Online Gallery features:

Lea Lyon
March 2005

Lea Lyon

Berkeley

East Bay


As a child I wanted to be a children's book illustrator when I grew up. Then I grew up (chronologically, anyway) and forgot all about my dream. I even stopped painting after college, except for a life drawing class every 10 years or so. My creative outlet while I was raising a family was making puppets, humorous dolls and soft sculpture mannequins, all of which I sold to stores. Not able to make a living at that, I began to work for various companies in the greeting card and other businesses.

Eventually I went back to school to get an MBA. I started working in the high tech field. But I decided, after so much night school, that if I ever took a class again, it would be painting. So, in 1991 I began painting in watercolors (as a child I had been painting in oils.) I took from several different teachers and workshops and really got back into painting.

Then I saw a listing in the UC Berkeley extension catalogue for a class in "Illustrating Children's Books." I suddenly remembered my forgotten dream, and took the class. I took several more such classes and joined SCBWI. My portfolio won awards twice at the SCBWI LA conference and I learned so much.

Last year I illustrated my first picture book. It is "Say Something", by Peggy Moss from Tilbury House Publishers. The book has won a Teachers' Choice Award from Learning Magazine and has been named a Notable Social Studies Book for 2005. I am now finishing the illustrations for a second book from Tilbury. I also am represented by Tugeau 2 illustrators' reps.

My dream has come true.

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