I know that sketching is delaying my painting but it is so worth the effort.  Drawing is the fundamental skill that brings a painting to life.  I will sketch one more dog and then move onto a different animal.  My focus is still on teeth, their usefulness and how some animals can manage perfectly well without them.  I am thinking of the text all the while I am sketching.  I have pages of ideas but will need some time to pull it all together.  I like rhyming and alliteration but I also like story telling with a narrator.  I tackle anything I do by first going into an overload of ideas; it can be quite exhausting; eventually I sift through all the material, the ideas and end up with what I want after many drafts and after paring back unnecessary detail.  I must love it or I wouldn't do it!!