Janie Bynum
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After a number of years focusing on graphic design work, I’ve found again the joy of art-making through sketching inky images and illustrating new children’s books.📚 My latest picture book is Chick Chat 🐥💬 from NorthSouth Books. (Click the link to go directly to the book site.)
I love creating visual stories with heart ❤️ and humor 🤣 that the reader can relate to emotionally—whether it’s over the span of a 32-page picture book or through a single illustration.
For making art, I like to draw with pencil ✏️ or pen & ink 🖋 and I paint 🎨 mostly with watercolor or gouache. When I draw and paint digitally, I use Procreate software with an Apple Pencil on an iPad. For finished art, I usually combine digital drawing and painting 🖌 with scanned traditional watercolor 💦, using Photoshop on my computer 🖥. There, I work in layers, making a seamless digital collage of the different parts. And, sometimes, I work all-digitally.
As a kid 🧒🏻, I was curious, creative, determined, and very chatty 💬—just like Baby Chick from Chick Chat 🐥💬. I was always ready for an adventure, whether real or imagined!
It looks like my six-year-old self was chatting while having my first school photo taken! (Scroll down for photo. ⬇️ ) Hair a bit messy, a slightly mischievous expression, and my arms crossed—that was me (and probably still is). 😋
Being the youngest child 👶🏻, I entertained myself quite a bit when not playing with neighbor friends or making human pyramids. 😳 (Scroll down for photo. ⬇️ ) I made up crafts for myself, usually making something out of something else (like a robot 🤖 from cardboard oatmeal containers, cardboard boxes 📦, aluminum foil, and tape, LOTS of tape).
I grew up in a suburb of Dallas ✮, but spent quite a bit of time in East Texas on my grandparents’ farm 🐓 or my family’s 80 acres 🐄. Poking around in creeks and back pastures 🌻, I was always bringing home some non-human friend 🐸. Now, I like fossil-hunting on the Jurassic 🦖 coast of southern England! 👏🏼
I currently live in a cozy, 100-year-old house 🏡 in southwest Michigan, USA 🇺🇸 and love spending time in Europe 🏰, exploring cities 🏢, villages 🏘, forests 🌳, and countrysides 🦌.
Me, age 6
Kids, don't try this at home!
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My projects wish list: child/baby-related gift ware; simple, chunky baby books/board books; illustrating for other authors; black and white spot art for chapter books; writing and/or illustrating creative non-fiction.
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Literary publishers: If you’d like to discuss the possibility of working together on a children’s book, please contact my agent Erzsi Deàk with Hen & Ink Literary Studio: Erzsi@henandink.com.
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Editorial, licensing, and other professional art buyers: please contact me using the form below.
Thank you!
Thank you!