With any sort of illustration, your mind is the limit, so it goes without saying that just about anything can happen when you pick your pencil, paintbrush or mouse. And so it happened exactly that way with this doodle.

Let me give you some history... ...It was a wet and windy night as I settled my boy into bed, and as has become part of the routine as he grows up (he is now 2) he demanded a story. Now the challenge with this, is that he does not like me to read from a book, but almost dares me on a nightly basis to invent a new story, out of my head. I think this is down to the fact he likes to have eye contact with me as I act out whatever pings into my head at that moment and being a dad, well, you just have to go along with it don't you.

The evening in question was no different, except for one major problem. I had a blank brain. Call it storytellers block, or a cBeebies overload inspired breakdown, but there was absolutely nothing in my head. I felt the glare of a 2 year old, awaiting his evening tale, but could also see the tell-tale signs of eyebrows raising in a quizzical manner as he cottoned onto the fact I had not started. Now, I'm no performer - not by any stretch of the imagination, but I imagined this is what stage fright must feel like. The expectation. The dread. The realisation. The atmosphere hanging in the air as your audience realises what you have just realised - it's gone. Whatever you were expected to do, didn't happen, and you can bet right now, its's never going to happen.

It's an awful feeling and I now appreciate what that must feel like - albeit with myself and just the one audience member. In a state of mild panic and trying to claw something from the back of my small empty head I remembered some story about an Owl and a pussycat. And that was it. Nothing more and nothing less. Didnt even remember the boat. So the story developed into something Mr Benn and Rentaghost couldn't have been more proud of if they had tried (showing my age here. No i'm not 24).

Now that may just be the longest introduction to any illustration I have ever done, and looking at it I'm surprised the boy will ever sleep again. But I like it. And so did he. And that's all that matters!