About the Book
Draw It With Me (DIWM) 2020 Annual 1 features "The World's Best Artwork Created By Our Youth," and this year we are proud to introduce our very first edition, which will showcase some of the most amazing young talent in the visual arts today. The winning selections showcased in our very first lavishly produced volume were selected by world-class artists Heather Edwards, Howard Llyon, Paul Mann, Kraig Varner, and Gina Vasquez. With the 2020 theme "Open Your Imagination," we were pleased to see an influx of exceptional images and imaginative ideas in the categories of drawing, painting, dimensional artwork and photography. Chosen entries included in this volume were submitted by youth ranging in age from eight years to twenty, and the progression is fun to see as you flip through the annual's over 200 full-color illustrated pages. We have extraordinary creators among us working in every style and medium-both traditional and digital. This first edition features amazing works by our esteemed jury as well as the young and diverse visionaries whose works were chosen, including eight featured First Place winners, sixteen Honorable Mentions, and our Grand Prize "Member's Choice" award winners. The DIWM 2020 Annual hopes to continue to be able to showcase the excellence established in this flagship volume for many years to come! Thank you for your support of young artists everywhere!
About the Author :
Brian C. Hailes, creator of Draw It With Me (www.drawitwithme.com), is also the award-winning writer/illustrator of the illustrated novel, Blink, two graphic novels, entitled Dragon's Gait and Devil's Triangle, and the children's picture books Skeleton Play and Don't Go Near the Crocodile Ponds. Other titles he has illustrated include Heroic: Tales of the Extraordinary, Passion & Spirit: The Dance Quote Book, Continuum (Arcana Studios), as well as McKenna, McKenna, Ready to Fly, and Grace & Sylvie: A Recipe for Family (American Girl). In addition to his several publishing credits, Hailes has also illustrated an extensive collection of fantasy, science fiction, and children's book covers as well as interior magazine illustrations. Hailes has received numerous awards for his art from across the country, including Winner of the L. Ron Hubbard Illustrators of the Future contest out of Hollywood. His artwork has also been featured in the 2017 and 2018 editions of Infected By Art. Hailes studied illustration and graphic design at Utah State University where he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, as well as the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. He has been a regular panelist and presenter at Salt lake Comic Con, FanX, LTUE, and was the Artist Guest of Honor at Conduit 2013. He has also appeared as a special guest at San Diego Comic Con. Hailes currently lives in Salt Lake City with his wife and four boys, where he continues to write, paint and draw regularly. His work can be seen at HailesArt.com Heather's paintings are the product of decades of observation of people, environments, animals and textiles. Although she was not able to obtain a formal education in art, all her studies of the natural world in addition to the works of great artists including the renaissance masters, the pre-raphaelites of the late 19th century and modern masters have influenced her work in a way she couldn't imagine getting in a classroom. Themes in her work include religious symbolism, fantasy realism, equine and wildlife, and bold reworking of Disney characters. Her process in painting is constantly morphing as she applies new techniques, but most often consist of a multitude layers of paint and glazes (as many as 20 or so in some cases) to reach the desired depth and detail that dominates her work. Shared and collected around the world, Heather Edwards' paintings are constructed in the midst of a bustling family with five children in San Diego, California. Regardless of the challenges, her art has gone on to get the attention of USA Today and the LA Times, garnered contracts with Disney Fine Art and Fantasy Con, and received international recognition and awards from respected organizations such as Lucca Comics & Games, Art Renewal Center, Artist's Magazine and Spectrum, among others. Howard Lyon is an artist that was born and raised in Mesa, Arizona. He is the youngest of five children. Howard had very supportive parents, who even when he was very young, made sure he had the materials and education to hone his talents. While attending high school Howard met his wife, Shari Lunt. They now have three children and reside in Utah. Howard began his career studying illustration at Brigham Young University working with artists such as Robert Barrett, Don Seegmiller, Richard Hull and Ralph Barksdale. Over the past 20 years he has worked in the video game industry as an Art Director, concept artist and freelance illustrator. For much of his career he has painted dragons and trolls or scenes from science fiction. His work can be found in products from Dungeons and Dragons books, World of Warcraft cards, Magic: the Gathering and Star Wars. He also writes for the Fantasy Art blog, Muddy Colors, and has recently been doing work for Brandon Sanderson's books including Mistborn, Warbreaker, The Stormlight Archive, and the covers for Dreamer and Snapshot. "I choose to paint that which is beautiful and interesting. I find in nature, truth, and in humanity an endless stream of stories and narratives that capture my imagination and attention. My goal is to take those moments and convey them through my work."
