Day 150: Drawing Stellaluna with Janell Cannon

Janell Cannon was born in Minnesota in 1957 and was also raised there her whole life. She now lives in Southern California. She has always admired animals of all kinds, but she focused mainly on those animals who have been misunderstood or neglected. Through her drawings and writings, she made these animals seem relatable and approachable. She took their physical appearance and made them into a character that learns about life and also teaches readers a lesson in morals as well. She had a love for bats, Komodo dragons, spiders, and snakes inspired her works in the library. From working in this library, she created summer reading programs about these unusual animals that won multiple awards for such efforts.

She started her illustrating and writing process with her famous work Stellluna. After she came out with the publication of this confused bat, she left her work at the library to focus more on her writing and drawings to create more books for these creatures so they could be known by others. One of the mysterious animals that Cannon created was called a Fuzzhead with a description of their time among humans. She created Stellaluna as a way to reach out to people so that they would no longer have a fear of bats but more affection for these creatures. She even includes how these animals benefit our environment and how they are not here to harm us as humans but are animals who are misunderstood and judged. Also through Stellaluna, Cannon wanted to focus on having her readers to find a mirror in the story and find themselves in the story in their own way. The books Cannon created are to focus on relationships between different characters as well. It incorporates how some animals who would never be among each other in the real world are now friends or related to one another in some way.

Cannon also focuses on putting information on the animals in the back cover of her books along with vocabulary words and factual information about the different creatures so as to inform her readers about these misunderstood creatures. Cannon quotes that she is working on more books to bring out information on creatures that are shunned and disliked by people and offer a type of comfort for people to have as they encounter the realistic animals and think about the Fuzzheads she has created. She continues her work in her studio in Southern California which she shares with a cat and a parrot. Janell Cannon goes to zoos to find animals who receive the meanest comments so she can create a story about this type of animal and offer a way for people to understand this animal instead of showing hatred or a strong dislike for the animal. In all of her writings and illustrations, Cannon wants to portray misunderstood and feared animals that make people uncomfortable as animals that are the same as any other animal; she gives them a voice by creating a story and also giving information to the reader about the animal they wish to avoid. Cannon's works also reach out to readers who have that same feeling of being an outcast and being judged and disliked by others and giving them something to relate to and find some humor and heartwarming topics in as a way to have them look to these creatures as similar beings to them.

“Leaping and looping with his little striped friends, Verdi laughed and said "I may be big and very green, but I'm still me!” 

Visit Janell's Web site!  

Day 149: Drawing Piggie with Mo Willems

#1 New York Times Bestseller Mo Willems began his career as a writer and animator for PBS’ Sesame Street, where he garnered 6 Emmy Awards for his writing. During his nine seasons at Sesame Street, Mo also served as a weekly commentator for BBC Radio and created two animated series, Nickelodeon’s The Off-Beats andCartoon Network’s Sheep in the Big City.

While serving as head writer for Cartoon Network’s #1 rated show,Codename: Kids Next Door, Mo began writing and drawing books for children. His debut effort, Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! became a New York Times Bestseller and was awarded a Caldecott Honor in 2004. The following year Knuffle Bunny: a Cautionary Tale was awarded a Caldecott Honor. The sequel, Knuffle Bunny Too: a Case of Mistaken Identity garnered Mo his third Caldecott Honor in 2008.

In addition to picture books, Mo created the Elephant and Piggie books, a series of “Easy Readers”, which were awarded the Theodor Suess Geisel Medal in 2008 and 2009 and  Geisel Honors in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015. For older audiences he has published an illustrated memoir of his year-long trip around the world in 1990-91 entitled You Can Never Find a Rickshaw When it Monsoons and Don't Pigeonhole Me!, a collection of 20 years of his annual sketchbooks. His books have been translated into over 20 languages.

