My drawings are usually A3 in size and I work in pencil, coloured pencil or black ball-point pen. I love to exaggerate the shapes and colours slightly...as I'm convinced that illustrating for a child's book has as much to do with making a statement as with representing reality. I particularly enjoy suggesting textured surfaces such as those found in nature or clothing. Photography plays a vital part in the gathering of reference material. Occasionally I illustrate digitally using a programme such as Serif Draw Plus. Digital illustrations are used in Nigel the Very Greedy Mouse, and Hidden Things, which are both published on Amazon Kindle (and best viewed in colour).

I use Caran d,ache, Staedtler, and sometimes Prismacolor pencils. The latter are a little too soft for my liking and I only use them for large areas.  I try to draw the child's attention to the situation/ emotions of the character while hopefully avoiding a 'cartoon approach'. Bible people were real people with real problems...I don't want to minimize their humanity.

When I first began illustrating around 1997 our five children were at home much more than they are now, so I worked when possible in an outdoor, upstairs room known as the Barnloft. Without that quiet little sanctuary where I could go to create, no books would ever have been written! :)