As a kid, I was always drawing! I spent a lot of time around books as my Mom worked at the library and believed in the magic there. Later, in high school I got into comic books and got steered towards illustration as a career.

I think there is something fantastic about a good story! It’s not just about making an illustration look beautiful or realistic (or not)! The heart of illustration is communicating the story in a way that compliments and adds something you can’t get to any other way.

I think it’s important to know if you love it or not. You find that out by trying and failing and over and over again. It’s a job that requires, at its core a kind of curiosity, passion for playing, and a deep desire to get better.

“Draw a lot” is the short version of that answer!

That’s an interesting question. I think it was deciding on what I wanted to do (children’s books) and then practicing and learning about the job. This led to getting better at storytelling with pictures and eventually an agent contacted me about representation. This means that they will go out and meet with publishers and show them my work and try to get me hired to illustrate a book.

My agency got me jobs to do some magazines for kids and a few smaller book projects to get my feet wet.

It means using what I have in skill, craft, and imagination to open up a door to a place or feeling that is unique and powerful. I like books that make kids laugh, giggle, and think.

I love to cook for my family! It’s strangely kind of creative, but in a different way than illustration or writing. I also love movies, books (novels), and playing video games with my two boys.

Reading! I think all forms of storytelling are good and can teach you things while bringing you joy and expanding the way you see things. I love movies and video games for this reason.

I think playing with different types of art can be very helpful for all aspiring illustrators no matter where they are in the process. I can make playing with legos an artist endeavor!

Big question! I think style is a mix of “what you like” and “how you like to work” and “what can tell a story?” There’s also a bit of “what sells books” that must be taken into consideration. It’s from that “soup” that my style was born.

I will say, maybe the most important part is “what you like.” It’s easier to make the art if you think “this is so cool!”

I use Photoshop primarily. I can paint, draw, collage, erase, undo and change colors very quickly. It’s a tool like a paintbrush or a printing press, just with a bunch of more levers, buttons, and doo-hickies.