Mo’s drawings, wire sculptures, and sculpture have exhibited in numerous galleries and museums across the nation, including major retrospectives at The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, MA, the High Museum in Atlanta, GA, and the Seongnam Arts Center in Seoul, South Korea.  His graphic story about his family experiences during 9-11 for DC comics resides in the Library of Congress’ permanent collection.

Mo has been heard on NPR’s All Things Considered, where he briefly served as the broadcast’s ‘Radio Cartoonist’. Mo voices and produces animated cartoons based on his books with Weston Woods studios. The animated Knuffle Bunny was awarded Best Film during the New York International Children’s Film Festival in 2008 and received the Andrew Carnegie Medal in 2007. The animated Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! garnered Mo his second Carnegie Medal in 2010

Mo wrote the script and lyrics for Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musicaland Elephant and Piggie's WE ARE IN A PLAY! Both plays commissioned by and debuted at  the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC and consistently run in productions around the nation.

His monumental sculpture, The Red Elephant, can be viewed in the courtyard of the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art.

Mo lives in Massachusetts with his family.

Visit Mo's Web site! 

Day 148: Drawing Nana with Synthia Saint James

Watch this beautiful story:

She is also popular keynote speaker and architectural designer who has garnered numerous awards over her forty plus year career, including the prestigious Trumpet Award, an Honorary Doctorate Degree from Saint Augustine’s College, NAWBO-L.A.’s Hall of Fame Inductee Award, Women Who Dared Award, and her book Living My Dream: An Artistic Approach to Marketing has been nominated for the 2012 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work-Instructional.

Don't forget to visit Synthia's Web site!  

Day 147: Drawing the Mona Lisa with Salvatore Rubbino

Check Salvatore's How to Draw... the Mona Lisa!

Salvarote's bio, in his own words:

As a child

I liked to daydream and draw a lot when I was small. Now that I'm a lot bigger I still daydream and draw but I call this 'work' instead. I grew up in London very near the Arsenal Stadium in Highbury but unfortunately this didn't make me any better at football. I loved the excitement of living in a big city, where things moved fast and there was always something interesting to point at. In fact, I'm still inspired by city life, the endless cast of characters on the street, the changing architecture and by the thrill of not knowing what I might see around the next corner.

As an adult

I studied printmaking at art college and discovered that you could think about drawing in lots of different ways. I started to combine words with my pictures and this inevitably led to making books and telling stories. I love the way a good story or picture can take you on an adventure and introduce you to wonderful new things. Later on at the Royal College of Art I studied illustration, and in 2005 was short-listed for the Victoria and Albert Museum Illustration Awards for a series of paintings set in New York. This series has been transformed into my first picture book, A Walk in New York, and it charts the adventure of a walk through the Big Apple.

As an artist

Drawing and observation underpins the way I work and helps me to achieve a well-informed response to a project. I like taking my sketchbook with me wherever I go. I have pages full of bumpy drawings made whilst on a train, pages stained by the rain when I've been caught out without an umbrella and other pages contain conversations that I have heard in passing and jotted down. There's always something that sparks off my curiosity when I'm out and about and drawing helps me to understand what I'm looking at. As well as working as an illustrator I teach at various art colleges. Each discipline feeds the other and I always learn a great deal from the students.

Things you didn't know about Salvatore Rubbino

1. I like eating ice cream with my son (he usually ends up eating most of it!).
2. We also like visiting building sites together to watch the diggers and dump trucks 'in action'.
3. When I get stuck for an idea I go for a long walk and this helps me to see things in a new light.
4. I often work on my pictures late at night when everyone else is asleep. You can tune into some strange and wonderful radio programmes that you can't hear at other times.
5. I love travelling by airplane and always ask for the window seat; clouds are so beautiful especially when you see them up close!
6. I hate wearing socks with holes in them.
7. I like to eat smelly cheese but this doesn't make me many friends.
8. I like to read on the train and sometimes miss my stop.
9. I still have the first paintbrush that I ever bought (aged 10).
10. My favourite quote is by the 19th century German thinker, Goethe. He says: "Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it."

