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Tim Bowers was born in Troy, Ohio, where he began drawing at an early age. His career in illustration grew from his childhood interest in art and an active imagination. Even then, his artwork reflected an ability to tell stories, using humorous characters.

Bowers continued his art education at the Columbus College of Art & Design (Ohio), where he would pursue a career in illustration. During those years, he was introduced to the work of many great illustrators of the past, including Howard Pyle, N.C. Wyeth, Maxfield Parrish and Norman Rockwell. He was influenced by the work of popular illustrators of that time, including Mark English, Bob Peak and Bernie Fuchs. This is also when he began collecting children’s books and admiring the work of Maurice Sendak, Wallace Tripp and Etienne Delessert. Such a diverse group of artists inspired Tim to explore his interest in both decorative and realistic imagery. He graduated from C.C.A.D. with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.

Tim worked in a Dayton, Ohio illustration studio after graduating from college and gained valuable experience creating artwork for corporations such as Procter & Gamble, Kenner (toys), Huffy (bicycles) and Wendy’s. His drawings were also used for local television commercial storyboards and his cartoon characters were used to promote various products.

Bowers left the Dayton studio and was soon recruited by Hallmark Cards in Kansas City, Missouri. There, he worked in several humor groups and helped launch the popular Shoebox Greetings card line. It was during those five years in Kansas City, that Tim also illustrated his first three children’s books.

Tim Bowers and his wife now live in central Ohio. He has illustrated over thirty children’s books, including The New York Times bestseller, Dream Big, Little Pig! written by Kristi Yamaguchi and Dinosaur Pet by Neil Sedaka and Marc Sedaka. His work has been published in children’s magazines, his illustrations have been used on a wide variety of products and his characters have appeared on hundreds of greeting cards. Each year, Tim travels to schools and libraries to promote literacy and share his artwork with students.

Here’s Tim as he walks you thru an illustration from Cat and the Fiddle:

For The Cat and the Fiddle, I photographed my daughter in bibbed overalls. I positioned her and the fiddle to closely match the cat that I had drawn in my initial idea sketch. Then, I took several photos of the arrangement. The photos gave me information that was needed to paint the clothing and fiddle with convincing detail. It’s the combination of an imaginative idea and realistic detail that captures my interest.

1. Idea sketch (pencil drawing

2. Underpainting- Monocromatic value study (sometimes painted with acrylic washes).

3. Laying in areas of local color (background).

7 Comments on Illustrator Saturday – Tim Bowes, last added: 7/29/2012