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Online Gallery features:
Lea Lyon
March 1, 2005 through March 30, 2005
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.
Berkeley East Bay |
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Artist and Illustrators contact list
Archive: Previous artists presented in this Online Gallery
| Nancy Barnett | North/Central | April 2003 |
| Carol Benioff | East Bay | May 2003 |
| Cindy Ann Ganaden | South San Francisco | June2003 |
| Deborah Nourse Lattimore | North/Central | July 2003 |
| Sara Iravani Kahn | South San Francisco | September 2003 |
| Elisa Kleven | North/Central | October 2003 |
| Jan Adkins | North/Central | November 2003 |
| Joy Allen | North/Central | December 2003 |
| Yuyi Morales | East Bay | January 2004 |
| Liz Cunningham | East Bay | February 2004 |
| Brooke Scudder | South San Francisco | March 2004 |
| Paula Pertile | South San Francisco | April 2004 |
| South San Francisco | May 2004 | |
| South San Francisco | July 2004 | |
| Kris Aro McLeod | North/Central | August 2004 |
| Sherry Rogers | North/Central | September 2004 |
| Barbara Pollak | East Bay | October 2004 |
| Kirsten Carlson | North/Central | November 2004 |
| Jeff Jackson | South San Francisco | December 2004 |
| Elly Simmons | North/Central | January 2005 |
| Bob Barner | South San Francisco | February 2005 |
Artist and illustrators previous school visits
Artist of the month featured here. See and be seen! Members Share illustrations in the SCBWI NorCa online gallery. We're interested in showcasing our members' artwork, both published and unpublished. To submit artwork to be considerd for this page please e-mail your regional advisor.
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