Day 146: Drawing Nicholas and Leonardo with Satoshi Kitamura

Satoshi Kitamura is both an author and illustrator. He was born in 1956 in Tokyo. He says that when he was young he read comics and admits that these have had a great influence on his style. He says he was also influenced by anything visual from a tin of sardines to the fine art of the East and the West. He was not trained as an artist, but at the age of 19 began to do commercial work. From 1976-1979 he worked as a commercial artist in Japan, working as an illustrator for adverts and magazines. He moved to London in 1979 and worked mainly designing greeting cards. He started illustrating for Andersen Press in 1981. At this time he had an exhibition of his work at the Neal Street Gallery in Covent Garden, which Klaus Flugge visited and showed him the text of Angry Arthur.

Angry Arthur, written by Hiawyn Oram, was published in 1982 to great acclaim, winning the Mother Goose Award in 1983 and the Japanese Picture Book Award.

In 1989, UFO diary was shortlisted for the Smarties Prize, an award he later went on to win for Me and My Cat, which was also shortlisted for the Kurt Mashler Award. In 2006, Satoshi’s collaboration with Colin McNaughton, Once Upon an Ordinary School Day, won The Japan Picture Book Award for best translated book. 

His book, A Boy Wants a Dinosaur was shown as a children’s play at the Unicorn Theatre and his picture book Sheep in Wolves' Clothing was adapted into the television series Sheep! Which was shown on ITV. 

Satoshi’s book, Millie’s Marvellous Hat, was shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Award in 2010. 

Borrowed from Booktrust.

Remember to visit Satoshi's Web site! 

Day 145: Drawing Guji Guji with Chih-Yuan Chen

Borrowed from Wikipedia and Gecko Press.

Chih-Yuan Chen (Chinese: 陳致元; born 1975), three-time winner of the prestigious Hsin Yi Picture Book Award, is a renowned picture book writer and illustrator from Taiwan. Several of his books have been translated into English, including Guji Guji, the story of a 'crocoduck' described in a review by The New York Times as having "vivid characters...rendered with wit and warmth".

Chen is a three-time winner of the Hsin Yi Picture Book Award. The English-language translation of Guji Guji was an ALA Notable Children's Book and appeared on the New York Times Bestseller List.

"It is my hope that children from all over the world can learn to accept different people and things, and see the world with broader views and minds."

Day 144: Drawing Harry the dirty dog with Margaret Bloy Graham

Margaret's bio, borrowed from The Guardian:

The children’s illustrator Margaret Bloy Graham, who has died aged 94 (22 January 2015), is best known for her pictures for Harry the Dirty Dog, a story written by her first husband, Gene Zion. It was published in 1956 and has been in print ever since.

The tale is of a white dog with black spots who so hates to be bathed that he runs away from home, returning only when he has become a black dog with white spots whom nobody recognises. To re-establish his old life, he has to dig up the scrubbing brush he has buried and jump in the bath. It is a cautionary tale that appeals to adults and children alike; Graham’s Harry is charmingly and convincingly doggy, while Zion’s story captures moments and experiences that are fitting for a dog while also being familiar to many children.

 Margaret Bloy Graham with a copy of Harry the Dirty Dog which first came out in 1956 and has been in print ever since

Further adventures of Harry included No Roses for Harry! (1958) and Harry by the Sea (1965). In addition, Graham and Zion wrote some stand-alone books, such as Dear Garbage Man (1957, published in the UK as Dear Dustman) and The Meanest Squirrel I Ever Met (1962).

Graham was born in Toronto, where her father, Malcolm Graham, was a doctor and her mother, Florence (nee Bloy), a nurse. She grew up in Ontario but spent her holidays in Britain with her grandfather or in the US with her aunt, and always felt she had strong links with both countries. Graham studied art history at the University of Toronto and then undertook further studies at New York University.

