directory of children's illustration

Contact Information

First Name

Karen

Last Name

Craig

Street Address

790 Amsterdam Avenue

Street Address 2

2d

City

new york

State

NY

Country

United States

Province/Region

North East

Zip/Postal Code

10025

personal web address

www.karencraigART.com

type of art work

Preschool, graphic, bold, colorful, digital, cut paper, educational, cute, whimsical, cartoon, kindergarten, elementary, editorial, fun, happy, cute, family

Published Works

Magic Color Change Book Series - Playmore Books, Play Pockets - Innovative Kids, Blue's 12 Days of Christmas - Simon & Schuster, Various Blue's Clues 8x8 Books - Simon & Schuster, Various Blue's Clues Ready-to-Read Books - Simon & Schuster, Various Blue's Clues Sound Effect Books - Publications International

Bio

Karen Craig has been designing and illustrating for children for over fifteen years.

After a BFA from Syracuse University, her first job was to conceptualize, design and illustrate reading incentives and educational materials for children of all ages for the Upstart Company, now owned by the Highsmith, Inc.

Following several years of coming up with a myriad of ways to say "Love Your Library," Karen went back to school for BFA in Toy Design from The Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, where she graduated with honors.

Her degree in Toy Design led her to a job with Nickelodeon Consumer Products, where she was a senior designer for seven years, learning the many facets of working within the realm of licensed brands, products and properties. While at Nickelodeon, Karen had the opportunity to work as senior concept designer on various liaisons with Nickelodeon branding partners such as Kraft Foods, Ford Motors and FAO Schwarz. She was also very much involved with the Nick Jr., property, "Blue's Clues." Her Blue's Clues Style Guide won a Broadcast Design Award gold medal. Karen has also illustrated over 25 Blue's Clues licensed books for various publishers since the late 1990's.

Surface pattern design is one of Karen's favorite types of projects. Some of her pattern work can be found on various Nickelodeon products such as The Fairly Odd Parents, Jimmy Neutron, Blue's Room and The Rugrats packaging. She has also created pattern art for licensed properties such as Olivia (the pig) for Chorion-Silver Lining and Mama Mirabelle's Home Movies, for National Geographic Kids.

Karen enjoys the field of book arts and creates "artist books" of all kinds. Trying her hand at commercial concept/board book design, Karen's cloth book concept "Play Pockets" was published by Innovative KIDS in 2006.

She is also a big fan of pop-ups. The Museum of Modern Art recently published one of her pop-card designs for their 2007 Holiday line. A second design is scheduled for 2008 publication. The 2007 design was a finalist for a Greeting Card Association Louie Award.

Karen is currently developing several picture and board book ideas, although she has yet to seek out a publisher.

Recent CLIENT LIST includes: Peaceable Kindom Press, Weekly Reader, Playmore Books, Babalu Inc., Simon & Schuster, Nickelodeon, Bookworks, LLC, Chorion-Silver Lining, Schylling Toys and National Geographic Kids.
Member SCBWI

History

Member for

15 weeks 4 days