Hardie Gramatky facts for kids

Hardie Gramatky (born April 12, 1907 – died April 29, 1979) was a talented American artist. He was a painter, writer, animator, and illustrator. A famous artist named Andrew Wyeth once called him one of America's best watercolor painters. Hardie Gramatky is perhaps most famous for writing and illustrating children's books, especially his popular story, Little Toot.

Hardie Gramatky's Early Life

Hardie Gramatky was born in Dallas, Texas. He was the second of three sons. When he was ten years old, his father passed away. His mother then moved the family to the Wilmar – South San Gabriel area in California. This was a quiet, almost country-like area near Los Angeles.

Hardie went to local schools in Wilmar. Later, he attended Alhambra High School in nearby Alhambra. He showed a strong artistic talent from a young age. He started sending his drawings to a "young folks section" in the Los Angeles Times newspaper. By the early 1920s, he was known as the best artist in that section.

Gramatky's Art Education

After high school, Hardie Gramatky moved to Northern California. He went to Stanford University. He studied English there, but he also kept studying art. After two years, one of his professors told him that the art department had taught him all it could.

So, in 1928, Hardie returned to Southern California. He enrolled in the Chouinard Art Institute. He became very interested in watercolor painting. He later said he painted about five small watercolors every day during this time. By 1929, he was a very skilled watercolor artist. He was seen as a leader in developing the "California Scene" style of watercolor painting. These skills helped him get a job that same year. He became a senior animator at Walt Disney Studios. He worked there for six years.

Becoming a Famous Painter

In the early 1930s, Hardie Gramatky joined the California Watercolor Society. This group was started in 1920. Thanks to his hard work, young watercolor artists from the California School became very important in the Society. They helped it become known around the world.

In 1932, Hardie married Dorothea Cooke. She had been his classmate at Chouinard. In 1936, Gramatky moved to New York City. The Ferargil Gallery there started showing his watercolor paintings. In 1937, they also showed works by other California School artists. Gramatky's art was also shown in a big exhibition of California artists at the Art Institute of Chicago that year. His work would later be shown in many museums. These included the Whitney Museum of American Art and New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art. You can find examples of his art in the permanent collections of the Brooklyn Museum of Art, the Chicago Art Institute, and the Frye Art Museum in Seattle, Washington.

Author and Illustrator of Children's Books

By the 1940s, Hardie Gramatky was creating art for magazines. He also started writing and illustrating children's books. Some of his books include Hercules, Loopy, Creepers Jeep, and Sparky.

Gramatky's most successful book was his first one, Little Toot, published in 1939. This book became a huge bestseller. It led to several sequel stories. Disney even made Little Toot into an animated short film. It was part of their movie Melody Time. During World War II, Gramatky worked in Hollywood. He helped make training films for the United States Army Air Forces.

After the war, Gramatky moved back to the East Coast. He settled in Westport, Connecticut, where he lived for the rest of his life. He kept working as an illustrator for magazines like Fortune, Collier's, and Reader's Digest. He also wrote and illustrated more Little Toot stories. Hardie Gramatky passed away from cancer on April 29, 1979. His last book, Little Toot and the Loch Ness Monster, was not finished when he died. Ten years later, his wife, Dorothea Cooke Gramatky, and his daughter, Linda Gramatky Smith, completed the book. It was published in 1989.

Professional Art Groups

Hardie Gramatky was a member of several important art groups. He was an elected Academician of the National Academy of Design. He was also part of the New York Watercolor Club, the American Watercolor Society, and the California Watercolor Society.