The Clandestine Life of a Children’s Book Illustrator

 

I was out as evening broke, when car lights had to be on but it was still light enough to see the color of things. I was snapping pictures of cars as they drove by. I could see drivers inside the vehicles with questioning looks. What is she up to? Why is she taking pictures of my car? She doesn’t look like James Bond. I wanted to see the effects of headlights on the back of the vehicles in front of them.

It’s just one of those activities that I get involved with because of illustrating children’s books. I run home to get my camera when I walk by a field of sheep with curly horns. I’m sure I can use those sheep in some illustration I’m working on. And more often than not, it will end up in a book.

Other times I just happen to have my watercolors in the back of my car and I get a call that says your mom is upset, can you come over here. I’ll head over to mom’s and she watches me paint one of the other ladies. She is fascinated with the process. She asks me how long those paints last. She asks me where do you start when you draw a face. She tries to get the lady to sit still because I’m painting her. I tell mom it’s ok. People move. That’s all part of painting from life.

 

So how long was I out their taking pictures of cars? Well I was out there long enough to see the cows come home.