Mitsy the Oven Mitt Goes to School
In this heartwarming and playful story, written by Chad Chenail, we meet Mitsy, a young oven mitt who has spent her whole life in the mitten factory. When she is accepted into Miss Copperpot's Acedemy for Useful Utensils, the magical boarding school where kitchen utensils go to learn how to assist in cooking, she is nervous to leave her home and meet other heat-proof utensils. Her first days at school bring together a diverse cast of characters, inspiring kitchen facts, and a story to empower kids for when they, too, feel nervous.
I art directed and illustrated this book, as well as created the original character concept for “Mitsy” when designing the ATK Kid’ Young Chefs’ Club Subscription Box.
Development
I originally created Mitsy the oven mitt as one character in a group of utensils and foods for America’s Test Kitchen Kids. She was originally designed to be used at various scales on recipe cards. Mitsy had been exclusively vector based and had a stock series of poses. My first task in creating the illustrated world of this picture book was to reimagine Mitsy in a more hand-drawn, expressive style.
After the character illustration style was set, I worked on sketches of various characters that popped up throughout the book. I focused on creating a wide range of expressions and shapes. Here, you can see characters based on gloves. They live in Mitsy’s hometown- Mitt City!
