IllustratorTypical Day

Nancy Draw wakes up at 8:45, turns off her Edward Gorey alarm clock, changes out of her Where the Wild Things Are pajamas and Goofy slippers and makes her way to the shower. After having breakfast (a combination of Cocoa Krispies and Froot Loops), she starts her day by drawing a few illustrations just for fun, to loosen up and get the creative juices flowing. She doodles a few comic-style frames of her favorite characters she's invented - Patty Pony and Murray Mule. This time they are arguing about which one of them is more beloved by little girls. Oh, Murray, you silly mule! You're losing this one, buddy!

At 11 am, Nancy puts illustrations to a few greeting card texts that she finds online and submits them in hopes that they will be chosen and produced. This particular company allows for open submissions year-round, so Nancy submits pretty regularly. In addition, she usually likes to do some Googling to see if other card companies are looking. Some only hire seasonally; others may suddenly be looking for new talent if they lose one of their regular illustrators for whatever reason. If one of those opportunities does unexpectedly present itself, she doesn't want to be asleep on the job when it happens.

^{You have the right to remain asleep.}

Next Nancy puts in an hour on a personal project - a children’s book written by a friend of hers who asked her to illustrate it. She will probably never see a dime from this, but she gets to draw cute little animals! The book is called the Selfish Shellfish, and is about a self-obsessed crab named Mortimer who must learn to share and get along with others. In the process, he also helps another crab named Douglas get over his crippling shyness. By the time Mortimer is done with him, Douglas is able to... come out of his shell.

It's cute, right? See, you wouldn't be able to pass up a surefire winner like that either.

Nancy leaves her apartment at 1 pm, stopping by an art store to pick up some supplies. She burns her way through colored pencils and ink pens pretty quickly, and she needs to stock back up on both. Although she generally prefers drawing to painting, she has had an idea for a piece she'd like to paint, so she is also picking up a dozen acrylics, some brushes and a small canvas. On her way out of the store, she also makes an impulse purchase, buying a large Styrofoam ball and four yards of patterned cloth. She is not exactly sure what she's going to do with them, but she'll think of something.

Nancy arrives at the Parkers’ house at 2:30 pm. The Parkers have commissioned her to create a mural on their daughter’s wall. Nancy suggested doing a Disney scene, as she has an unhealthy Disney obsession herself. However, Tonia Parker is addicted to The Wiggles, so Nancy is out of luck. The Wiggles it is. At least it won't necessitate a lot of mixing of primary colors.

^{A single rainbow... although we hear it just started seeing someone.}

She spends three hours working on the mural, and gets about a quarter of the way done. She’s getting paid $150 for the whole shebang. It’s not much, but the Parkers are family friends, so she’s giving them a discount. She leaves their house at 4:30 and heads to the library, where she works for a couple of hours every evening shelving books. She doesn’t have anything of her own on these shelves yet, but maybe someday...