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Back to Featured Interviews >> MEET STEVE GRAY
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| Steve Gray |
I loved putting together and painting plastic models. I had an entire collection of “Weirdo’s”. They were monstrous cartoon characters designed by Ed “Big Daddy” Roth.They were always driving some exaggerated souped up hotrod with their hand clutching an oversized gear- shift. Ed created the character “Rat Fink” and one of my favorites “Leaky Boat Louie” who was piloting a wacky drag boat. I was obsessed with my treasured collection.
Did you draw a lot when you were growing up?
I was an Air Force brat and we lived all over the country. My dad was stationed in Sacramento when I started first grade. Near the end of the year the parents were invited to review the progress their child had made that year. My father noticed that all of the other students were reading and writing quite well. My body of work was just a large pile of drawings. When asked why I had no writing samples the teacher replied “This is a progressive school Mr. Gray. We encourage the children to pursue their strengths. Steven is a very talented artist so I let him draw all day.” Flustered, my father replied “That’s fine, however IF Steve grows up to be the next Picasso I WOULD like him to be able the sign his paintings. I was sent to Catholic school the next year. I caught up quickly.
When you went to college were you already pursuing an illustration career?
Kind of. I graduated from San Diego State with a degree in Graphic Communications. I was unable to find work as a graphic designer after graduation so I got a job as a bartender. During the day I started doing business cards and logos for local businesses for extra money. About a year later I started a sandblasted sign business with a surf buddy of mine. It was called goodgraphics and we did signs for restaurants, hair salons, dentists and bars. Two years later I got a job at Wilson Frank and Associates, a San Diego advertising agency. I did ad layouts, designed direct mail pieces and prepped ads for print. I realized I was happiest when jobs came through that needed cartoon illustrations and I got to do them. It was at that time I realized I needed some more art training. I enrolled at Art Center College of Design and 3 years later had a BA in Illustration.
What was your first job when you graduated from Art Center?
This was pretty cool. During my senior year I was selling my student work at The Sherwood Gallery, an art gallery in Laguna Beach. A wealthy art collector by the name of Bob Griffin contacted me through the gallery and commissioned me to do a cartoon map of the Virgin Islands for his charter boat business. He had a 50- foot trimaran with a Captain, First Mate and Cook. The boat had a Boston Whaler dinghy that you could water ski behind, snorkel and scuba gear for 6, and two Windsurfers. I left the day after graduation for a two week all expense paid research trip aboard his sailboat Quicksilver. What a blast! I came home and started working on the map. I finished it about a month later. We had a couple thousand posters printed up and returned to the BVI to distribute them. Over the next couple years I designed t-shirts and brochures for his charter business.
When did you illustrate your first children’s book?
In 1999 Golden Books in New York hired me to illustrate EARTH, WHERE WOULD WE BE WITHOUT IT? It’s a book about saving the environment. Since then I have illustrated books for Scholastic, American Greetings, Rising Moon, Innovative Kids and Bowtie Press.
Which of your books did you most enjoy illustrating?
I have two favorites, FARMER MCPEEPERS AND HIS MISSING MILK COWS and THERE WAS A COYOTE WHO SWALLOWED A FLEA . Probably the reason I enjoyed them the most is the fact that the publisher is so fun to work with. Rising Moon’s staff is awesome. Dave Jenney the owner is an amazing designer. Theresa Howell the editor has a great eye for matching up the right illustrator for a story, and Eric Howard the marketing director is an extremely talented and interesting guy. I believe we have formed a lifelong friendship.
When you do school visits, what question do children ask you most?
When did you start drawing? And of course I tell them “Around your age.” My favorite question was asked by a little guy at Desert Garden Elementary School in El Centro. “Are you a teenager?’ he inquired. “Why do you ask? I said. “Because you’re wearing black high-top tennis shoes like my big brother!” We also will be lifelong friends.
What do you most want the children to get out of your school visits?
I want them to feel confident about their abilities when approaching something new. I show them every thing that is involved in illustrating a children’s picture book step by step. I then show them how to draw a few of my characters from the book. They draw along with me and are always proud of the fact that they did so well. I’d like to share some letters teachers have sent me.
Dear Steve,
Thanks again for providing our school with such a wonderful experience. The students and teachers are still talking about it. You really know how to relate to kids! We would be happy to talk to any school considering engaging your services.
Regards, Kathy Brandenburg , Principal , Desert Garden Elementary
Steve Gray’s presentation was quite possibly the best I have seen in 16 years of teaching. All of the primary students were on task, and they were enjoying the drawing activities. My students were very proud of their illustrations.
Mike Bobbit , Desert Garden Elementary
Fantastic! Our students loved it! There is so little emphasis put on art in our curriculum that our students were afraid they couldn’t do it, but Steve showed them that they could! How wonderful is that?
Mrs Howington , Desert Garden Elementary
Wow! I have never seen an assembly where every child was so engaged by the presenter. Oh, how I wish he were the presenter in all the workshops that I attend. All of our students were engrossed in his work. Heads went up and down in unison as the students followed his instructions on how to draw a cow, pig and sheep. Steve’s vocabulary of math terms was great using parallel, concentric and perpendicular. Keeping the attention of kindergarten through sixth grade students for over 45 minutes when school is almost out for the year, wow, what a great assembly!!!
Holly Barkalow, Desert Garden Elementary
Imagine 250 primary students sitting cross- legged on a concrete floor for one hour-TOTALLY engaged! What a beautiful sight! And, they left the presentation KNOWING they were all artists. Excellent program!
Peggy Ramirez , Desert Garden School
On February 1, 2006, I attended an assembly presented by illustrator, Steve Gray. Steve introduced his book FARMER MCPEEPERS AND HIS MISSING MILK COWS. Then he used an overhead projector to teach the children how to draw three characters, step by step. I was amazed to see several hundred children sitting on the floor totally mesmerized and quietly drawing along with Steve. My kindergarteners were thrilled with the quality of their drawings. But more amazing is the attention my class now pays to the work of illustrators. If I forget to mention the name of the illustrator when reading a new book, the children will interrupt to ask whom the illustrator is. They now have favorite illustrators and like to discuss and compare their styles. And several children have written and illustrated their own books. It is exciting to see the lasting effect Steve has had on my class.
Carol Barkovsky , Jefferson Elementary