Evaline Ness facts for kids

Evaline Ness (born April 24, 1911 – died August 12, 1986) was an American artist, illustrator, and author. She is famous for her amazing children's books. Evaline illustrated over thirty books for young readers. She also wrote many of her own stories.

She was known for using many different artistic materials and methods in her work. As an illustrator, she was a runner-up for the Caldecott Medal three times. Then, in 1967, she won the Caldecott Medal for her book Sam, Bangs and Moonshine, which she both wrote and illustrated. In 1972, she was chosen to represent the U.S. for the international Hans Christian Andersen Award. This award honors top children's illustrators.

Evaline Ness's Early Life and Education

Evaline Michelow was born in Union City, Ohio. She grew up in Pontiac, Michigan. When she was a child, she loved to illustrate stories. She would use collages made from magazine pictures to bring her older sister's tales to life.

She studied at Ball State Teachers College from 1931 to 1932. She wanted to become a librarian. Later, from 1933 to 1935, she studied at the Chicago Art Institute. Here, she learned to be a fashion illustrator. For a short time, she also worked as a fashion model.

Life in New York and Europe

After some time, Evaline moved to New York City. From 1946 to 1949, she worked at Saks Fifth Avenue. She continued her work as a fashion illustrator there. Around 1950, she traveled to Europe and Asia. She spent 18 months sketching in Italy.

In Rome, she studied at the Accademia de Belle Arti from 1951 to 1952. When she returned to the United States, she first tried to find work in San Francisco. Then she came back to New York. She took on many jobs in fashion, advertising, and editorial art. She also studied at the Art Students League. From 1959 to 1960, she taught art classes to children at Parsons The New School for Design.

Becoming a Children's Book Illustrator

Evaline Ness started illustrating children's books in 1954. Her first book was Story of Ophelia by Mary J. Gibbons. She used many materials like charcoal, crayon, ink, pencil, and tempera for the pictures. Critics noted her unique style. They said her drawings of animals had a "searching quality."

Even though she was a successful commercial artist, she soon focused on children's literature. Her second illustrated book was The Bridge by Charlton Ogburn in 1957. This book was recommended for teenagers. Its drawings were printed in sea green, gray, and black. They matched the story's mood and made the book beautiful.

From 1958 to 1963, she illustrated about twelve books. She also created cover art for other popular books. One famous example is Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell in 1960. The 1960s were a time of new ideas in children's illustration. Evaline Ness's style, with its sharp figures and muted colors, became very popular.

Writing and Illustrating Her Own Stories

Evaline Ness began to write her own stories as well as illustrate them. Her first story that she both wrote and illustrated was Josefina February (1963). She wrote this book after visiting Haiti for a year. The story is set in Haiti and is about a girl looking for her lost donkey. She used woodcuts for the illustrations in this book. Another book she wrote and illustrated around this time was A Gift for Sula Sula (1963).

Her three Caldecott Honor Books were published between 1963 and 1965. These were All in the Morning Early by Sorche Nic Leodhas, A Pocketful of Cricket by Rebecca Caudill, and Tom Tit Tot: An English Folk Tale by Virginia Haviland.

In 1966, she won the Caldecott Medal for Sam, Bangs and Moonshine. This book is about a fisherman's daughter named Sam. Sam tells lies, which she calls "moonshine." Her lies put her pet cat, Bangs, and a neighbor boy in danger. Through this, Sam learns how important it is to be responsible for what she says. The book features beautiful line and wash drawings.

Around the same time, Ness created the colorful covers and maps for Lloyd Alexander's popular series, The Chronicles of Prydain (1964 to 1968). She also illustrated two picture books based on the Prydain stories.

Later Works and Legacy

Later in her life, Evaline Ness explored new artistic ideas. She experimented with cut-out coloring books. One example is Four Rooms From The Metropolitan Museum of Art To Cut Out and Color (1977). Her last illustrated book was The Hand-Me-Down Doll by Steven Kroll (1983). For this book, she used pencil, watercolor, ink, and charcoal.

Evaline Ness passed away in 1986 in Kingston, New York. She was known for her amazing ability to work with many different art materials. Her illustrations were unique and creative. They blended text and pictures to capture a child's attention and imagination. Her own stories often featured girl characters. These stories showed "real" characters learning about life's joys, problems, and challenges.

Her work is preserved in several important collections. The "Evaline Ness Papers" at the University of Minnesota holds materials for twenty of her books. The "Evaline Ness Papers" at the Free Library of Philadelphia has sketches and artwork for books like Coll and His White Pig and The Black Cauldron. Another collection at the University of Southern Mississippi contains materials from her illustrations for four stories by other authors.

Evaline Ness always thought about how to add texture to flat printed pages. She believed the biggest challenge in illustrating children's books was being creative within limits. She used many techniques to overcome these limits, such as woodcut, serigraphy, and ink splattering.

See also

In Spanish: Evaline Ness para niños