I took this photo of a friend's boys playing in our playhouse last summer. I have kept it in a folder every since because it always sparks my imagination. You can just see them making up dreams and adventures in their minds.

Children playing ball, Le Marais, Paris.
It's funny to think that, when I took this picture, the seed of the idea of adopting a child of our own was just beginning to plant itself in our minds. I was not yet illustrating children, but I was already photographing them!

As the mother of a toddler, wandering the parks and lanes and shady gardens of the city, I see a plethora of wonderful kids. There is inspiration everywhere, and I take it where I can.
I see a story in every little face, and I fall in love with them so often through the lens. Some of them ignore me, and others interact with me gladly.
Some faces instantly inspire the groundwork for a painting, and those I try to capture and hold in my mind, a little story encapsulated in a frame or two, waiting to unfold.