"I try to give the kids in my illustrations spunk and make them a bit defiant; theyíre always sticking out their chests and standing up for themselves. Did you notice how in Thomas' Snowsuit Thomas causes the school principalís hair to turn whiter in frustration as the story progresses?" asks Michael Martchenko in a Quill & Quire interview.
Michael is recognized as one of the fastest illustrators in the country. According to an interviewer in Applied Arts Quarterly, "Such rapidity seems to suit the artistís joyful sense of spontaneity." Michael immediately breaks down a manuscript into a storyboard. He explains: "As I read, I get all these great pictures in my mind. I think about funny situations, and then start sketching." After he has completed a rough, it takes approximately another four hours to create a finished drawing. For most of his books, Michael likes to use watercolor and pencil, as well as a generous dose of his own visual humor.
