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By Michelle Kogan Early Years and Art Schools Hop aboard! We’re going on a multicolored journey, through my interrelated art pursuits of illustration, painting, and writing. As a young child I was always creating, in crayon, paint, words, and pictures. I was also very encouraged; my mom was a spot illustrator, constantly reading with me, Continue reading Journey with an Illustrator, Painter, and Writer By Kelli Roos The oddly shaped stack of notebooks and speed paintings add to the eclectic look of my space. The pile sits next to the bookshelf in my less than perfect living room, not hidden from public view. It has lain there long enough that even the corner of my eye doesn’t see it anymore. My Continue reading Piles By Janet McDonnell I’ve always been kind of jealous of those people who can say, “I knew from my very earliest years that’d I’d grow up to be an artist.” I did NOT always know I’d be an illustrator. In fact, sometimes I’m surprised to hear myself say I’m an illustrator. Yes, I always loved drawing, Continue reading An Illustrator’s Long and Winding Road By Amy Lowry “Ya live ya, and ya learn ya” is a favorite expression in our household. My ninety-one-year-old mother-in-law delivers it particularly well, gently wagging her finger and shaking her head as she speaks. Born in Italy and raised in the Bronx, NY, she has had quite a life. She has thirty-six years’ more experience than Continue reading Ya Live Ya, and Ya Learn Ya By Scott Gustafson © 2011, Scott Gustafson. All rights reserved. Of the fifty-five years of my life thus far on this planet, I’ve had the great good fortune of spending more than thirty as an illustrator. Even though there were early stages when I found myself wanting to become either a truck driver, a cartoonist, or Continue reading My Life as an Illustrator-So Far By Louann Brown The Downstate Illustration network members pose for a photo at the Sugar Grove Nature Center in McLean, IL. Included in the photo are, front row (l to r) : Kelly Roos, Robin Luebs, Louise Audrieth; back row ( l to r) Cinda Bauman, Rachel Hasenyager, Jerry Barret, Jill Wallace, Monty Mittleton, and Continue reading Introducing the SCBWI-IL Downstate Illustration Network By Terri Murphy Who are the members of the SCBWI Chicago Area Illustrators Network? We are hunters, gatherers, and foragers. We gather once a month and forage through each other’s creative efforts looking for hidden treasure. We sniff out newbies and examine their artistic strengths. We hunt for speakers who can illuminate us. But we are no Continue reading The Clan of the Illustrators Network By Kathleen Spale Over the holidays, I fell into my annual tradition of eating candy canes and watching classic holiday movies…A Charlie Brown Christmas, A Christmas Carol, Miracle on 34th Street, and, of course, It’s a Wonderful Life. Looking back at the history of my illustrating career, I cannot help but feel like the angel Clarence who, Continue reading It’s a Wonderful Illustrator’s Life By Mister Proteus His home is decorated in shades of oaken browns and charcoal greys, camel beiges and antiqued golds. An oversized clock here, a crumbling cherub there, and florid tables with ornately carved legs prowl the room. A thick light illuminates this tintype atmosphere, where I am to interview one John Aardema, an illustrator of picture Continue reading Bountiful Reverie: An Interview with John Aardema By Neil Shapiro
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Like so many of the illustrators who have written about their publishing experience in these pages, I knew from an early age that I was destined for a life spent creating visual imagery. I began by copying cartoon characters (my favorite was Dennis the Menace). I went on to draw my way through school at every level. My identity has always been defined by my artistic ability.