I smile now looking back to the days when I worked full time. When I came home in the evening I used to potter around, cooking tea, watching the television, maybe playing a computer game with my husband (then boyfriend) drawing or painting. I used to feel that I had no time. Time is so valuable and so precious. Now, with five children I have less time in many ways but I also have more time. I have to be very reactive with my time when the children are around. They need my attention and that comes on tap. When I have rare moments to myself I almost dissect time like a surgeon and ensure that each second is treasured. If I need to sleep I sleep, if I can work I’ll work. I’m unable to relax too much right now with my deadline looming but it’s fine, I’m really enjoying the work and relishing the dramas of rushing to hit that time slot.

I had an interesting contact from the publisher from my first book. They asked if I’d put in a quote for a second copy. I was pleased to be asked but I knew that once I sat and weighed up the pros and cons of considering the project the scales would tip heavily towards it not going ahead. The publisher was very clear in their message that the budget would be tight, as it had been in the first book. Aside from that they were asking for a quote for black and white and colour. In my last book they had asked me to quote colour but had then gone ahead and used a freelancer to colour the images without letting me know. When the book was published I had mixed feelings when I finally had the copy in my hands. The freelancer had not only coloured my images but had removed line, redrawn lines and even resized images. Without the line the images were very flat. Some of the pictures were okay but there were others which I cringed at and it was strange seeing a book with my name on as illustrator being so vastly altered. Thankfully the coloured cover was my work. I decided not to quote until I had at least clarified one thing to the publisher. I replied with the message that I was working on a project but that if we were going to work together again I would need a signed agreement stipulating that nobody else should modify my work in any way. To his credit the contact replied and apologised for the last project and for going ahead with the colourist without letting me know. They will be finding another illustrator as I am not free. It’s a shame in many ways because I really enjoyed the book, the story was beautifully written and the writer very kindly sent me an email to thank me for my work and told me that I’d drawn one of the characters as she had imagined her. That meant a huge amount. The publisher was good to work with too. He was incredibly demanding and there were many revisions but it was a good lesson in dealing with a publishing house and submitting digital media.

So I’m on the home straight with my current project. My client visited the publisher last week and they were encouragingly positive about the images I’ve produced. They do want revisions. I have a few things to add and alter but I’m more than happy to do that. Thankfully they haven’t asked me to ditch and redraw anything! There isn’t too much more to do but enough to keep me very busy for the next week. I really hope it can be finished in time. I’m doing all I can. I had a night off with exhaustion a few nights ago. I was worried I’d overdone things but was glad when the kids went through the same thing and realised it was a bug. I’m usually very good at pushing myself far. When the children are all at school and there are more daylight hours to work in it should be a HUGE amount easier. Our three-year-old twins are starting nursery five days a week from next Tuesday which is a blessing. The only downside is that my childminder may not be able to look after the baby from March so I’ll have to find someone else or have him pottering around my feet. He’s reaching that awkward stage where he’s pulling himself onto things and getting stuck or falling over dramatically so I think that the hunt may well be on for another childminder at least three afternoons a week so I can get something done. Evenings are so unpredictable with the teething.

Anyway, work to do. I’ve completed another black and white and I’m adding colour this evening. There, I’ve relaxed a few select minutes to share some of the experience now I’ve got to use my remaining minutes to bedtime as constructively as possible!