My studio is on the third floor of our 100-year-old house. We remodeled slowly, taking almost four years before I was able to move in, but it was worth the wait! I am extremely lucky to have a very light, spacious studio with three sky lights, a bathroom, lots of storage, a huge window with a view of Mt. Rainier and a deck. Painting area - At this end of the studio I have my drawing desk and a worktable mounted on the wall right beside the desk. Behind the curtain to the left is the entrance to a bathroom where I can clean brushes and fill water containers. I have a sheet of fiberboard mounted on the wall so I can pin up a book dummy and step back to see how the story moves from page to page. The narrow set of drawers is used to file reference material. On the right, just beyond my desk, is a door to a small deck. It is nice to be able to step outside without having to descend all the way from the third floor. Computer/sitting area – I have a PowerMac G4 that I use to create promotional materials and print off samples of my illustration work to mail out. I will occasionally adjust some of my paintings in Photoshop, but these are usually minor changes. Sometimes I scan in a sketch, clean it up and print it out. I can then copy this clean printed sketch onto watercolor paper that I hand feed through the Xerox machine. This gives a nice, textured looking line that is printed in permanent ink. For some pictures I prefer this method because I am copying that lively original line right on to the watercolor paper instead of tracing it, where the line tends to loose spontaneity and expression. I have shelves for children's books, reference books and magazines and a chair for folks who come to visit. On the left you can see some of the puppets my oldest daughter made. Work table – I use this table to lay out paperwork and as a general work surface. Apart from making copies of tissue sketches for faxing or mailing, I use the Xerox copier to quickly enlarge or reduce sketches, or sections of sketches. It is faster than scanning them in to the computer, adjusting them and printing them out. Under the table I keep paper storage drawers and a paper cutter. The light box is on a small worktable behind this one, under the wall clock. I have storage for finished art and mailing supplies in the cupboards in the kick walls and all the way to the right you can see one of the doors to another large storage closet. Art desk – I have two lamps for working and a third lamp/magnifying glass. This chair is fully adjustable and the stool under the desk is for planting my feet on when I work. This has proved critical for avoiding back problems! There is a rolling cart I can pull out and place where I need for more work surface. Paint set up – This is my palette set up for acrylic paint. The paint trays are stored in an airtight plastic container with a moist sponge in the bottom of it. (By the way, those little “paint trays” held miniature quiches you buy at Costco - you get snacks for the kids or a party and four trays in a box!) Brushes/palette – For acrylic painting I use Windsor & Newton Sceptre Gold, series 101 brushes. I have another set of these I use for watercolor work, along with a few Windsor & Newton real sable watercolor brushes. These brushes are not expensive and I find they work as well as some very expensive brushes I have. For acrylic paints I use old china plates to mix the colors. I test colors on scraps of watercolor paper left over from cutting sheets for paintings. I just toss them in a paper bag and grab a handful whenever I go to paint. I blot the brushes on a wad of paper towel I keep on my desk. There is always a cup of tea on the desk – and I have accidentally rinsed my brush in it numerous times! I keep the remote for the radio/CD player nearby so I can turn it down when the phone rings. Studio assistants – Ralph, determined to help. He looks a little like the cat in my painting. Nina hiding out on the computer desk. (They are both on my screen saver picture, by the garden pond). Mt. Rainier - This is the view from my studio window at sunrise on a winter morning. On a rare sunny day in Seattle, the mountain is quite spectacular. Working on a painting: A – This is my first drawing. I don't worry about making extra pencil lines or correcting mistakes. I use a tissue overlay to copy the parts of the sketch I want and keep working the drawing on the tissue. I was not happy with this drawing, however. I wanted more going on and the mouse just bothered me – he was too big and cartoon looking. B – I have added another mouse and the little drama of it trying to get in to the cookie jar. I changed the appearance of the mice and also added the tension of a dog watching the cat. Much of this sketch is traced from the tissue overlay of the last sketch, so it is cleaned up and I have added more details. C – The sketch is moved to the light box to transfer the drawing to watercolor paper. I used Arches Bright White, hot press, 140 lb paper for this painting. I did not presoak or stretch the paper. I just cut the paper with at least an extra inch all around and taped it directly over the sketch, then used a HB pencil and softly traced the lines. D – The drawing transferred to watercolor paper. The edges are taped off with easily removable blue painters tape. I don't always do this, only when I want a clean edge to the painting. On many of my paintings I just bleed the color beyond the crop lines, or the faded bleeding edge is part of the painting. E – The large areas of color are being laid in and I start to define the areas of light and shade. F – The painting is more developed. I have still not decided on the color of the cat and decide to choose the color once I see how the rest of the painting develops. Starting to put in some of the finer detail. G – Almost complete. I still have to strengthen some of the shadows and I will emphasize more fine detail. H – Finished painting.