Robert SquierWhen I was four or five, I was given Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are. At that age, I didn't understand the difference between a coloring book and a picture book. I enthusiastically scribbled Crayola circles all over Max and his Wild Things Then guilt set in. I thought I had ruined the world's only copy of this wondrous book. I resolved to become an artist so I could one day replace the book I had destroyed. True story. Some families might discourage a kid who aspires to be an artist. But my grandfather, Donald G. Squier, was a portrait painter-his clients included General Patton and President Taft-so my family was used to dealing with eccentric artsy types. My parents and four brothers were happy to let me spend my childhood drawing monsters, aliens, and prehistoric beasts. I became the star artist of my kindergarten class, due mostly to my prowess at drawing Godzilla. It wasn't long before I began using my drawings to tell stories. I wrote comic strips for the school newspaper and self-published comic books. In college, my contributions to the campus paper were notorious and led to my first commercial illustration job. This led to more work and, eventually, a career as a designer and illustrator. I studied graphic design in college but found that illustration was my true calling. I just love to draw. I also enjoy the challenges of illustration: telling a story with flair and clarity and finding a style that satisfies me, my clients and an audience. I even like working within guidelines and deadlines. Over the years, I've worked in all types of traditional media: crayons, markers, rapidograph pens, letraset screen-tones, pen and ink, brush and ink, colored pencil, watercolor and acrylics. My experience working traditionally, plus years spent working as a graphic designer, has made my transition to digital painting nearly seamless. Today I enjoy working in both traditional and digital media. So far, my illustrations have appeared in fifteen published books for children. I hope that, somewhere, a kid has scribbled all over one of them. Read More Read Less
