Dr. Chris Van Allburg: The Career Of Illustration

Theodor Seuss Geisel, more famously known by his pen name Dr. Seuss, “was a writer... cartoonist [, and a political illustrator] who had published over 60 books” (Dr. Seuss Biography) in his lifetime and has influenced nearly every American that has ever learned how to read. With children stories that hold deeper insight than most would expect to find in children books to stories that are pure nonsensical like Green Eggs and Ham that came from a bet (Biography). Dr. Seuss’s literary elements in his seemingly innocent works hold deeper meaning behind them and often paralleling to the events that were happening during his lifetime, like his book Yertle the Turtle. Dr. Seuss’s life had lead him into becoming an influential person in many people’s

Theodor Seuss Geisel, or as he is more commonly known Dr. Seuss, was an American writer and illustrator for some of the most popular children's’ books in existence. He sold over 600 millions copies and had his book translated into 20 languages by his death. Geisel adopted the pseudonym Dr. Seuss after college when he started animating and illustrating. He worked as political cartoonist for the New York Newspaper and he also made cartoons for Vanity Fair and Life. After WWII, Geisel started making children's books. Some of his most notable books were, If I Ran the Zoo, Horton Hears a Who!, The Cat in the Hat, and Green Eggs and Ham. Dr. Seuss always kept his eyes open and never let an opportunity pass by him.

Born in 1904, Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, is perhaps one of the most beloved children’s authors of the twentieth century. Although he is most famous as an author of children’s books, Geisel was also a political cartoonist, advertisement designer, and film director. He used the power of imagination to produce unforgettable children’s books and helped solve the problem of illiteracy among America’s children. By using his experiences in life as a foundation for most of his books, Theodor Geisel was able to shape the character of many of his readers, as well as teach children subliminal messages through a unique writing style that incorporated various elements and techniques. Through a few of his books,

Geisel is thought to be one of the best children’s book authors. “For most people the thought of growing up in a world without Green Eggs and Ham, Grinches, and Cats in Hats is barely conceivable” (Levine 10). Children throughout the world have grown up with the wonderful books created by “Dr. Seuss”. “These odd creations occupy a special place in the earliest memories of children around the world” (Levine 10). He has been able to not only capture their minds but their hearts as well. Geisel’s colorful imagination, upbeat rhymes, and unique illustrations seem to have no limits. He has written books that range from simply humorous to impressively insightful. This has contributed greatly in him selling more than 200 million copies. To many “Dr. Seuss is by far the best-selling children’s author to date, and perhaps the most beloved” (Levine

Art helps royalty and rulers spread their ideas and lets their people know the power of the leader, ruler, etc.

Dr. Seuss is known for his phenomenal creatures, invented words, and rhymes that surpassed absurdity and became something beautiful. Before that, though, Theodor Geisel was nationally noted for his political cartoons during World War II that enticed the mind to do more than think, but to ask questions and crave knowledge and justice. Dr. Seuss was not just a whimsical alter-ego of Mr. Geisel by any means, however. Dr. Seuss allowed Geisel to communicate his message to a

Geisel drew in different mediums and for different audiences. He had a 30-year career in advertising, drawing for major companies like Standard Oil (Morgan & Morgan, 1995). His ad for an insecticide called Flit became the “Got Milk?” of the time period (Morgan & Morgan, 1995). He spent 3 years drawing political cartoons for a New York Magazine, PM (Morgan & Morgan, 1995). And of course, Geisel illustrated and wrote children’s primers (Morgan & Morgan, 1995). However, he also dabbled in the world of animation during his stint in what he dubbed “Fort Hollywood”, to create training videos for the troops during WWII (Morgan & Morgan, 1995). His second wife, Audrey Geisel, also dabbled in animation after the death of her husband in 1991 (Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine, 2016). She has co-produced all of the Dr.Seuss movies that have come out in recent years, including The Cat in the Hat, Horton Hears a Who, The Grinch, and The Lorax (Morgan & Morgan, 1995); (Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine, 2016). Mrs. Geisel has also worked in conjunction with Seuss’ same publisher, Random House, to continue generating his unpublished children’s novels (Morgan & Morgan, 1995); (Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine,

“Theodor Seuss Geisel.” Major Authors and Illustrators for Children and Young Adults, Detroit, Gale, 2002. Biography in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/K1617001313/BIC1?u=bato77293&xid=1c58127a. Accessed 23 Jan.

My name is Adelaido Olea, I'm an illustrator from Chicago and a avid sport fan, I've seen your work on ESPN and have been inspired by it, I have couple questions regarding the field of illustration, is there any advice you would give to someone entering the field? perhaps maybe something you wish someone mentioned to you when starting? What might a typical career path be in this industry? and lastly what is most rewarding about working in the illustration field?

Then it is just a matter of deciding which moments should be illustrated and from what point of view (Children's Books and Their Creators, 1995). In a perfect world, his ultimate dream would be to have a machine that would hook up to his brain and take the images in his head and transfer them onto paper as illustrations exactly how he is imagining them. The hard part about art is not necessarily the creative thought process but more being able to master a certain medium, regardless of the

In many ways, art is how younger children connect with the world. A child may draw a picture of a beautiful sunny day or make a melodies out of bird chips and falling leaves. Art in school curriculum is a vital part of pre-mature education and development. (Evans, 2008, para. 7) Psychologically speaking art builds powerful neural networks in the human brain which has crucial impacts on personality and overall brain development as a child or adolescent. On the opposite end of the spectrum, mathematics also has a very positive impact on brain development, but does not have as important of an effect on human personality and creativity, yet it more often impacts human logistics. Although it is believed that the new innovations of today have come from mathematical genius and computers, the arts and fine arts are a crucial factor in the creation process of life changing inventions. Referring back to how art affects the human brain; humans have left sided thinking (analytics and math) and right sided thinking (art, music, and creativity). The glory of humans is to put both sides to equal use. If society leans too much towards computers and analytics in the future, humans may lose sense of creativity and will function less effectively on a personal and social

Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, is perhaps one of the most beloved children’s authors of the twentieth century. Although he is most famous as an author of children’s books, Geisel was also a political cartoonist, advertisement designer, and film director (Kaplan). He used the power of imagination to produce unforgettable children’s books and helped solve the problem of illiteracy among America’s children. By using his experiences in life as a foundation for most of his books, Theodor Geisel created a unique writing style that incorporated various elements and techniques, enabling his books to appeal to people of all ages.

Theodor Geisel was among the first authors to put illustrations equal with text, enabling his readers to follow the action and the story simultaneously (Kaplan). True to his eccentric character and unique perspective, Seuss "wanted to draw things as [he] saw them (Kaplan)." Surprisingly, he had strict guidelines on how to write children's books. There was only one illustration per page and nothing could describe anything pictured. That way, children can work out the story from the illustrations.

As a photography major, it was never clear to me on why I had to take a drawing class. I dreaded each class because of the known fact that I didn’t possess the skills to be a good drawer. When speaking to friends and family, I would always complain to them saying, “I’m going to fail this class. I have no idea why I have to take these drawing classes.” As the quarter went on and the more I learned about the different drawing techniques such as the use of lighting to create interesting shadows or the use of color to create a sense mood and emotion, I began to realize the parallels that drawing and photography have.

A lot of people think that art can only go as far as a class in school, but in reality there is art around everyone. Art can be a way of life for some people, and for others it is simply just something they pass every single day. What they do not realize is that art can have benefits in different aspects in their life, in children's lives, and even the world around them.