From My Sketchbook

From My Sketchbook

Before there were chapters, there were drawings.

I began with a farmers market stand and a rough map of streets that only existed in my head. I needed to see the town before I could write it. I sketched Blue Creek Lake. I mapped the 163 acres. I placed the concert stage, the café, the barber shop. I drew the town center until it felt real.

I thought of the families. I had to draw a fox in a leather jacket with a microphone to bring Wilder to life or a porcupine in a boy scout uniform to bring Paddy to life.

Lawhoma did not begin on a keyboard. It began in pencil.

When I could see it, I could walk through it. When I could see the character faces they became real enough to live in Lawhoma. When I could walk through it, I could tell its story.

Sketch of a farmer's market stall with a sign reading 'Lahoma Farmers Market,' selling various vegetables and plants.
Hand-drawn map of a community with labeled areas, roads, water features, and buildings, including a town center, farmer's market, concert stage, schools, parks, lakes, creeks, and residential houses.
Line drawing of an anthropomorphic fox character with spiky hair, wearing a leather jacket, and posing with a hand near their mouth.
Handwritten list of various animals and related categories on a spiral notebook page.

Chicken scratch outlines and journal notes that grew as Lawhoma Hills slowly found its shape. Character names changed. Chapters wandered. Whole months passed in edits. What began in pencil and crossed-out lists became the town and families you see now.

Colorful drawing of a house with a brown shingled roof, surrounded by green trees and bushes, with a blue sky in the background. There is a sign on the roof that reads 'WIGGLE WORM DANCE'.
Sketch of a house with a pink door, two trees, a vintage truck, and garden beds in the yard.

This little pink door became the messy logo for Pink Door Publishing. 💕💕

Drawing of a porcupine eagle scout dressed as a soldier, carrying a backpack and wearing a sash with circular medals, holding a stick.
Handwritten list of local places and landmarks, including forest, school, sports complex, dance studio, grocery store, library, barber shop, department store, lake, hospital, airport, movie theatre, skating rink, museum, kayak/boat rental, landscape company, and damming waters, with some handwritten notes and corrections.
Notebook page with handwritten notes about journal entries, reviews, minor characters, and chapters from a book.
A black and white sketch of three small wooden cabins, one with a porch and a picnic table, surrounded by trees. A sign reads "CAMP RUN A MUCK."

Each Lawhoma business and character moved through many versions in pencil, charcoal, alcohol marker, and pastel before becoming the final watercolors you see on the website. Those paintings were later transformed into digital prints with the help of a small but mighty local print shop and a steady hand I trust.

Handwritten weekly plan including activities at various locations such as fire lookout, farm camp, a dance class, a market, a hospital, and sports events like birch creek sports and football. It lists names, dates, and notes about different activities.
Handwritten notes listing tasks such as yard work, haircuts, a summer open house, and summer activities, with some words and phrases crossed out or marked.
Handwritten notes that organize chapters into categories such as explaining, moving, and displaying complexity, with arrows indicating processes and decisions.