How I Became a Picturebook illustrator

A Table of contents.

Introduction

I’ve been writing here for almost two years, and the daily notes I have written have accumulated to tell the story of how I became a picturebook illustrator. I think it’s a useful picture of

• What a career change in your forties might look like

• What it takes to turn a dream into a reality

• What it’s like on the inside of the industry

• What it’s like inside the head of an illustrator.

• and Practical notes on making art

• and making a life with space for art

I didn’t set out to write this ‘Story’, I just wrote daily. And now it exists

Table of Contents

I’m currently in the process of editing and annotating the notes, but there’s enough to get you started. Pick a Topic, then browse the posts. Or Start at the Beginning

• On Getting Started

• On Breaking In

• On Being a Pro

• On Habits and Routines

• On Making Friends on the Internet

• On Resistance and Other Monsters

• On Self Management

• On Divine Inspiration

• On Drawing and Making

• On Taking Our Time (and Naps, and Walks, and Notes)

• Bonus: Prompts, Activities, Guides (a.k.a 🍿 All The Things)