Oh, you’re still here?

So you want to know more details like the fact that I’ve been hit by not one but two cars...I’m just not that easy to kill...or the fact that I can state all 44 prepositions in alphabetical order in 20 seconds from memory - a bet I had with my father when I was in 7th grade that I can’t seem to shake...or that my mom taught John Lithgow in the third grade and she used to tell us that he was “very quiet” and “not at all like an actor”...or how I saved our family of seven from drowning in the dismal swamp in North Carolina when I was 14 - true story. 

I used to pretend to read when I was in elementary school because I hated reading so much. I thought I was stupid because my older sister did very well in school while I earned horrible grades in math, english, and science. I used to think I would never amount to anything because my father and mother were both college educated and puzzled as to why I was struggling so much. Fast forward a few decades and lots of self esteem building illustration clients later I realized it was the system - not me. It’s criminal that our antiquated public school system sifts children for auditory learners while discarding kinesthetic and visual learners.

I’m a co-founder of the wildly famous 3 Point Perspective podcast where we discuss everything about the career of illustration. If you’re an aspiring illustrator you can’t afford to miss our show! 

I love to vlog! I have a Youtube channel too. I give advice and updates on my projects here too. I never knew I would enjoy making videos but I love the way technology has removed the barrier between artists and their audiences. I get about 100 emails/ day from people all over the world who read or listen to my advice and ask me questions. I love reading my emails and often I can’t respond to all of them, the comments on my youtube channel, blog, facebook, twitter, pinterest, tumblr, etc - but I enjoy reading all of them. I copy some of them into a word doc to make future youtube videos and blog posts. I keep this ongoing list and never run out of something to talk/write about. 

I love to teach. I used to teach at BYU and UVU in Utah but now my classes can be found at www.svslearn.com an online school that Jake parker, Lee White and I began in the Spring of 2013. We teach illustration classes for anyone aspiring to illustrate picture books, graphic novels, comics, story apps, etc. I find that teaching gives me just as much as I give. The more you teach the more you’re able to analyze your own work. Our classes are rich with experience that we have brought from our teaching at University illustration experience combined with our professional illustration careers.  

I love to illustrate. I’m fascinated watching children respond to pictures and stories. I love creating characters and bringing them to life through emotions and actions - costumes and environments. I got my first children’s book assignment back in 1997 - Pizza Pat for Random House and it sold over a half million copies - I was spoiled from the start! I began working in acrylic paint in the early 90’s and switched to working in Photoshop in 2010. I started with my first graphics tablet - a Wacom Intuos 3 connected to my PC. In 2013 I purchased my first cintiq monitor - best investment I’ve ever made. It allows me to work directly on the screen and the workflow is amazingly fast and accurate. Check out my illustration portfolio!

Pickleball Paul is my current BIG project! I wrote and illustrated this book for all of us who were never picked first, were not the best, or who picked up a paddle for the first time. I think anyone who plays the sport of Pickleball will easily relate to this story as well as those who have struggled in any sport. I love the way children react when they read my book! Paul overcomes his fears, makes friends, and learns a lot about himself through this hero’s journey!

My wife Lilly and I love mountain biking, hiking, camping but most of all - Pickleball!! And we play almost every day in beautiful Arizona!
 

Guest Speaking:
 

BYU

BYU Idaho

UVU

SUU

Ringling College of Art & Design

SCBWI Utah

SCBWI Missouri

SCBWI Chicago

SCBWI Atlanta

SCBWI Colorado Springs

SCBWI South Dakota

Rocky Mountain College of Design

SCBWI Hawaii

SCBWI Alaska

Utah Librarians Association

Clients:

Publishing:

Harcourt Brace

Holt Rinehart & Winston

Hooked on Phonics

Houghton Mifflin

McGraw Hill

Oxford University Press

Random House

Scholastic

Simon & Schuster

Leap Frog

Penguin

Albert Whitman

Pearson

National Geographic Kids

Klutz

Editorial:

Arizona Highways

Backpacker

Better Homes & Gardens

Bicycling

Detroit Free Press

Disney Channel Mag

Family PC

Fortune

Healthy Woman

Home Office Computing

Kiplinger Personal Finance

LA Times

Mac User

Mac World

Mix

Money

National Geographic Kids

Post Graduate Medicine

psychology today

Pulse

Seventeen

Wall Street Journal

Washington Post

Advertising:

Anderson Windows

Bell South

California Music Awards

Celebrity Cruise Lines

Cellular One

Chase

Fed Ex

General Life

Kimberly Clark

Master Card

M&M Mars

Northern Telecom

Oppenheimer Funds

Parker Brothers

Pfizer

Pizza Hut

Pepsi

Qwest

San Diego Zoo

S.E. Johnson Wax

Sprint

St Francis Hospital

Target

Yankee Candle