Back in 1992 I kept a sketchbook where I drew ONE picture every day.   It was an exercise to try to become a more confident drawer.  The sketchbook is 5″x7″ or 4″x6″ (I’ll have to measure it).  It’s quite small.   Many of my book ideas came out of this sketchbook and others like it.  Sometimes I added a few words to record an idea or thought that added humor or insight into the picture.

Here are some of the sketches:

As both a writer and illustrator a book idea often starts with a sketch.  Then the words come and the two merge together to begin to tell a story.