Where do you work?
In my home studio which is attached to the house.
I do my ‘idea work’ everywhere - at the grocery store,
while I’m driving, walking the dog, swimming laps, waiting
in line.
When did you start drawing?
As soon as I could hold a crayon - age two maybe?
I have always loved to draw. There is something amazing
about drawing someone, a thing or a place and watching
it become “real” right there in front of you. As a teenager,
I remember drawing Timothy Dalton from magazine pictures
of him as Heathcliff in “Wuthering Heights,” and it was
as if he was right there with me! Sigh...
Where do you get your
ideas?
I have always been an observer. I enjoy studying
people, places and animals and I think up ideas everywhere,
all the time. (Some good, some not so good!) The key for
me is to be receptive to an idea when it floats into my
mind and write it down. My biggest challenge has been
having too many ideas and needing to organize my thoughts
enough to focus on and develop one at a time!
What medium do you use
for your illustrations?
I use acrylic paints on 4-ply Strathmore Bristol
paper that has been primed with several thin coats of
gesso. I can relax with acrylics - I start painting loosely,
then refine and refine. Acrylics dry quickly so I can
keep going over and over things until everything works.
For my black and white educational illustrations, I use
an HB mechanical pencil on 1-ply Strathmore Bristol paper
with black gouache washes for gray tones. I also use pen
and ink with watercolor sometimes.
What do you do in your
free time?
I enjoy watching my kids play sports, walking our
dog Ruby, reading, sketching, swimming, watching good
movies, traveling to new places and of course, spending
time in the children’s sections of book stores and libraries!
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