Portfolio Sample

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Andi Butler

312-927-5783 |
Web sites: mrs b. illustrations | gee that's swell! | children's illustrators

“I started drawing at about two years old, and, continuing through kindergarten and grade school. I was a grand prize winner in the Young Author's Awards as a third grader and won for best overall "novel" in sixth grade. I worked on a lot of school plays and made masks out of papier mache, I just loved that whole process! I worked on the yearbook on jr. high, and won the journalism award in ninth grade. But, I also won class clown, so I guess they cancel each other out! My parents were really supportive, my even father hired me to design a screen for his dart team's shirts. As I got older, I took a small break from art in high school, only to go back to it in college. I went to a community college, so I could just take what I wanted: fashion and commercial art.
After a short time in their ad dept., I went on to create screened graphics and all over prints for Kmart Headquarters' Childrenswear division. I was there for six years and decided to pursue my own direction. I also belonged to a critique group called SPAM (Society for the Prevention of Artistic Mediocrity) and that helped me to create a lot of good pieces for my book, as well as learning a lot about working with different personalities. In 1998, a friend rang me up to tell me there was a staff position available at Sears in Chicago(land). So, I interviewed, got to visit my friend for free, and ended up landing the job!”

When did you first decide to become an illustrator?

“After I was downsized, I decided I was meant to freelance. I had sold quite a few prints through a print studio in NY, and Sears had actually asked me back to freelance in various divisions of apparel. I also started to branch out, creating icons for airline and automotive software. Started putting promos and postcards together, and sent them out. I received a lot of rejections, but then got some work from Fisher Price. Then, International Playthings, and before I knew it, I was really busy! I created a portfolio on Children's Illustrator's site, much of it with work I'd created (but not posted) for Illustration Friday. And in the past few years, I have had the pleasure of working with some faboo companies: Klutz/Scholastic, McGraw Hill, Harcout Education, Houghton Mifflin, EECI, Fisher Price, Mattel, DaySpring Greetings, Hallmark, and many others who I can't list but are all important to growing my career. I've been able to stay home with my sons, and marvel at watch them grow... They're both very inspiring to me!”

If you could be a fun fictional character, who would you be?

“I think I'd like to be a character on Oswald, Madame Butterfly. She owns the cafe, and is always flying around, carrying Katrina, her caterpillar baby. I love Johnny Snowman, the Egg brothers, and I love all the buildings! Oh, and the gingerbread man joggers! Dan Yaccarino's style is so wonderful and sweet! I watch it even when my little boys aren't!”