Thursday, December 12, 2013

Meet the artist #19

Our Dec. 12 Winter Celebration is TODAY! (More info and registration here.) Get ready for the fun with more mini-profiles of the SCBWI-WWA artists featured at that event at the Washington State Convention Center. Or check them ALL out online here. See you tonight!

Mike Cressy

Why did you choose to submit your particular piece of art?
Fresh off winning an award for my Super Alphabet poster at the Society of Illustrators Los Angeles annual show, I thought it would be a good choice. But then I thought that an alternative idea for a picture book, featuring space aliens as different parts of the alphabet, might be cool. So I sent it in. It's more fun than the Super Alphabet poster. Not better, but more fun.

What does being part of SCBWI mean to you?
Having been a member of SCBWI for at least 15 or 16 years now, I remember going to the international conference in Los Angeles and thinking that the people who attended, with a few exceptions, were very friendly, fun people who did their best not only to find a way to publish their work but to help others find their way into the publishing world. That remains true today. I've worked in many different commercial art areas, and this group is by far the best to work with. I can see myself being a member till the end of my days.

What is your favorite picture book from childhood?
Growing up in a household of five kids left me with very little time to read. But I had stacks of well-illustrated books in my corner of the room, and I've got a few favorites from that time. One is The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins by Dr. Seuss. Another is Homer Price by Robert McCloskey.

Fun fact: Mike has done design or illustration work for everyone from Disney to Playboy. Learn more, and see more images, on STQRY here.

*excluding only those lazy bones or privacy freaks who don't answer our email questions, of course. We love them anyway.

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