The First Step

In my last post I went through the process I use to create an ink-and-watercolor illustration. There is, of course, one very important part of the process that I neglected to mention and it is this:

These are some of my sketchbooks from the last few years. This is the foundation block of both the drawing and the writing that I do. I thought of posting these because my friend Lucy Bellwood posted a similar picture of a stack of sketchbooks saying "Creativity is a habit. Don't you forget it."

She's right. And it's good to see, sometimes, how much work goes on behind the scenes and below the surface.