1) Get all of your materials together. (Yes, all of them.) Make sure you pick a workspace where you have the room to place all of the materials without having to extend yourself too much to retrieve what you need.

2) Music or no music - YOU decide. Some people are more comfortable with some kind of noise in the room, and some people prefer it to be quiet when they think. Those that prefer noise, pick some appropriate music. I wouldn't recommend the television - it is simply much more disruptive and less predictable.

3. Choose the scene in your book that you are having difficulty with.

4. Begin drawing with the main focus of the scene. Is it a scene where they find a body (mystery), draw that first. If the bed is the main focus of the scene, draw that first. Maybe it's a courtroom! What's the most important part? Maybe it's an argument between two characters, and you would begin with the both of them and how they are reacting to one another. Draw that first! Whatever would be the main focal point for the scene, draw it first.

5. Add in the large details. Extra people, furniture, scenery, background, the basics. It doesn't have to be perfect, this is just a sketch to put the scene in your mind.

6. Now, add in the little details. Is the desk messy or clean? Are there leaves on the ground in the park, or flowers, or perhaps just grass or dirt? Are there dirty dishes in the sink, or is the kitchen spotless? Is the hair of the character messy or smooth and brushed? Any little details that may have even been overlooked in the writing, sometimes they can be found by looking at a picture of the scene, and your brain telling you, "Something is missing..."

7. Add in some color! (optional) Using the colored pencils, begin coloring in your picture. I tend to color in using little scribbles and don't make it perfect - just enough to give me an idea of what is going on. Others like to spend more time doing their coloring and relax a little. Either way, all is good!