And now for something completely different: an interview with artist Ryleigh of Ryleigh’s Keys etsy shop. Ry, who also happens to be my sister, is giving away a set of two fairytale art prints (Rumplestiltskin and The Princess and the Pea)—scroll down to the bottom of the post for how to enter.

For the record: I myself have no artistic talent. Craftiness, sometimes. But talent for painting, sculpting, drawing, pot throwing—no. Absolutely none. (Also no particular ability to sing, dance, or act.) I do, however, have children who love to engage in all those activities, so I thought I’d pick Ryleigh’s brain a little.

What’s your creative process like?
RY: How I start each piece is always different. With illustration, sometimes I’ll just start mark making, and the pens pull themselves along until the paper is covered. But more often I start with thumbnail sketches, which look something like chaotic scribbles separated into little rectangles, until I decide where I want the characters and objects to sit on the page.

Then I start with character design. I don’t want any of my princesses to look like Disney cartoons, and I’ll draw a couple of pages of faces, clothing, positions, etc to work out the problems of the character, like how I want Rumpelstiltskin to look around the eyes, what kind of sleeves I want on the princess’s dress. I sketch the completed characters into the piece first, then fill in objects and environment, and very last add the textures, colors, and patterns.

Do you have any advice for those of us who want to be creative, but have limited time?
RY: Notebooks! Taking five minutes (or two!) to lay down a spur-of-the-moment idea, whether it’s an idea for a painting, a new way to arrange the furniture, a sewing project, or even a recipe is the best way to keep a flow of ideas going. Nothing scares me more than a big blank canvas, but a sketch or note book is a lot friendlier to ideas I don’t have time to implement right away.

I have four notebooks going right now, and I use them constantly. Keeping a notebook ensures that when you do have a chunk of time free, all your bits of brilliance will be in one place, easily referenced, and you don’t waste the opportunity trying to have a flash of inspiration before time runs out.

Any easy-on-the budget art projects or supplies to recommend?
RY: My favorite things to make crafts with are things people generally throw away–teabag paper, bottlecaps, fabric scraps, bent bobby pins, bits of thread, pieces of colored paper, also cheap materials like twine and clay, kids crayons and markers, or things I can gather from nature, like driftwood, leaves, seeds, flowers, seashells, and feathers. I reuse cans and jars for desk organizers, and glass bottles as my favorite decoration.

As for drawing materials, though, if you want good results you have to use good materials. Kids definitely can tell the difference! Soft kneaded erasers are a good investment for older kids, they never run out of erasing power and don’t leave little eraser bits everywhere, but younger kids may squish them into things better left un-erasered.

If you’d like to try charcoal, I’d recommend vine charcoal, as it is very powdery but completely non-permanent, washes out of clothing and off of skin much more easily than charcoal pencils, and can be erased from paper with a rag, like chalk on a chalkboard.

Warehouse-type art supply stores are much cheaper than small fancier places like Aaron Brothers or Michael’s, and usually have a larger selection and a more knowledgeable staff. Dick Blick is my go-to in San Diego, and they have an online store too if you don’t mind waiting a few days for shipping. (Ed. note: Hey, I just ordered school supplies from them! What a deal.)

What’s next for your etsy shop?
RY: I’m working on brilliant new ideas for more princess illustrations; Rapunzel will be next, and I’m deciding how I want the characters to look. Soon I also hope to start some gender-neutral story illustrations of classic children’s literature like Peter Pan, maybe with my own materials. I may start printing notecards with my princess illustrations on them too, depending on interest.

I’m certainly open to new ideas, so if there are any requests or ideas for specific stories, please share them!

ME AGAIN: Thanks, Ryleigh!

You can find the Rumplestiltskin print and the Princess and the Pea print at Ryleigh’s etsy shop.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS: Prints are 9″x12″, numbered and signed by the artist. To enter to win the set of two, please leave a comment on this post, telling us what your favorite folk or fairy tale is. I’ll close comments Wednesday, July 22, at midnight Pacific time, and choose a winner at random. Make sure to leave your email so I can contact you if you win!

ETA: Comments are now closed. The random number generator chose comment #4, MJ!