My life as a children's book illustrator and how I create a picture book. (Please click on the "Start Slideshow" icon to the right.)

My books. My office - Hi Bernie! (He's in all my books.) My ego wall! The view from my chair most days. Hi Bernie, Hi Cajun! This is my Wacom tablet with my touch sensitive mouse pen. I usually hold it in my lap, leaning against my desk. It's how I draw too. I can use all kinds of cool brush strokes with my pen mouse. So here's how I work. First I sketch, again in my lap. My drawings start out pretty rough. I scan my sketch into my computer. Here it is on screen. If my line work will show in the final, I clean it up and turn it to sepia. In Photoshop, I make the sketch layer transparent, and color on the layer below. This is what I call my flat color stage. Watch the curtains. Then I move to Painter where I do all my rendering. Back in Photoshop I make any adjustments. Did you notice the curtains? So, how do I illustrate a book? First, I have to get the job. I advertise myself so Art Directors can find me. A publisher sends me a manuscript to see if I'd like to take it on. I create thumbnails to get an idea of how I want to illustrate the book. Then I do larger sketches. Lots of them! I draw elements every which way. I'm also thinking about the color palette I want to use. I pull my sketches together to create my composition. And I figure out my lighting, just like a stage director would. I apply my flat color in Photoshop. And make the magic happen in Painter. When the art is complete, I burn it to a DVD and send it to the publisher. They take it from there and turn my art into a book! Pretty cool! Here's THE PRINCE'S DIARY. See Bernie? Sometimes books grow legs. There are many famous awards for children's books. I've been an artist as long as I can remember. I created this in kindergarten. I've also always loved stories. Especially Jack Tales and Appalachian tales. Paco is a Jack Tale. I also write, and my first novel takes place in Appalachia. I contribute articles and illustrations to several magazines. And I've won a few awards. I can't think of anything I'd rather be doing.