A re-introduction at the start of the new year!
Addressing some of your FAQs!
It’s a new year, same old me, but there are new folks here at Authorstrator and I realize, its been a long time since I’ve introduced myself in any kind of way…..like since I started this whole thing. So here we go!
Hi, I’m Meaghan. I write books for YA and middle grade audiences. I also draw expressive characters and comics and am working on writing and illustrating my first graphic novel. I've been so happy to receive so many dms from people looking for commissions and more information about my process - your support of my work has meant so much to me and I want to thank you for reaching out. Some folks had similar questions, so I thought, since it's the very early days of 2025, it makes sense to sort of re-introduce myself and try to answer some of these questions!
How long have you been drawing and where did you go to school?
I wish I went to art school, but I didn't. I did my education in English and writing. Sometimes I think if I were to do it over again, I would go into animation (which has a lot of challenges, I know) but oh well, here we are! I've been drawing all my life but started drawing digitally in earnest around 2014 when I bought myself a plug in Bamboo tablet that I saw on sale at Chapters. It was a super stressful and anxious time in my life, so I wanted to draw to try and focus my mind and relax. And it worked! I drew just for me at first, but eventually I started drawing on instagram and things kind of snowballed to where we are now.
What tools/programs/mediums do you use?
Let's start with the digital tools! I use a refurbished 6th generation ipad with apple pencil, and the program I use primarily is procreate.
Before my ipad, I was using a samsung tablet with a free program I downloaded that I still love and miss - Artflow. I know the online community makes it look like ipad is the only way to go but there are so many good downloadable programs for other types of tablets. So before you go planning to buy new stuff, see if there are programs that you can use on whatever devices you have currentlly - you'll be suprised at the options!
Before my tablet, I was on my laptop with a plugged in drawing pad and I used photoshop.
The thing I find about digital drawing programs is they can feel awkward and intimidating at first but don't let that stop you. Youtube usually has great tutorials, no matter what program you are using. Be willing to mess around, to make mistakes, to get familiar. It's surprising how quickly you get used to it. When you feel like giving up, just don't! That's the moment before everything clicks. Just try not to get bogged down in all the brushes and effects. Stick to two or three basic brushes. And when you feel brave - try making your own brushes! Just remember it's all about having fun and experimenting!
Traditional tools:
I love fountain pen ink and india ink, mostly because it's so vibrant and comes in glass bottles and it feels like playing with potions. Also some of my fountain pen inks have SHIMMER that is really fun to play with. For this I use paintbrushes and dip pens.
Alcohol markers - I like the brush tip kind - artiza and ohuhu have some good ones!
How did you become a professional illustrator?
I didn't!
I'm not, really. I'm sort of working on it. I'm a writer - I have published books for middle grade and young adult audiences but none of them were illustrated. I have never published any of my illustrated work with a publisher. My drawing life was always separate from my writing life and it wasn't until recently that I thought I should start combining my storytelling life with my love of drawing. Authorstrator is my way of sharing the journey with you!
How do you get an agent?
There are a million and one answers to this question, most of them probably covered in more depth than i can get into here. BUT whatever advice you find out there on the interwebs take it with a grain of salt. There's a lot of luck involved but my best tips are:
1. Be professional.
2. Do your research. Know who you are submitting to. Don't submit a picture book manuscript to an agent who represents romance fiction.
3. Don't take rejection personally. And in writing there is a LOT of rejection. Like a lot a lot. Toughen up now! And just keep swimming!
Commissions
If you’ve reached out about commissions, thank you so much for considering me for your project! Unfortunately, due to my workload, I'm not open to commissions at the moment. But! I was thinking, there are so many amazing illustrators here in the Authorstrator community who might have more capacity at the moment than I do to take on some of these awesome projects. So I wanted to set up a chat thread where people can post about the kinds of commissions they are looking for and illustrators can post their availability and hopefully we can make some writer and illustrator connections here on Authorstrator! Let me know with a comment if that's something you'd be interested in and I'll send out a new chat with an email notification when it's all set up!
Doodle
What I’m Working On
My young adult hi-lo title about an AI gone rogue, Cheat Code, comes out in one month from Orca Books! Wow, that snuck up on me.
“Modern and relevant…an important kernel of truth lies at the heart of all these stories. The writing is high-quality across the board: believable dialogue, layered characters, and fast-moving plots.”
– School Library Journal (SLJ) Series Made Simple
I’m also preparing a tutorial about expressions for a guest visit to
‘s Introvert Drawing Club! I’ll be breaking down how I draw expressions and doing an expression step by step.And finally, I’m making plans for Authorstrator! The 2025 recap post ended up being quite eye-opening for me in terms of figuring out what works here, what readers respond to and what I have the most fun creating. So in addition to addressing some o the questions that have come through, the big thing I’m going to be leaning into this year is THEMES! I love a good theme! Like Mermaids, or Final Girls, or Holiday Romance Movies! They give me something fun to draw, and something to jump off of when writing. And also, I find they get my creative juices flowing. So I’m going to try to do more of those in the coming months. First up - Fairytales (in case the doodle didn’t give it away)! That’s it, that’s the theme. I’m going to be drawing lots of fairy tale inspired stuff, like the Cinderella doodle. Feel free to join in and draw along, and share your creations in the Authorstrator WIP corner happening in the chat!
What I’m Reading
The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden - this one’s been on my TBR list for a while because I loved Katherine Arden’s Winternight Trilogy. My kids got me this for Christmas and its excellent!
This post from
about how he uses the internet as a creative was a good read if, like me, you’re feeling a bit lost about what to do with the mess that is social media right now.
This is awesome :) and can't wait for the fairytales and other goodies coming this year!
I came in at the back half on 2024 so it's nice to have this little reintroduction to get to know you better. I've enjoyed you theme drawings such as the Final Girls, so I look forward to what you will do with fairy tales this year!