At the end of her course, she stayed in New York and pursued a career as a commercial artist, working at Condé Nast, from 1946 to 1956. A year after she arrived there, Zion, also a graphic designer, joined the company and the two married in 1948. She encouraged him to write for children and with Zion’s securely child-focused texts and Graham’s illustrations, which cleverly combined vigorous line-drawn characters set in comfortable surroundings with a soft-coloured wash, the pair became a highly successful partnership.

Their first book, All Falling Down, a story inspired by some sketches of Graham’s, was published in 1951. A couple of similarly simple stories for very young children followed before the publication of Harry the Dirty Dog, which became the first of their books to be available in the UK when it was published by Bodley Head in 1960. The Harry titles were popular from the start and their success in the US was celebrated by the publication of a 50th anniversary edition in 2006.

Graham’s talent was recognised early. She was twice a runner-up for the Caldecott medal (awarded by the American Library Association for the “most distinguished American picture book for children” each year) for her illustrations: for All Falling Down; and for Charlotte Zolotow’s The Storm Book, 1953.

Graham and Zion divorced in 1968. After their split, Graham wrote and illustrated her own stories, beginning with Be Nice to Spiders (1967). She created Benjy, a new doggy character, who first appeared in Benjy and the Barking Bird (1971) and then in several follow-ups, ending with Benjy and his Friend Fifi (1988). She also worked with other authors, including illustrating Jack Prelutsky’s collection The Pack Rat’s Day and Other Poems (1974) and What If? (1987) and It’s Spring! (1989) by Else Homelund Minarik.

Her second marriage, to Oliver Wendell Holmes, ended in divorce.

Margaret Bloy Graham, illustrator, born 2 November 1920; died 22 January 2015.

Day 143: Drawing a Dinosaur with Bob Shea

Bob Shea has written and illustrated over a dozen picture books including the popular Dinosaur vs. Bedtime and the cult favorite Big Plans illustrated by Lane Smith.

Little Brown, Hyperion, HarperCollins, Random House, Simon and Schuster and Dial have all published his work. They are all still in business.

Bob got his start at Comedy Central where he make up stuff and they went along with it. It was great.

His characters and animations have appeared on Nick Jr, Playhouse Disney and PBS Kids.

Bob spends his days writing, drawing and having “conversations” with NPR.

He’s lucky. 

Don't forget to visit Bob's Web site!

Day 142: Drawing an Elephant with Mo Willems

Mo Willems makes funny drawings that hopefully will make you laugh.

Don't forget to visit Mo's Web site! 

Day 141: Drawing a Duckling with Mo Willems

Mo Willems’ works in children’s books, animation, television, theater, and bubble gum card painting have garnered him 3 Caldecott Honors, 2 Geisel Medals, 6 Emmy Awards, 5 Geisel Honors, a Helen Hayes nomination, and multiple bubble gum cards. 

Remember to visit Mo's Web site! 

Day 140: Drawing a Pigeon with Mo Willems

#1 New York Times Bestseller Mo Willems began his career as a writer and animator for PBS’ Sesame Street, where he garnered 6 Emmy Awards for his writing. During his nine seasons at Sesame Street, Mo also served as a weekly commentator for BBC Radio and created two animated series, Nickelodeon’s The Off-Beats andCartoon Network’s Sheep in the Big City.

While serving as head writer for Cartoon Network’s #1 rated show,Codename: Kids Next Door, Mo began writing and drawing books for children. His debut effort, Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! became a New York Times Bestseller and was awarded a Caldecott Honor in 2004. The following year Knuffle Bunny: a Cautionary Tale was awarded a Caldecott Honor. The sequel, Knuffle Bunny Too: a Case of Mistaken Identity garnered Mo his third Caldecott Honor in 2008.

In addition to picture books, Mo created the Elephant and Piggie books, a series of “Easy Readers”, which were awarded the Theodor Suess Geisel Medal in 2008 and 2009 and  Geisel Honors in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015. For older audiences he has published an illustrated memoir of his year-long trip around the world in 1990-91 entitled You Can Never Find a Rickshaw When it Monsoons and Don't Pigeonhole Me!, a collection of 20 years of his annual sketchbooks. His books have been translated into over 20 languages.

