Jamie Stroud

While attending the School of Visual Arts in New York as a Sequential Art major, I had the privilege of studying under Will Eisner and Harvey Kurtsman. While at SVA, I worked as a technical illustrator, producing work for Grumman Corporation and the U.S. Army. After graduating in 1980, I freelanced for a number of magazines before being hired full-time by Broadway Bill of Fare magazine. As assistant art director, I illustrated two covers every month and countless spot and advertising illustrations. The covers gave me opportunities to experiment with styles and materials. Soon after, I was hired by Cablevision to be both an art director and staff illustrator. I continued to produce pieces executed in a variety of style and media, including pen and ink cartoons, oils, and pastel sports portraits. During this period I would often take night classes at SVA and the Art Students League. My career slowly drifted away from illustrations to publication design. In 1998 I gravitated back to my first love, illustration, and began working solely as a freelancer, most of my work coming from trade publications. Although they don't offer the prestige or pay of a consumer magazine, I found they offer a good deal of creative freedom. In 2000, I illustrated my first children's book The Little Green House. Now, I work predominantly in pen and ink and colorize digitally. I also teach at the college level. In 2006, I returned to school to earn my MA degree in Illustration. There I studied with many great illustrators including Melanie Reim, Murray Tinkleman, and Vincent DiFate. I graduated from FIT, in NYC, in 2008 with a 4.0 cum. My illustration is humorous and thought-provoking and I often write children's stories with them.