Jake Parker facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jake Parker
Parker in 2016
Known for	Inktober
Notable work	Horton Hears a Who

Jake Parker is an American artist who creates comics, illustrations, and animated films. He is also an animator. Jake worked as a set designer for Blue Sky Studios. There, he helped create popular animated movies like Horton Hears a Who, Rio, and Epic.

Jake Parker also illustrates children's books. One of his books, The Little Snowplow, became a New York Times bestseller in 2015. In 2016, he wrote and illustrated his own children's book, Little Bot and Sparrow. This book was inspired by his earlier comic, "Robot and Sparrow." Jake is also famous for creating Inktober. This is a popular event where artists make ink drawings every October.

Life and Career

Jake Parker grew up in Mesa, Arizona. He loved drawing from a young age. Artists like Bill Watterson, Jim Lee, and Mike Mignola inspired him. After leaving community college, Jake worked as an assistant animator. He helped with the movie Titan A.E. at Fox Animation Studios.

When that studio closed, Jake worked in different design jobs. He designed graphics, museum exhibits, and even video games. Later, he moved to Connecticut to work at Blue Sky Studios. As a set designer, he helped bring movies like Horton Hears a Who, Rio, and Epic to life.

Jake then moved with his wife and five children to Provo, Utah. There, he taught illustration at Brigham Young University (BYU). He also helped start the Society of Visual Storytelling. This website offers online classes for artists. Jake has contributed stories to several Flight comic books. His comic "Robot and the Sparrow" was inspired by the famous "Calvin and Hobbes."

Jake has illustrated many children's books. These include The Little Snowplow, The Tooth Fairy Wars, and The 12 Sleighs of Christmas. He wrote and illustrated his first book, Little Bot and Sparrow, based on his "Robot and Sparrow" comic. Jake and his family now live in Arizona. His son, Tate Parker, also enjoys drawing comics.

Inktober

In 2009, Jake Parker started Inktober. This is a fun, yearly event that celebrates drawing with ink. It happens every October. Jake announced the idea on his blog. The Inktober challenge asks artists to create one ink drawing every day in October. Then, they share their drawings online. Jake started this challenge to get better at inking his own artwork.

Since about 2016, Jake has shared a list of "prompts." These are ideas for each day's drawing. Artists often create a series of drawings around one theme. People see Inktober as a chance to practice their art. They share drawings in many different styles. In October 2015, over 1 million Inktober drawings were posted on Instagram.

Jake also started "Art Drop Day." This happens on the first Tuesday of September. It encourages artists to share their art in a physical way. To help protect Inktober, Jake Parker registered it as a trademark in 2019. This led to some questions about how artists could use the name. Parker later clarified that using "Inktober" in a subtitle was fine. However, using the Inktober logo was not allowed.

Published Books

• Out of Picture 2: Art from the Outside Looking In Villard (June 3, 2008)
• Missile Mouse: Rescue on Tankium3 GRAPHIX (2011)
• Missile Mouse: The Star Crusher GRAPHIX (2010)
• The Astonishing Secret of Awesome Man Balzer + Bray (September 6, 2011)
• The Antler Boy and Other Stories Jake Parker Productions (2012)
• Apples A to Z Scholastic Press (August 1, 2012)
• Nuthin' But Mech Design Studio Press (August 15, 2012)
• The Girl Who Wouldn't Brush Her Hair Schwartz & Wade (September 10, 2013)
• Explorer: The Lost Islands Amulet Books (October 15, 2013)
• Nuthin' but Mech, Volume Two Design Studio Press (June 15, 2014)
• The Tooth Fairy Wars Atheneum Books for Young Readers (July 15, 2014)
• Rocket Raccoon Issues 5-6 and 9–11. 2014-2015
• The Little Snowplow Candlewick (October 13, 2015)
• Who's the Grossest of Them All? (2016)
• Little Bot and Sparrow (September 27, 2016)
• The 12 Sleighs of Christmas (October 2017)
• SkyHeart Book One: The Search for the Star Seed (2018)
• Goldilocks for Dinner: A Funny Book About Manners (July 2019)
• The Little Snowplow Wishes for Snow (October 2019)
• Inktober All Year Round: Your Indispensable Guide to Drawing With Ink (Pre-Order)

Flight Comics

• "The Robot and the Sparrow." Flight, Volume Two Villard (April 10, 2007)
• "Hugo Earhart." Flight, Volume One Villard (April 10, 2007)
• "Missile Mouse: The Guardian Prophecy." Flight Explorer Villard (March 25, 2008)
• Flight, Volume Eight Villard (June 28, 2011)

Film Projects

• Titan A.E. – Fox Animation Studios (2000)
• Horton Hears a Who! – Blue Sky Studios (2008)
• Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs – Blue Sky Studios (2009)
• Rio – Blue Sky Studios (2011)
• Epic – Blue Sky Studios (2013)