Mo’s drawings, wire sculptures, and sculpture have exhibited in numerous galleries and museums across the nation, including major retrospectives at The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, MA, the High Museum in Atlanta, GA, and the Seongnam Arts Center in Seoul, South Korea.  His graphic story about his family experiences during 9-11 for DC comics resides in the Library of Congress’ permanent collection.

Mo has been heard on NPR’s All Things Considered, where he briefly served as the broadcast’s ‘Radio Cartoonist’. Mo voices and produces animated cartoons based on his books with Weston Woods studios. The animated Knuffle Bunny was awarded Best Film during the New York International Children’s Film Festival in 2008 and received the Andrew Carnegie Medal in 2007. The animated Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! garnered Mo his second Carnegie Medal in 2010

Mo wrote the script and lyrics for Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musicaland Elephant and Piggie's WE ARE IN A PLAY! Both plays commissioned by and debuted at  the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC and consistently run in productions around the nation.

His monumental sculpture, The Red Elephant, can be viewed in the courtyard of the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art.

Mo lives in Massachusetts with his family.

Visit Mo's Web site! 

Day 139: Drawing Brave Irene with William Steig

I loved this story and its brave protagonist, little Irene:

William Steig (1907-2003) was a cartoonist, illustrator and author of award-winning books for children, including Shrek!, on which the DreamWorks movies are based. Steig was born in New York City. 

Every member of his family was involved in the arts, and so it was no surprise when he decided to become an artist. He attended City College and the National Academy of Design. In 1930, Steig’s work began appearing in The New Yorker, where his drawings have been a popular fixture ever since. 

He published his first children's book, Roland the Minstrel Pig, in 1968. In 1970, Steig received the Caldecott Medal for Sylvester and the Magic Pebble. His books for children also include Dominic; The Real Thief; The Amazing Bone, a Caldecott Honor Book; Amos & Boris, a National Book Award finalist; and Abel's Island and Doctor De Soto, both Newbery Honor Books. Steig's books have also received the Christopher Award, the Irma Simonton Black Award, the William Allen White Children's Book Award, and the American Book Award. 

His European awards include the Premio di Letteratura per l'infanzia (Italy), the Silver Pencil Award (the Netherlands), and the Prix de la Fondation de France. On the basis of his entire body of work, Steig was selected as the 1982 U.S. candidate for the Hans Christian Andersen Medal for Illustration and subsequently as the 1988 U.S. candidate for Writing. He died in Boston at the age of 95.

Day 138: Drawing Camilla Cream with David Shannon

I based my drawing on this amazing video (hope you like it!)!

Internationally acclaimed picture-book creator David Shannon has always been an artist. At the age of five, he wrote and illustrated his first book. On every page were pictures of David doing things he was not supposed to do — and these words: No, David! — the only words he knew how to spell! Many years later, when his mother sent him that book, Shannon was inspired to write and illustrate his now-classic bestseller and Caldecott Honor Book No, David!

In the books he writes, Shannon often uses incidents and people from his own life. His daughter made animal noises before she could talk, so Shannon wrote Duck on a Bike, a story with lots of quacks, moos, oinks, and woofs. His entertaining picture book about a West Highland terrier, Good Boy, Fergus!, features the beloved family dog, and how can anyone with children not guess where Shannon got the idea for Too Many Toys?

In 1993, Shannon published How Georgie Radbourn Saved Baseball, the first book he wrote himself (as an adult!). It was a New York Times Best Illustrated Book of the Year, and in 2011, the Blue Sky Press published it again with a colorful new cover. Since then, he has written and illustrated numerous award-winning, bestselling books, including A Bad Case of Stripes; Alice the Fairy; The Rain Came Down; and three more picture books featuring David: David Gets in Trouble; David Goes to School.; and most recently, It’s Christmas, David!

