Hi. I'm Melissa. Here are a few quick facts about me.
Favorite color: Don't have one--I love them all. Favorite children's book as a kid: The Monster at the End of this Book. My mom even recorded me reading it, which was hilarious. Favorite children's book now: This month's is The Snurtch. Favorite art media: Watercolor. A favorite thing to do: Go for a nature walk with our poodles. A place I'd love to visit: England, Norway, New Zealand ... do I have to pick just one? Motto: Always look on the bright side of life. (Borrowed from Monty Python.) Not-so-guilty pleasure: Chocolate, of course! And below is more of my story. |
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How I became an illustrator...
When I was a little girl, my dream job was to be a children’s book illustrator. But this seemed impractical, improbable and impossible.
So I grew up and worked “real” jobs: dental assistant, pizza maker, cleaning lady, and even a stint as a face painter and caricaturist at the Toledo Zoo in Ohio. Art was mainly a hobby. Friends and family kept urging me to use my talent in a professional as well as personal way. It was more than a little scary, but I gulped, took the leap and became a freelance artist.
Since 2009, it has been an absolute blast and privilege to illustrate 48 children’s books, and I've even written one of my own, the board book Pug Is Happy published by Pygmy Giraffe Publishing. It's been amazing to work with clients from all over the world, including far-flung places like the Netherlands and Australia, and some pretty cool organizations too (like the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum).
Forever a kid at heart, I live a quiet life in rural Michigan, which is just how I like it. Almost every day, you can find me in my sometimes-sunny studio, happily surrounded by poodles and art supplies.
So I grew up and worked “real” jobs: dental assistant, pizza maker, cleaning lady, and even a stint as a face painter and caricaturist at the Toledo Zoo in Ohio. Art was mainly a hobby. Friends and family kept urging me to use my talent in a professional as well as personal way. It was more than a little scary, but I gulped, took the leap and became a freelance artist.
Since 2009, it has been an absolute blast and privilege to illustrate 48 children’s books, and I've even written one of my own, the board book Pug Is Happy published by Pygmy Giraffe Publishing. It's been amazing to work with clients from all over the world, including far-flung places like the Netherlands and Australia, and some pretty cool organizations too (like the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum).
Forever a kid at heart, I live a quiet life in rural Michigan, which is just how I like it. Almost every day, you can find me in my sometimes-sunny studio, happily surrounded by poodles and art supplies.
