Cover Portraits for Kirkus Reviews

Graphite Portraits of Lesa Cline-Ransome & James E. Ransome and Vashti Harrison for Kirkus Reviews

Recently I created portraits for 2 separate covers of Kirkus Reviews Magazine. Art Direction by Editor-in-Chief, Tom Beer.

 For my first effort I had the honor of rendering Author, Lesa Cline-Ransome and her frequent collaborator and husband, Illustrator, James E. Ransome. Lesa has authored several award-winning picture books and middle grade and young adult novels. She is perhaps best known for her picture book biography of Harriet Tubman, Before She was Harriet. After the drawing was published, Lesa’s Publisher, Simon & Schuster reached out to me to purchase the original graphite drawing and presented it (framed) to the famous couple as a gift.

 A few months later I was commissioned to create another portrait - also in my graphite style - of #1 New York Times bestselling Author and Illustrator, Vashti Harrison. She created the absolutely wonderful children’s book, Big – which received the 2024 Caldecott Medal.