wait, you're a lady?

Yep!  Surprise!

can you draw me/my family/my favorite harry potter character/my pet rock?

I'd love to, but I probably can't for a while!  My commissions are closed right now while I work on my book, but if/when I open them back up I'll make sure to announce on social media.  Instagram is the best place to stay updated.

For publishing inquiries, plz contact my rockstar literary agent Monica Odom at monica@odommediamgmt.com.

where can i buy your stuff online?

I sell prints at my etsy shop and other stuff at my society6 shop.

what is your advice for aspiring illustrators?

My biggest advice is to draw lots of art and post it all over your social media!!  Literally every art opportunity I have ever gotten has resulted from someone finding my art online.  Don't stress if it takes a while, just keep doing your thing!

how did you come up with the name Roaring Softly?

I was inspired by this Ingrid Bergman quote: "I was the shyest human ever invented, but I had a lion inside me that wouldn't shut up!" ♥

can i buy your prints at any brick-and-mortar shops?

Not yet, but I do try to sell at the Renegade Craft Fair in Chicago a few times a year.  Follow me on social media (at the bottom of the page) to stay updated!

What tools do you use for digital art?

Currently, I work with an iPad Pro, Apple Pencil, and the Procreate app, my favorite setup yet!!  I also sometimes edit my art (and make gifs) with Photoshop.  In the past, I've used Acorn for Mac by Flying Meat Software (big love), Wacom tablets (the Bamboo Capture and then the Cintiq), and the iPhone app Genius Scan for scanning ink drawings into my computer.

what are your favorite procreate brushes?

6B Pencil, Monoline, Technical Pen (at 90ish percent opacity), and Watercolor are all favs.  I also love Brush Pen for lettering.

what traditional materials do you use?

I'm not super particular when it comes to traditional media, but my super favs are Micron pens (.2 is my favorite size), Prismacolor colored pencils, and this incredible set of Stampin' Write double-ended brush markers my aunt got me years ago that I love with all my heart.  

how did you become a professional illustrator?

Short answer: determination + patience + good luck.  Growing up, drawing was my Thing but I never really knew art could be a real-life career -- I thought it was just a fun hobby.  My mom died when I was in college, and after graduation I moved back home to be with my family.  I took some time to heal and got a very boring job in data entry at an accounting firm.  I desperately needed a creative outlet, so I decided to try posting my ink doodles to tumblr, and I eventually opened an etsy shop selling blog design, custom illustrations, and prints.  Over the next several years, my following grew and I started getting more sales and freelance opportunities until I was able to make it my full-time thing!  It was super gradual and I continue to feel so lucky that things fell into place the way they did.

who are your favorite illustrators?

Here's a very long alphabetized list but I am for sure forgetting some:

Mari Andrew, Valentina Armstrong, Priscila Barbosa, Brooke Barker, Kristen Barnhart, Lynda Barry, Agnes Barton-Sabo, Tuesday Bassen, Kelly Bastow, Hallie Bateman, Julia Bereciartu, Laura Berger, Julia Berhnard, Kate Bingaman-Burt, Mary Blair, Kaye Blegvad, Frances Cannon, Roz Chast, Hye Jin Chung, Kali Ciesemier, Jen Collins, Gemma Correll, Nina Cosford, Helen Dardik, Zie Darling, Duvet Days, Ruby Elliot, Jen Epervary, Beth Evans, Liana Finck, Tiffany Ford, Siobhán Gallagher, Susie Ghahremani, Timothy Goodman, Hiller Goodspeed, Emily Griffin, Maria-Ines Gul, Elizabeth Haidle, Lisa Hanawalt, Vashti Harrison, Dingding Hu, Adam J. Kurtz, Kaylani Juanita, Julia Kaye, Seo Kim, Taryn Knight, Lucy Knisley, Nan Lawson, Nellie Le, Tiffany Mallery, Will McPhail, Fran Meneses, Sibylline Meynet, Sally Nixon, Kelsey Oseid, Meredith W. Park, Vanessa Port, Kate Pugsley, Monica Ramos, Ann Shen, Zoe Si, Jack Sjogren, Brooke Smart, Jordan Sondler, Shivana Sookdeo, Lizzy Stewart, Anoosha Syed, Jilian Tamaki, Kat Tsai, Rosaura Unangst, Phoebe Wahl, Bianca Xunise