Steph (Erdkamp) Covey recently illustrated the book “The
Power of You.”
Steph Covey donated a copy of the book she recently
illustrated, “The Power of You,” to Exeter Public Library. Her parents,
Pat and Dave Erdkamp (middle and right), presented the book to Exeter librarian
Lynette Trauger (left).
Exeter High School graduate Steph (Erdkamp) Covey (class of
1994) just illustrated her first book.
Covey grew up enjoying art and taking every art class she
could at Exeter High School. She hadn’t planned on illustrating a book
for someone else but her mother-in-law saw an ad on Craigslist in Missouri
where she now lives, looking for an artist to work on a book and immediately
thought of Covey.
She contacted the author, Roger Barbieri, showed him some of
her work, and he hired her to illustrate his book, “The Power of You.”
Covey explained the book is about “helping people love
themselves.”
She contributed all of the artwork in the book, the cover,
front and back and eleven other pages.
She enjoyed “watching how things came to life, how God used
me to do the book.”
During the eight months it took to do the illustrations she
did struggle with artist block and “learned to walk away when a page got
frustrating, and to stop when it’s good. Call it, enough is enough.”
Covey started doing the illustrations in acrylic paint but
the quick drying time wasn’t allowing her to blend colors together well.
During this project she started using alcohol markers which allowed her to fuse
the colors. Most of the clothing on the children are done with markers while
the backgrounds are primarily acrylic paint.
Throughout the process Covey learned a great deal about
self-publication. She wrote a book of her own and hasn’t finished the
illustrations but now she knows which direction she can go in to get it
published. The book is about a squirrel who finds himself in a pickle
(and it might feature Exeter Lumber).
As a child she remembered that her dad, Dave Erdkamp, and
his brother Dale, always had a calendar in the office at Exeter Lumber that
contained hidden eyeballs on each page. She decided to put a hidden
little heart on each illustration in “The Power of You.”
Covey has fond memories of growing up in Exeter and a great
love of art her whole life, “I always liked to draw or color. Mrs. Ferris
was my art teacher in high school and we spent a lot of time on a mural in the
elementary wing.”
Covey has generously donated her book to the Exeter Public
Library and the board book is available for check out. She is currently
illustrating her second book called, “Maggie and the Grumpy Old Man,” by Ethan
Endicott.