Shannon once again breaks new ground with a dramatic but funny “fish tale” called Jangles: A BIG Fish Story, told by a father to his son. Luminous oil paintings pull the reader into a wild adventure when a boy pursues a very big fish that has eluded capture longer than anyone can remember. A page-turning tale that will mesmerize readers, Jangles: A BIG Fish Story was drawn from Shannon’s experiences as an avid fisherman...and teller of tales. Here is a stunning, engaging picture book that begs to be read aloud again and again.

Born in Washington, D.C., Shannon grew up in Spokane, Washington. He graduated from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, and then moved to New York City. His illustrations have appeared in a wide variety of publications, including The New York Times, Time, and Rolling Stone. And his art has graced a number of book jackets.

David Shannon now lives in Los Angeles with his wife, their daughter, and their dog, Fergus.

Watch a video interview with David Shannon. 

Day 137: Drawing Mr Munroe with Chris Riddell

Check Chris's tutorial!

Chris Riddell (born 13 April 1962) is a British illustrator and occasional writer of children's books and a political cartoonist for The Observer. He has won two Kate Greenaway Medals, the British librarians' annual award for the best-illustrated children's book, and two of his works were commended runners-up, a distinction dropped after 2002. Books that he wrote or illustrated have won three Nestlé Smarties Book Prizes and have been silver or bronze runners-up four times. On 9 June 2015 he was appointed the UK Children's Laureate.

Visit Chris's Web site!

Day 136: Drawing a ghostly mouse with Chris Riddell

Check Chris's tutorial!

Chris Riddell (born 13 April 1962) is a British illustrator and occasional writer of children's books and a political cartoonist for The Observer. He has won two Kate Greenaway Medals, the British librarians' annual award for the best-illustrated children's book, and two of his works were commended runners-up, a distinction dropped after 2002. Books that he wrote or illustrated have won three Nestlé Smarties Book Prizes and have been silver or bronze runners-up four times. On 9 June 2015 he was appointed the UK Children's Laureate.

Remember to visit Chris's Web site!

Day 135: Drawing Ottoline with Chris Riddell

Check out Chris Riddell's tutorial!

Chris Riddell (born 13 April 1962) is a British illustrator and occasional writer of children's books and a political cartoonist for The Observer. He has won two Kate Greenaway Medals, the British librarians' annual award for the best-illustrated children's book, and two of his works were commended runners-up, a distinction dropped after 2002. Books that he wrote or illustrated have won three Nestlé Smarties Book Prizes and have been silver or bronze runners-up four times. On 9 June 2015 he was appointed the UK Children's Laureate.

Don't forget to visit Chris's Web site!

Day 134: Drawing a Spiderwick character with Tony DiTerlizzi

Check out Tony DiTerlizzi's tutorial!

Quick Bio:

New York Times bestselling author and illustrator, Tony DiTerlizzi, has been creating books for over a decade. From his fanciful picture books like The Spider & The Fly (a Caldecott Honor book), to chapter books like Kenny and The Dragon and the WondLa trilogy, Tony always imbues his stories with a rich imagination. With Holly Black, he created the middle-grade series, The Spiderwick Chronicles, which has sold millions of copies, been adapted into a feature film, and has been translated in over thirty countries. In 2014, he teamed up with Lucasfilm to retell the original Star Wars trilogy in a picture book. This year, a highly-anticipated collection of his early work, REALMS: The Roleplaying Game Art of Tony DiTerlizzi was released. October will see the debut of The Story of Diva & Flea, a collaboration with fellow kid’s lit bestseller, Mo Willems. Tony’s work as been featured in Time magazine, USA Today, CNN, PBS, the BBC and The Today Show.


Detailed Bio:

Dragons, space monsters, goblins and insects: the characters that inhabit storyteller Tony DiTerlizzi’s world haven’t changed since he was a kid growing up in South Florida.

Born in Los Angeles, California in 1969, DiTerlizzi is the oldest of three siblings raised in an artistically rich household. He started drawing at a very young age including a crayon mural of Winnie-the-Pooh on his freshly painted bedroom walls.

