Illustrators

 

The Internet has become a great source of information about a great many children's writers and illustrators. The websites listed here include authors' personal websites and websites maintained by fans, scholars, and readers.

If you don't find an author here, you might want to try some other Internet sources of information about authors and books. Bear in mind though that if you can't find anything about the author online, you may still be able to find something in a library.

indicates an Internet resource that in my opinion is particularly valuable.

Meet the Authors and Illustrators:
If you are interested in scheduling an appearance with an author or illustrator, please check the appropriate Web page and contact that person directly. If no contact information is available, please contact the publisher.

 

Showcasing illustration, graphics, drawing, painting, graphic design and artwork from around the UK and the world. The resource for commissioning agents publishers, art directors and anyone involved in buying illustration.
Examples of the work can be seen here at yo

 

Brighton Illustrators Group
Brighton, East Sussex, has a great variety of talented artists producing high quality work.
Brighton Illustrators Group (BIG) is a collection of some of the best illustrators, from the region, on the web.

Join BIG

ur one-stop illustrator shop.

 

Introduction

The world of children’s book illustration is filled with prolific and accomplished men and women. My curiosity about some of my predecessors sent me on a quest to discover the history of this noble profession and its participants. I was surprised to find in book after book that very few women were included. There was a mention here or there and a few images, but little else. The number of women’s biographies seemed disproportionately low compared to the number of women illustrators involved in the children’s book field. 

As a women starting out in the illustration field, I was curious about the lives of other women illustrators. How did they manage their time? What compromises did they make? How did their art affect their lives? Did work interfere with family life? How did the events or people in these women’s lives shape their artwork? Who or what were their influences? In short, did their life drive their art or did their art drive their life? For most, the answer will be both, so I have focused on to what extent the two were intertwined. You will find my conclusions for each woman under the heading ‘Raison d’Être’.

Included is a brief history of children’s book publishing and it’s relationship to the women involved. I do not profess to be an expert on the topic, only a casual observer.  With a Euro-centric perspective, it is filled with some fascinating insights into worldly events that shaped the industry and the role that women have filled in it.

My reason for creating this project is two-fold: I wanted to learn more about those that came before me and I was moved to rescue these accomplished women from obscurity.  My criteria for choosing an artist to include was to simply select any female children’s book illustrator who has an interesting life story to tell. For many, personal information sadly is not available, but whenever possible, anecdotes and images by some of these women are also included. Perhaps these additions may spark someone else’s interest to dig deeper. Let’s not let these talented women slip any further into obscurity.

This project was created as an independent study in art history for college credit. Rather than writing a paper that very few people would see, I envisioned an enjoyable website from which all might learn. In that regard, please respect the copyrights of the images. They are included for educational purposes only and are not to be copied for any reason.

 

Kay E. Vandergrift

Many readers are curious about the creators of the books they enjoy. The more than six hundred links to author/illustrator sites included here will help to satisfy that curiosity. Young people especially want to know about their favorite authors/illustrators because they often feel that an author/illustrator is speaking directly and personally to them through the work. Learning about authors/illustrators can also help young people see possible connections between a creator's life and the works created and encourage them to consider different techniques and approaches to the compositional act.

Included in the sites below are children's and young adult authors and illustrators as well as many adult authors commonly read by young adults.

Learning About Biography

It is important to consider some of the latest critical and scholarly work about biography and autobiography in order to recognize and appreciate developments in these genres for both adults and young people.

Reading Author/Illustrator Biography and Autobiography

There are many biographies and autobiographies of children's authors and illustrators that increase interest and provide insight into their work.

Learning About Authors/Illustrators and Their Work

The author/illustrator sites included in this website are not intended to contain comprehensive information about particular authors/illustrators. Rather some contain biographical, bibliographic, and critical data along with personal responses to selected works, while others provide a small taste of an author's/illustrator's work. The intent is to give site visitors an introduction to and a flavor of the author's/illustrator's work. Additional author/illustrator sites are added on a regular basis

 

GUILD OF
NATURAL SCIENCE
ILLUSTRATORS, Inc.

 

Founded at the Smithsonian Institution in 1968, the Guild has grown to become part of the global community. It is a non-profit organization that sets high professional standards, provides opportunities for professional and scholarly development, encourages and assists member networking, and promotes itself to potential clients and the general public.