Jillian Tamaki facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jillian Tamaki
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Jillian Tamaki at the 2019 Stockholm international comics festival
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| Born | April 17, 1980 |
| Alma mater | Alberta College of Art and Design |
| Known for | Illustrator for comics |
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Notable work
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Skim (comics), This One Summer, Roaming |
Jillian Tamaki (born April 17, 1980) is a talented Canadian American artist. She is famous for her amazing illustrations and comic books. You might have seen her work in The New York Times or The New Yorker. She has also created popular graphic novels like Boundless, Skim, This One Summer, and Roaming. Her cousin, Mariko Tamaki, wrote some of these books.
Contents
About Jillian Tamaki's Early Life
Jillian Tamaki was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. She grew up in Calgary, Alberta. After high school, she studied Visual Communication Design. She graduated from the Alberta College of Art and Design in 2003.
After art school, Jillian worked at BioWare, a video game company. Later, she taught illustration in New York City. She taught at the School of Visual Arts.
What Inspired Jillian Tamaki?
When Jillian was a kid, she loved reading comics. She enjoyed Archie comics and newspaper strips. She even sent in outfit designs for Betty & Veronica comics. Her parents also had collections of comics like Far Side and Calvin and Hobbes.
In high school, she made small, homemade magazines called zines. But she stopped reading comics for a while. Her interest in different kinds of comics started in college. She liked books by artists like Julie Doucet and Will Eisner.
Jillian started making her own mini-comics in 2003. Her first mini-comic is in her first book, Gilded Lilies. She says these early comics helped her learn how to draw cartoons. She also worked on storyboards for the TV show "Adventure Time".
Jillian Tamaki's Amazing Career
Jillian Tamaki has created many popular books and illustrations. Here are some of her most well-known works.
Gilded Lilies (2006)
This was Jillian's first published book. It is a collection of her drawings and comic strips. The book has paintings, personal drawings, and comics. It also includes a story called The Tapemines. This story is about two children in a strange world with "forests of cassette tape".
Skim (2008)
Skim is a graphic novel that Jillian illustrated. Her cousin, Mariko Tamaki, wrote it. This book was very popular and received great reviews.
Indoor Voice (2010)
This book also collects Jillian's drawings and comics. Most of Indoor Voice is in black and white. However, it also has some colorful illustrations.
Now & then & when (2008)
This is a special drawing made with ink and graphite. The Library of Congress bought it in 2011. In this artwork, Jillian drew herself as a large figure. Around her, she showed smaller versions of herself at different ages. These ranged from a baby to an elderly person.
This One Summer (2014)
This One Summer is another graphic novel by Jillian and Mariko Tamaki. It tells the story of two close friends, Rose and Windy. They are almost teenagers and spend a summer holiday together. This book won many awards, including:
- The 2014 Ignatz Award
- The 2015 Printz Honor
- The Caldecott Honor
- The 2015 Eisner Award
- The 2014 Governor General's Awards for Children's Literature — Illustration
SuperMutant Magic Academy (2015)
This book is a collection of Jillian's web comics. She created these comics between 2010 and 2014. The web comics won an Ignatz Award in 2012.
Boundless (2017)
Boundless is a graphic novel with many short stories. It was published in 2017 and got excellent reviews. Critics said it was "an ambitious and eclectic set of tales." They also called it "a showcase for Tamaki's mercurial style." Both NPR and Publishers Weekly named Boundless one of the best graphic novels of the year.
Roaming (2023)
Jillian worked with Mariko Tamaki again on Roaming. This graphic novel was nominated for the 2024 Lambda Literary Award for Graphic Novel. Roaming won the 2024 Eisner Award for Best Graphic Album. Jillian also won the 2024 Eisner for Best Penciler/Inker for her work on the book.
Other Art Projects
Jillian has also used her artistic skills for other projects. She hand-embroidered three book covers for Penguin. These covers were for classic books like Emma, The Secret Garden, and Black Beauty. In her free time, Jillian enjoys making quilts as a hobby.
In September 2020, Jillian published Our Little Kitchen. This is an illustrated book about cooking in a community kitchen.
