Inside Story next week!

I along with many other Seattle area authors and illustrators will be presenting new spring books next week May 5th at SCBWI's Inside Story. I will be talking about "Boys Camp Book 3- Zee's Story."

Hope to see some of you there!

2015 Benjamin Franklin Award!

I just learned "Gifts From the Enemy" won a 2015 gold level Benjamin Franklin Award! The award is from the Independent Book Publishers Association and recognizes excellence in book editorial and design and is regarded as one of the highest national honors for independent publishers.

We won in the young reader: nonfiction category (8-12 years). What an honor! Thanks again to the great publisher White Cloud Press and the author Trudy Ludwig for making this book happen. 

You can read about it here: http://www.ibpa-online.org/ibpa-2015-benjamin-franklin-awards-winners-and-finalists/#young2

"Illustrator Saturday" Interview

Recently I was lucky to be asked by Kathy Teman for an interview on my illustration work for her very popular illustration blog. The weekly feature is called "Illustrator Saturday" and today I am featured!

It shows lots of examples of my work and after over 15 years in the business serves as a nice career overview so far.

You can read the interview here:

https://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2015/04/04/illustrator-saturday-craig-orback/

Scholastic's Storyworks magazine final layout

Here is the final layout for the Feb/March 2015 "Scholastic Storyworks" magazine project. I love how it came out! A wonderfully written story and a favorite client of mine.

Scholastic's Storyworks magazine

I finished this today for Scholastic's "Storyworks" magazine and it's Feb/March 2015 issue. It accompanies the story "Hannah and the Birdman."

I always love working for this client and I am really happy with this painting.

Starred review for Gifts From the Enemy!

Very exciting to report that the Jewish Book Council gave "Gifts From the Enemy" a starred review! It's kind of amazing as this is my first starred review EVER after many years making books. Here is a quote from the review:

"Wiener’s story is simplified and depends on the dramatic illustrations for their impact. The text starts out sparse and simple and becomes more ample and mature as the story progresses. The art is the story, however, and it is prize-worthy."

You can read the full review here: http://www.jewishbookcouncil.org/book/gifts-from-the-enemy

New Etsy shop!

Just a heads up that I created a new shop on Etsy for my commissioned portrait work. Just in time for the holidays! I also have landscapes and children's book art for sale, ready to ship!

You can visit my page here: www.etsy.com/shop/CraigOrbackPortraits