Creative Journey — Ant Chloe by Barbara Panetta

The Author & Illustrator

Barbara Panetta

“When I created Ant Chloe, I wanted to give children a friend who shows that even the smallest among us can make an extraordinary difference — and that each of us is unique in our own way.”

Barbara Panetta is an Italian – British published author, artist and linguist, who lives in Richmond, London with her family and her golden retriever.

Her language studies and interest in psychology drew her to write her first novel in 2015, and since then she has never stopped writing. She contributes to several media and entertainment magazines and regularly collaborates with international artists and musicians. Barbara holds an MA in Modern Languages and Linguistics.

She loved drawing from a very young age, but only recently started to create the paintings that illustrate her stories.

Barbara has a keen interest in music that she has passed on to her two daughters, who have both studied music from when they were only three years old.

Barbara Panetta is the author and illustrator of Ant Chloe.

How it began

A sunny garden, a Chopin piece, and a column of ants.

It was a sunny day; Barbara Panetta, author of Chloe’s Promise, was sitting outside in her garden, enjoying an espresso, and trying to be quiet while her daughter was practising the piano. Her attention wandered to a group of ants collecting a tiny piece of biscuit, accidentally dropped on the ground. The ants looked very busy and so determined… probably as determined as her daughter, who was learning a difficult Chopin piece — very hard work for a ten-year-old, requiring much effort and concentration.

Both of Barbara’s daughters had started studying piano from the age of three, and every day since then had included intensive practice. That particular day was so sunny and beautiful that Barbara thought her daughters deserved a day of rest — instead of practising, they should be playing with their friends, and having fun. That was the very moment Barbara had an idea, drawing a sort of parallel between the ants and her little daughters… and so the first story of Ant Chloe, Chloe’s Promise, began.

Ant Chloe having an idea — watercolour by Barbara Panetta — The idea — painted by Barbara.

The Character

Meet Chloe.

From the very first drawing, Chloe the ant appears little and cute, but not too beautiful, to reinforce the concept that beauty comes from the inside rather than the outside. She has expressive big eyes and a friendly smile. She wears a pink scarf and a hat which distinguishes her from her brother and sister ants. Chloe is a hard worker, disciplined, and she always has a positive approach. She is a sociable and courageous little ant who believes in the power of teamwork.

She has ten brothers and sisters. She is an outgoing ant, who enjoys playing with her friends, but most of all, she loves music. She plays the piano, and her favourite composer is Chopin.

Bringing the cast to life

The characters take shape.

Every character and scene began in pencil, then took its colour by hand.

Chloe’s dad, first sketch — Dad · sketch

Chloe’s house, sketch — Chloe’s house · sketch

Chloe’s house, in watercolour — Chloe’s house · colour

The sunset spread, sketch — Sunset spread · sketch

The sunset spread, in colour — Sunset spread · colour

The making of a page

From pencil to a child’s hands.

Every spread begins in pencil, takes its colour by brush, and is digitised only for print.

Pencil sketch of the staircase spread — **1 · The pencil rough.** Eleven ants find their places on the stairs.

The same spread, half-painted — Chloe still in outline — **2 · First washes.** The family takes colour; Chloe waits in outline.

The finished watercolour of the staircase spread — **3 · The finished painting.** Golden stairs — and a thought-bubble of mischief.

The digitised character, colour-trued for print — **4 · Digitised for print.** Colour trued — nothing repainted.

**5 · The printed page.** “So… if you have some time today, come with us and we can play!”

From the paintbox

Watercolour, never digitally processed — imperfect on purpose.

The spots of colour that give the pages an unfinished look are deliberate: a way of sharing with small readers the idea that nothing is perfect. The stories focus on joyful expression as a statement of inner personal beauty, beyond the superficial visual appearance.

Ant Chloe on the anthill at sunset — The anthill at sunset.