Looking at my type I knew it was time to bring in someone who REALLY knew what they were doing. Time to introduce Elena Fombertaux to Nelly. The difference once she was on board was extraordinary for me – a shot in the arm. My type and drawings argued, Elena created font combinations (some handmade) that sat with the pictures, pushed-and-pulled layouts till they all worked together and introduced a more organic and flexible background shape. And in a funny circle that has kept going, she worked with my sample colours to produce a colour palette which I now draw on for all the colours in the final images.
LESSON: If you are thinking of self-publishing have an awesome designer as a part of the package!