Auckland artist Charles Cumming has been commissioned to provide 30 sketches for The Physician’s Gun.

The illustration shows Henry Appleton, the book’s young hero, on one of his regular visits to the grave of his adoptive father.

Author John Harris says: “Charles has done a great job of capturing the spirit of the book, using the style of line drawings of the day. His pictures will make the book so much more interesting and accessible for young readers.”

Charles works mainly in 3-D animation. “I’ve always loved art and did art classes at school,” he says. “I was one of those kids that was constantly drawing. I never stopped. I ended up going to design school and currently work as a 3-D artist, making things in the computer that get rendered and placed into film and TV.”

His assignment for The Physician’s Gun is his first of this type.   “Drawing has always been part of the design process, a way to quickly solve problems and brainstorm –  but I’ve never done drawing as anything more than a hobby until this project.

“It’s been great collaborating, and pushing myself outside of my comfort zone.”