Today is “two-for-one” day in the studio. I’m doing two posts – one to celebrate finishing a dummy book for Noodles and the Magic Sock, and one that I intended to post back in July. July became the “month of Noodles,” and many tasks went unfinished.

Before I started the the SCBWI Carolinas Picture Book Dummy Challenge, I had a decent idea of what goes into developing a picture book. I had taken a wonderful workshop at the Denver Botanic Gardens from visiting artist and children’s book author/illustrator Dorothea Rohner. Through Dorothea’s patient teaching I learned how to direct the action in the story and how to pace the illustrations across the book. I also learned how creating the images can shape and tighten the manuscript.

The Dummy Challenge, brilliantly led by children’s book author and illustrator Bonnie Adamson, spanned 25 weeks, which seemed like an age at the outset. Bonnie’s resources and posts kept us going, as well as the perfectly timed webinars. Somewhere in the middle of things, I had that “aha” moment that comes from struggling with a project. I realized that I needed to kick it up a notch in terms of the drawings and as a result, almost didn’t finish. But there’s the final art on my desk – and a dummy filled with pictures of Noodles in various stages of adventure. I managed to work in three of my favorite Rocky Mountain animals – a raven, a bighorn sheep and a mountain lion. No more Noodles for a while – but it was fun!