| G. Brian Karas, Children's Illustrator | |
 "My
first art lessons came from my sister when I was five. We drew pilgrims.
I caught on quickly and drawing became a passion. Eventually, I moved
on from pilgrims to landscapes and caricatures. I was a confident
five-year-old aspiring artist.
My first set-back was in kindergarten. My teacher gave us a week to produce the best work we could. I had big ideas. By the end of the week, though, all I had was a three inch cut-out tipi. Unfortunately, I was too deflated to explain that that was the final result of a week-long effort to make it three dimensional. Still, my teacher encouraged me. My first lesson as a children's book illustrator? "Perhaps pop up books are not in your future..." Temporarily setback, but not completely dissuaded, I continued a joyful career as designated class artist and proceeded to further hone my drawing skills. It never occurred to me that I could make a real life, beyond school career, out of art, probably due to the general belief that an artist's life was a difficult and meager one (all true, of course). Nevertheless, I did go to art school-Paier School of Art in Connecticut-and decided that being an artist was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Luckily, I also had a passion for reading, and though my reading level was thankfully beyond that of children's books by then, I still vividly remembered the different worlds to which children's books took me, and the wonderful characters met there. I was also fortunate to discover that there were many fine teachers at Paier who were also children's book illustrators, and they provided me with a good glimpse into the field of publishing for children. And now, fifty children's book later I have found that this work, at times, can be frustrating, slow, and always a challenge, but that I can think of no occupation more rewarding that being an author and illustrator of children's books." G. Brian Karas grew up in a small town in Connecticut. Since, college, he has lived in Kansas City, New York City, and Phoenix. He now resides in Rhinebeck, New York with his wife, Sue, also an artist, their two sons, Bennett and Zachary, their big dog Buddy, and little cat, Lucy. A few of Karas' books: Bonekeeper
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