One of the things I really wanted to do with this book is highlight the process of making the finished paintings. Many ugly sketches are explored and discarded along the way. I like sharing this process with people. It shows that there is a "building" phase that images go through. Hazy, rough ideas are cleaned up, polished, and finally painted as a finished piece. I wanted to invite you inside my studio to see how this all happens.

And I wanted to share who all these characters are in the paintings. What are they doing and where did they come from? This is the storytelling aspect of illustration that I love exploring in my work.