After 2 solid months of vectorizing, I'm all done with the final art for Book 2.  

That's right, Mackenzie Blue's coming back. This time, she's got a Secret Crush. (O_o) Needless to say, it's been hella busy. Like the first book, there are over 60 interior illustrations and since I go back and trace over my own sketches, it's pretty labor intensive. I'm pretty happy with the final outcome and I hope Harper Collins is too. 

I don't know what it is about deadlines, but it always seems to work out the same. Sometimes (when I'm not working in advertising) I get a pretty good head start on my deadline. I've got some pretty good time management skills but it never fails, that last illustration is usually the most labor intensive one (because I save the most complicated one for last) so I usually take the first part of the day to steel myself for what I know will be hours of  desk time. I'll walk around, clean the house, and do whatever it takes to prep myself for what's ahead. Because it's the last drawing, I always want to give it some extra special TLC, so I enter this zen mode and go super careful with my line work. So the result the night before everything's due: all-nighter.

And it's not enough that I have to worry about finishing the last drawing, collecting the files and uploading it to Harper Collins' FTP site, but then I feel like the universe starts playing dodge balls with me. All of a sudden lots of things start happening: clients pop out of nowhere with project requests, friends come in from out of town, people need to be picked up from the airport, my cousin offers me a last minute camping trip that I just can't refuse, and finally the never-fun car issues. (The Blue Bomber got sick... again!)

Regardless, it's done, it's out the door, and now I just have to wait for it to become a real book. With all the work it takes to draw for an entire book, I forget that I've just drawn an entire book. And now that I've caught up on my sleep, I'm pretty pleased with the accomplishment. Yay me.

Now to start catching up with the rest of my life again. :)

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