On this day, December 4, 1884, Lawrence Sterne Stevens was born in Pontiac, Michigan. At 21 Stevens moved to Minneapolis to work as a newspaper pressman and cartoonist. While there he studied at the Minneapolis School of Fine Arts and then in Antwerp at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. After WWI Stevens worked as a
On this day, December 3, 1880, illustrator and painter Harold Mathews Brett was born in Middleboro, Massachusetts. Brett studied at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Art Students League in New York, and with Howard Pyle in Wilmington, Delaware. Brett worked for mainstream magazines like Harper’s Weekly and created illustrations for
On this day, December 2, 1946, author and illustrator David Macaulay was born in Lancashire, England. After studying at the Rhode Island School of Design in architecture, Macaulay began creating and illustrating children’s books focused primarily on architecture and engineering. His 1990 book Black and White was awarded a Caldecott Medal.
On this day, December 1, 1981, comic book and comic artist Russ Manning died in California. After studying at the Los Angeles County Art Institute and service in the Army, Manning illustrated newspaper comics like Tarzan and Star Wars. He also was a comic book artist who created the series Magnus and Robot Fighter.
On this day, November 30, 1952, comic book illustrator and writer Keith Ian Giffen was born in Queens, New York. Among his (co-) creations was the Justice League International series, co-wrote Freak Force, and the alien mercenary character Lobo. Giffen has also worked on storyboards for television’s The Real Ghostbusters.
On this day, November 29, 1952, Doug L. Beekman was born in Findlay, Ohio. After studying at the School of Visual Arts and the Art Students League of New York, Beekman began creating illustrations for fantasy and science fiction books and magazines.
On this day, November 28, 1931, illustrator and author Tomi Ungerer was born in Strasbourg, France. As a young man Ungerer was inspired by illustrations in The New Yorker magazine. In 1957 he moved to the U. S. and his first children’s book was published and he also did illustrations for many popular magazines. In 1998
On this day, November 27, 1894, illustrator and author Katherine Milhous was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After studies at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and at the Philadelphia Museum of Industrial Art, Milhous worked producing illustrations for magazines and for the Federal Art Project. She began to create books and book illustrations in the late 1930s
On this day, November 26, 2005, illustrator Stan Berenstain died in Solebury Township, Pennsylvania. Along with his wife Jan Berenstain, he studied at the Philadelphia Museum School of Industrial Art. They began to create books together in the early 1950s, producing over 300 books in 23 languages, including their Berenstain Bear volumes.
On this day, November 25, 1971, illustrator and children’s book author Matthew J. Baek was born Seoul, South Korea. After working for USAID, Baek’s illustrations have appeared in many publications. His books include, In God’s Hands and Be Gentle with the Dog, Dear.