Brian: I was always curious as to the advice that you would give to other professionals just starting out. Specifically those who liked storytelling work but whose real love was illustrative pin-ups?

Stevens: The only advice I can give is to draw what moves you. If you feel you have stories to tell, give it a shot. For some artists, sequential storytelling comes very naturally; for others it's sheer torture. In either case, it requires a considerable commitment and willingness to fail (perhaps often!), as you learn the craft.

Pin-up illustration has its own disciplines and pitfalls as well. On the surface, it may look incredibly easy, but that's part of the seduction. In truth, only a very few artists this past century have captured its essense.
The basics of it: anatomy, design, color, is easily understood by most competent artists. BUT, what's often missed are the crucial elements of subtlety, softness, and personality. I can't stress these enough. In my own attempts at pinup work, I fail quite frequently. Mostly due to weak design, unnecessary detail, or clumsy rendering, but I'm always conscious of the importance of nuance, and the fact that, without it... all you have is a nice drawing.

Drew: Will you ever have a published sketch book? I'm a doodler, and I'd love to see what you study and techniques you use to build your pieces, or layout Comic pages. Even the evolution from story to page would be great.

Stevens: There are definite plans to do a comprehensive retrospective volume that would include a large number of unpublished roughs, comps, and sketches from past projects. Along with many unused Rocketeer layouts, unfinished short stories, pinups, character concepts, commercial work, etc. No publisher has been chosen yet, so, I can't say when the book will be available. But, as it progresses, you'll certainly be reading about it here.