Mina's Mask (an autism book)

 So Mina's Mask is just a working title for now, while I refine the whole concept. I want to author and illustrate a picture book, using my experience of autism as a foundation. 

Originally I imagined a character putting on a magic mask that makes her become the animals she wishes to blend in with. This is something I may revisit, but one of the problems I encountered was that the mask might be seen as a good thing, and that isn't the theme I want to convey.

Ultimately I want the mask to be seen as it truly is; A means to cope with interacting with different people, but something that we shouldn't need. We should feel valid for being ourselves. Masking is exhausting and unsustainable in the long term.

Where I'm at currently is having a baby owl, who I chose because they are observant and solitary birds, who has talents and strengths of her own, but who wants to make friends. As such, she attempts to imitate different groups, only to accidentally let the mask slip and cause confusion/surprise among the group she's trying to blend with, and she leaves them. I will have some, or all, of the animals she interacts with approach her and accept her for who she is. Some of them actually liking the things she's been trying to hide.

I think that's a much more feel-good story, but it will need more refining as time goes on. I need to make it interesting visually as well as poignant as a story. 

Below are some sketch ideas for the character. Side note, I also debated using a chameleon as the main character, as a visual metaphor, but I think owls are cuter and will work well with the 'hand flapping' if I choose to show that in the story. But it's worth keeping chameleons in mind as I move forward.