quill' as shy and isolated. My aim to immediately highlight his unique qualities and setting the tone for his character.

The second page of the book introduces 'Tux,' the story's narrator, as he guides Quill to the playground in an effort to offer friendship.

The illustration features a soft, handcrafted style to resonate with a younger audience, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere

This page spread introduces 'Miss Bubble,' the school teacher. Again I opted for minimalistic illustrations to maintain the soft, approachable aesthetic, ensuring the visuals complemented rather than distracted from the story's important message.

The goal of these pages was to capture the emotions Quill experiences. To achieve this, I used the Quasimoda Regular and Semibold typefaces to emphasize his actions and movement, enhancing the emotional impact of the narrative.