This illustration was inspired by Maine's Project Puffin which celebrated it's 50th year in 2023. The project focuses on seabird restoration and protection and got it's start restoring a puffin colony on Eastern Egg Rock after being hunted to extinction in the 1800's.

I created a series of illustrations inspired by the project's history. This scene was from a pivotal moment where, after eight years of waiting and working, one of the volunteer researchers spotted a puffin with fish in it's beak. This was an indication that the puffin was nesting with a chick on the island. The first puffin on Eastern Egg Rock in over 100 years!

You can see a video of my process below: