Amy Schwartz - author and illustrator

Anyone who has every confronted a blank page or canvas can find reassurance in Amy Schwartz’s Begin at the Beginning (HarperCollins/Tegen, 2005), the story of a girl whose teacher asks her to paint a picture for the school art fair and who becomes overwhelmed by the pressures she puts on herself. With a background in fine art, Amy can discuss with children and art students her experiences facing a blank canvas. And with 40 books to her credit (half of which she has both written and illustrated), she can also offer many insights—to audiences from kindergartners to college students to professionals in the field—regarding the process of ushering a book from idea to publication, complete with examples of sketches and finished artwork.