The book won’t be out until Fall 2012—FSG! 392 pages!—but for now, enjoy this teaser illustration of Meg Murry, drawn by me and colored by me and Christianne Goudreau. Meg doesn’t get many costume changes in the book, and none of them include jeans or sweaters, so it was fun to draw her in a different outfit. Wardrobe provided by the Sears & Roebuck catalog, fall/winter 1962 edition.

I’m sure you have a different idea of how Meg should look. This is how she looks to me, but in fact, I had to rethink my own idea of Meg when I worked out her design. The image of her that was stuck my mind from childhood included her long braids, which were cut off before the events of A Wrinkle in Time, and neglected the bruise on her face. Maybe I forgot about the bruise because Madeline L’Engle doesn’t mention it every time she describes Meg’s appearance—which she doesn’t spend much time doing after the first chapter—but you can’t forget about it when it’s there in every panel. It’s interesting which details rise to the foreground when you make the transition from words to pictures.

Wondering how Calvin and Charles Wallace will look? Well… You’ll just have to wait. ;)