IN TOO DEEP ILLUSTRATIONS

In Too Deep Illustrations

Kayla, Connor, Emily, Kati, Luke, Michelle, Katherine, and Matthew, eight siblings raised apart, suddenly discover both their estranged family and that they come from a magical world called Corwelt. As they begin to explore, they are swept up to compete in a contest to determine the next rulers of the each of the four realms of Terraus, Sub Terraus, Aerium, and Nymphia, even as they struggle to uncover whoever is behind the sinister traps which continue to threaten the safety of the contestants.

This series of illustrations are for an unpublished book written by my sister, Ariel Tokarz, who is an incredible artist and prolific (though as-yet-unpublished) writer. The descriptions accompanying each image are the quotes each section of her text as they would appear in a printed version. Each drawing is done with colored pencil, sharpie, and graphite on 11x8.5 cardstock.

A small girl came up to her and asked if she was a mermaid, because the fish were clustered around her hand.

Covering the walls, etched around and around in circles, were strange symbols.

She stood in the water, blinking around her at things that were strange versions of ordinary objects.

He wondered whether or not she actually existed, then wondered why he had wondered that.

Kayla had never been skydiving, but she figured this was what it felt like.

He began jumping up and down, which made it even harder for Michelle to focus on his thoughts, making faces, and waving his arms about.

Wedged in a tiny outcropping beneath the larger rocks, a pale round orb pulsed softly with a faint white light.

"Fight me evil demon," he intoned, doing his best to sound knightly. "I will crush you under my heel and you will be forced to act as my seat."

Connor's biggest shock, however, was the strange feeling that he was looking at some warped mirror.