The Bible App for Kids is a collaborative effort by YouVersion, makers of the world's leading mobile Bible App, and OneHope, a ministry seeking to bring God's Word to every child. The interactive children's storybook app delivers animated Bible stories for smartphones and tablets. This free resource for kids, parents and teachers has been downloaded over 100 million times and is available in over 60 languages for audiences around the world.
My client, OneHope, was responsible for producing all content for the app. As part of the freelance illustration team, I worked to create animation-ready vector art assets.
Lead illustrator Rob McClurkan designed characters and most environments, and provided black and white storyboards for each scene. Next up in the pipeline, my role was to create animation-ready colored illustrations based on Rob’s storyboards and designs.
While working from the sketches, I often made creative adjustments to promote style consistency and biblical accuracy, to flesh out rougher areas, and to address client revisions. I also ensured each illustration would be suitable for 2D animation and would fit the app’s technical requirements.
Taking art direction into account, I was free to make decisions about how best to use color to establish the mood and direct the eye in each scene. The ability to apply lighting to characters was limited, but the color and atmosphere of each overall scene was a key opportunity to enhance the story.
Bringing Characters to Life
In addition to providing complete scenes, I also built key characters as separate vector assets suitable for posing and animation. The animation team at Ovenbits produces interactive motions for each character.
Style and Efficiency
I also built style guides for the team, and managed a growing library of assets that could be easily be referenced, reused, and adapted to speed up subsequent stories.
A Fresh Look for an Ancient Story
The app tells the major stories of the Old Testament and New Testament using colorful illustrations with touch-activated animations. Additional stories and features are being produced and made available over time.
Joshua marching around the walls of Jericho
David and Goliath
The Jewish people taken into captivity in Babylon
Daniel in the Lion's Den
Esther... "The Brave & Beautiful Queen"
John the Baptist
Jesus' ministry and miracles
The parable of the prodigal son
The Triumphal Entry... Palm Sunday
The apostle Paul, from persecutor of Christians to the first great missionary.
The Bible App for Kids
Produced by YouVersion & OneHope
App development and animation by OvenBits
Project Manager, OneHope: Andrea Dragotas
Lead Illustrator: Rob McClurkan
Illustrators: Ian Dale, Melanie Matthews, Jake Page
Download and explore The Bible App for Kids at http://www.bible.com/kids
Free for iOS and Android devices from The App Store, Google Play, and Amazon.
The Bible App for Kids is available in English, Afrikaans, Indonesian, German, Spanish, Filipino (Tagalog), French, Italian, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Turkish, Russian, Vietnamese, Arabic, Farsi, Urdu, Hindi, Tamil, Thai, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Cantonese, and Japanese. More languages are added regularly.
You can see more Bible story illustration in my personal style at www.iandale.net
