Let me thank Annina Luck Wildermuth for suggesting me for this Blog Tour. I have known Annina for quite some time through SCBWI. I am lucky that she is a part of a group of people who inspire me to continue to be creative.

So, onward to the questions.

1. What am I working on?

As an unpublished author with no obligations I continue to work on a variety of items in a variety of media. Currently, my main focus is some artwork to support my 12 x 12 submission for a story called The Cowboy Kid.

I am also doing some preliminary sketched for another idea that has some interesting images, but, as yet no story.

2. How does my work differ from others of this genre?

Hard to say. Most of what I see in the market is strictly digital, and there is a great benefit to this type of work.

I primarily work in pen and ink with watercolor. Some of my work is strictly watercolor, but my preference always goes back to pen and ink.

I use Rotring fountain pens, a kind that is no longer manufactured and occasionally surfaces on ebay. I sketch on hotpress in pencil, ink it, usually expand my lines with brush. I use Winsor & Newton artist grade watercolors. I have my series 7 brushes, but have been experimenting with cheaper versions lately.

I also work in digital, but I still have a long way to go to find my “look” that feels natural. There are so many talented digital artists already, so I usually keep reverting to pen and ink, where I believe my strength lies.

3. Why do I write what I do?

I have always have had a fascination for children’s books. I blame it on “Where the Wild Things Are”. Who could resist a pen and ink book with monsters. Like all artists and writers, I have drawers full of stories and drawings. I joined SCBWI on a lark and have been a member for quite some time. A few of us get together in Huntington NY to support our creativity and critique our work.

4. How does my writing process work?

Usually ideas come to me in a flash and I write the core down on a piece of paper when it strikes. I like to illustrate and write the story at the same time, doing little sketches wrapped by words to give me a look and feel of a story. I have plenty of books for inspiration.Once I have the idea down, I type it up and see how much survives to make a good story. Once I’ve done several revisions I usually storyboard the work to see how it would translate into a book. I usually do quite a few sketches to get a look and feel before I commit to some complete work.

The next person on the blog tour is Jessica Boehman. Jessica is a llustrator and a professor of Art History living in NYC and a friend of Annina Luck Wildermuth .

You can find Jessica’s blog tour post at http://www.hansmyhedgehog.com/blog/blog-tour

And she runs two sites:

www.hansmyhedgehog.com

www.jessicaboehman.com

Please take a look at her site and continue the tour.