One of his first hand-made books was on his favorite subject; dinosaurs, and was done for a Boy Scout merit badge. Fascinated by nature’s endless designs, Tony made another book, this time on insects, carefully drawn from his own collection.

In 1981, after seeing Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal and playing Dungeons & Dragons, the 12 year-old Tony spent the summer writing and illustrating an entire field guide on fantastic creatures. He would return to this premise many years later as the genesis for The Spiderwick Chronicles.

By the time he graduated high school, DiTerlizzi had dreams of becoming a children’s book creator. He attended several art schools including, Florida School of the Arts and the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, receiving his degree in graphic design in 1992.

After graduating, the 23 year-old DiTerlizzi began working freelance for TSR, publisher of Dungeons & Dragons – the game that had inspired him so much as a child. He illustrated many fantastical images of warriors, wizards and monsters over the next 6 years, and also contributed to the collectible card game Magic: the Gathering.

A move to New York City in 1996 brought Tony to the center of the publishing world. At last, his dream of writing and illustrating outstanding imaginative books for children could be realized. And he did it at Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

In 2000, his first picture book, Jimmy Zangwow’s Out-of-this-World Moon Pie Adventure debuted. Inspired by Windsor McKay’s Little Nemo in Slumberland and Norman Rockwell, the story of a young space adventurer in search of his favorite snack garnered positive reviews. Kirkus compared Tony’s work to that of David Wiesner and William Joyce. More importantly, children loved the book.

The next year, he followed up with Ted, the story of a workaholic single parent trying to find time for his son and his mischievous imaginary friend. Once again, the book was well received, and it won several state awards including the University of Chicago’s Zena Sutherland Book Award.

His third picture book, The Spider and The Fly, was based on Mary Howitt’s famous 1829 poem. Here, DiTerlizzi exhibited his love of insects and arachnids as he rendered Chaz Addams-esque paintings of the intrepid spider and the guileless fly. The result was a critically acclaimed, New York Times bestseller. It won a Caldecott Honor, an award for high artistic achievement in children’s publishing, in 2003. Tony’s career as a creator of children’s books was on its way.

During a magazine interview on his work for Dungeons & Dragons, DiTerlizzi met up-and-coming writer Holly Black. A fellow fantasy and folklore lover, the two became fast friends and Tony showed her sketches he was working on for a field guide to fantastic creatures. Black began helping him, and the two created the chapter book series The Spiderwick Chronicles.

Spiderwick followed the adventures of three New England children who unearth an old John James Audubon-styled field guide to fairies, trolls and goblins. No sooner do they find the tome, they then discover that all of its subjects are real and want the guide. The Spiderwick Chronicles were loved by children and adults alike, and was published in over 30 countries, selling over 12 million copies to date.

Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies released a live action adaptation of The Spiderwick Chronicles in 2008 starring Freddie Highmore, Mary Louise-Parker and Nick Nolte. The film was well received by critics and the public, remaining in the top 3 at the box office for a number of weeks.

In 2006, Tony took a break from Spiderwick, returning to the picture book format with his nonsense alphabet book, G is For One Gzonk! Next, he and Holly continued the Spiderwick saga in the new series, Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles. The latest Spiderwick story arc followed a new set of kids dealing with giants, mermaids and nixies in the hot, humid tropics of South Florida.

DiTerlizzi’s passion for crafting more chapter books for young imaginations continued with 2008’s Kenny and The Dragon. Inspired by The Reluctant Dragon, it tells the story of a young, bookish rabbit who becomes friends with a happy-go-lucky drake. As the two become best friends, the king orders the town dragon-slayer to execute the beast – and it is up to the rabbit, Kenny, to stop him. The book became a New York Times bestseller the week of its release and was nominated for several state book awards.

