The Early Years!

I was born and raised in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, though we moved around quite a bit along the way. As a kid, I read a ton of comic strips and watched even more TV. I read books and was a fan, but cartoons and characters were my world, and I was constantly drawing them. I’d spend hours sketching characters from memory and even inventing some of my own. I don’t have any artwork from this time period, but here were my influences:

As I got older and my skills grew, I spent a lot of time practicing realistic drawing and experimenting with different mediums:

Then, at Ringling College of Art and Design, I was like a sponge, soaking up every lesson, critique, and opportunity I could find. I pushed myself to learn as much as possible, experimenting, practicing, and absorbing everything around me. And I grew—both as an artist and as a person—in ways I never could have expected.

Then, in my final year, I took a children’s book class and was told I had a real knack for it. Looking at the work below totally makes me cringe, but I was learning!

After graduation in 1991, I tried getting hired by studios like Disney and Hallmark, but nothing worked out. At the time, it felt discouraging—especially while many of my classmates were landing jobs. But in hindsight, it turned out to be the best thing that could have happened.

Being an freelance illustrator became my path forward.

I started small, creating artwork for local businesses around town. Before long, those opportunities grew into regional and national projects, eventually leading to work with clients like Disney, Nickelodeon, The Pennsylvania Lottery, and educational publishers across the country.

Through it all, I was constantly experimenting, learning, and evolving—and with every project, I came a little closer to discovering my style and my true creative voice.

Looking back, not getting the “dream job” pushed me to build something far more personal and fulfulling: my own creative career!

Here ‘s some of my favorite work from 1991 up until the end of 2001, when I was contacted to illustrate my first picture book project with Dutton Children’s books.