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Sun streams through floor-length windows of the studio as Ms. Becky Kelly works, two canines companions at her feet.

Elsewhere in Kansas City, Ms. Nancy Lusk, sits at a table covered in papers decorated with ink, graphite, and paint.

On 63rd street, a girl peers into a heliotrope box labeled ‘dragon tears’ and a young boy rides a mechanical horse with a chipping ebony coat as Ms. Deb Pettid hangs a sign for Easter.

Children’s book illustrations connect Kelly, Lusk and Pettid. Kelly is a freelance illustrator whose work has been featured in 45 books. Lusk was the original artist for the American Girl book series ‘Samantha.” Pettid co-owns the children’s book store, The Reading Reptile.

‘I like the wonderment and enchantment of children’s books,” Kelly said. “You enter into a world where anything’s possible. It’s almost like an escape, or a therapy.”

Kelly and Lusk’s creative processes differ because of contrast in Lusk’s oil-painted realistic style and Kelly’s more whimsical watercolor approach. However, similarities exist in their procedures.

Kelly will receive an assignment and guidelines from a client, often a publishing company if the project is a book. Similarly, the Pleasant Company, the creators of American Girl, contacted Lusk and sent her unfinished manuscripts of ‘Meet Samantha‘ and character descriptions.

Both Kelly and Lusk then create pencil sketches. According to Kelly, she can draw a ‘character’ over 18 times in various poses for one ‘scene.’

‘Sometimes things just work, and sometimes they don’t,” Kelly said. “You just learn the skills you need….it becomes almost like instinct. It’s the ‘trial and fail’ method.’

Next, the revision process begins. Kelly and Lusk then send preliminary drawings to the client for revision or approval. Lusk would mail Xeroxed copies of her ink sketches to the Pleasant Company art director for approval, and then would paint. Once the client is pleased, Lusk would mail her final copies to the Pleasant Company where they were duplicated on printing drums.

Kelly scans her artwork into her iMac at a high resolution of 600 pixels per inch and then edits in Adobe Photoshop. After this, the file is sent to the client, who makes more requests or revisions, and eventually prints the books, according to Kelly.

Both illustrators said the amount of time they have to complete an assignment can vary, although six weeks for a book of around 30 paintings is average, according to Kelly. Lusk said she finished all of the pictures for the first 3 or so “Samantha” books in a little less than a year.

After the stories printed, they are ready for the shelves. Bookstore owners like Pettid must decide which books to buy. For Pettid, her opinion of visuals in children’s picture books also factor into her selections.

‘I have always based my book selections on my personal opinions,” Pettid said. “I ask myself, ‘ËœWould I pay $16.50 for this book?’ If so, I buy lots of copies, and if not, I don’t get any.’

After more than 20 years, Kelly said she still loves her job.  According to Kelly, she decided to be an artist at age seven, inspired by her architect father.  Kelly said she is lucky to be a freelance illustrator because of the flexibility it gives her creative process and schedule even though she was blessed to be able to work with “wonderful companies” such as Hallmark and Andrews McMeel.

‘But it’s not just the art that’s important. [The message you want to get across] has to say something important,’ Kelly said. ‘I love when [work] is out on the market and sells well. That just makes you feel so good. Not because you’re making lots of money, I don’t mean that. But because you’ve reached a need.”