He followed Kenny by teaming up with his wife, Angela, on a silly series of young picture books, Adventure of Meno. Meno, the space elf, and his best friend (a jellyfish named Yamagoo) do not speak in correct grammar and go on ridiculous adventures where they are visited by a variety of guests such as David Hasselhoff and Eddie Vedder.

2010 marked a decade of creating books for children for Tony. He celebrated by returning to aliens and spaceships with a trio of futuristic fairy tales known as the WondLa trilogy. The first story, The Search for WondLa follows a 12-year old girl, Eva Nine, who is raised underground by a robot. Eva discovers that she is the only human alive on an alien planet and begins searching for others like her. The illustrated novel debuted as a New York Times bestseller and was featured on the Today show.

Tony realized a childhood dream by teaming up with Lucasfilm to create a picture book retelling the Star Wars film trilogy. Featuring the original concept art by Academy award-winning artist, Ralph McQuarrie, Tony spun the tale of good versus evil in “a galaxy far, far away” for a new generation of readers.

This year, Dark Horse and Kitchen Sink Books collected Tony’s early work from the beginning of his career in REALMS: The Roleplaying Game Art of Tony DiTerlizzi. The artist marked the occasion by returning to his gaming roots and creating new images of old favorite monsters like goblins, beholders and owl bears.

This fall, The Story of Diva & Flea will be released. This short middle-grade novel follows an unlikely duo of an alley cat and a pampered dog in the grand city of Paris marks a team up with Tony and celebrated kid’s lit icon, Mo Willems.

Tony works with his wife, Angela, and lives in Amherst, Massachusetts with their daughter.

Visit Tony's Web site!

Day 133: Drawing a a sunset with Jenni Desmond

Check out Jenni Desmond's How to Draw... a sunset!

Jenni's bio, in her own words:

I am an artist and a picture book writer and illustrator, based in Hackney, London UK.  My first book Red Cat Blue Cat won the 2013 Cambridgeshire Read It Again Award, and my books have been translated into twelve languages.  I was the 2014 illustrator for the National Portrait Gallery Family Trail, and have exhibited my work at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, London Design Week, and London AAF.

I aim to make my work entertaining, beautiful and funny. I love hidden depth both visually and narratively. I work primarily by hand, and then scan my work into the computer to clean it up. I am inspired by Japanese art and aesthetics, interior design, nature, people-watching, cycle rides, travel, textures, fabrics, architecture, films, literature, food, photography and exhibitions.  

When I am not creating in my studio, I love to cook, drink ale in old english pubs and to go for long walks, cycles and adventures.

 For more information here is an interview - - -

http://www.playingbythebook.net/2012/09/13/an-interview-with-jenni-desmond/

CLIENTS INCLUDE:
Walker Books (UK), Vermillion - Random House (UK), Quire Cards (Holland), Papyrus (USA), Oxford University Press (UK), National Portrait Gallery (UK), NEXT (UK), Little Tiger Books (UK), Gestalten Books (Germany), Fuji Sangyo Stationary (Japan), Folens Publishers (Ireland), Enchanted Lion Books (USA), CardMix (UK), Camden Graphics (UK), BR Books (Korea), Blue Apple Books (USA), American Greetings (USA)

EXHIBITIONS INCLUDE:

Summer Exhibition: Royal Academy of Art (London), Affordable Art Fair (London), The Poundshop: London Design Week/ KK Outlet/ ICA (London), A-side B-side Gallery: Call of the Wild/ A Long Way From Home (London), Telling Tales: Avery Contemporary Art (Kent), Open Studios: Whirled Art (London), Brighton Festival, Joint exhibition with Amy Wiggin: Firestation Gallery (Henley)

AWARDS:

Winner - The Cambridgeshire Children's Picture Book Award'13

Winner - Batchelder Award'14 (artwork for Truus Matti tr.Laura Watkinson MISTER ORANGE)

EDUCATION

BA English and Art History (2:1, 2006, Sussex University) 

MA Childrens Book Illustration (Dist., 2011, Cambridge School of Art ARU)

Remember to visit Jenni's Web site!