When I was in second grade, my teacher, knowing that I loved to draw, asked me if I would be willing to draw a Pinocchio on a large sheet of paper for a bulletin board. I was honored and excited for an opportunity to really show what I could do. I said I'd bring some reference material from home and start the next day. She shook her head and said something like, "well, I just need you to do it right quick." That's Southern for "now." (We had just moved to Florida from the Nor

In a previous blog post, I mentioned the phrase "illustration heroes." I felt a little silly typing the word hero, thinking of Hercules or Superman. The imagery felt a little juvenile. My "heroes" sit at a desk all day with back pain and carpal tunnel. But I'm a Super dorky word nerd, and the nuances of words can be music to my ears or fingernails on a chalkboard. (Just wait. It gets nerdier.) I love dictionaries. (See?) Another one of my treasured childhood gifts from my par