When A Little Big World first began taking shape, the characters looked very different to how they do today. Before any story was locked in, we spent time exploring different styles, proportions, and moods — trying to find what felt right.
These early images never made it into the final book, but they played an important role in shaping what came next.
Button and Chloe were the very first characters we worked on. From the beginning, they were loosely inspired by my own dogs — not as exact replicas, but as familiar, comforting presences.
Early on, we experimented with:
different head and body proportions
levels of detail and texture
expressions that felt playful versus calm
Some versions felt too busy. Others felt too stiff. Each iteration helped narrow down what didn’t feel right.
One of the earliest story moments we explored was Button playing with the ball — a simple, familiar moment that eventually became part of the first story.
We tested several variations of this scene:
different environments
different pacing
different ways of showing movement
Even at this early stage, the goal wasn’t action — it was gentleness and curiosity.
We first gave A Little Big World a proper go in 2023. Like many creative side projects, life eventually got in the way and the work paused for a while.
In late 2025, we came back to it with fresh eyes.
That break turned out to be important. It made it much easier to see which ideas still felt right — and which ones no longer did.
After all the exploration, refinement, and time away, we arrived at the versions of Button and Chloe that appear in the book today.
They’re simpler.
They’re calmer.
And they feel more like themselves.
These early concepts are a reminder that creative work doesn’t usually start fully formed. It grows, changes, pauses, and sometimes needs time before it finds its final shape.
We’re glad these early versions existed — even if they never made it into the book.
