Living legend and master of the watercolor, illustrator Jerry Pinkney takes us from pencil to painting, layer by subtle layer. Raised in Philadelphia near a cemetery, thanks to strange quirk of the neighborhood, all the kids that lived on his block were forced to take still-life lessons. It paid off big time. Take a nature walk through Jerry's illustrious career here: https://www.jerrypinkneystudio.com/

Personification is central to Jerry Pinkney’s work, which frequently features believably humanistic animals. “For me, there is a balance between the natural beauty of a creature and my need to personify the animal to fit the story. I try to stay true to what the animal looks like in real life, while adding details, such as dressing up the character in human clothing—putting a chicken in a scarf, a hat, or a neckerchief—to show personality,” said the artist, who frequently poses as the animals he portrays. “And at times, depending on the story, other parts of an image can hint at emotion, too. Trees and flowers, the sun and moon, and even the wind can help to expand the storyline.”

Jerry Pinkney is an award-winning artist who began his creative journey in the field of illustration in 1960.

A native of Philadelphia, he studied at the Philadelphia College of Art, began his career as a graphic designer and greeting card artist, and has been illustrating children’s books since 1964. His art has appeared in more than one hundred books, garnering well-deserved acclaim. The recipient of a Caldecott Medal, five Caldecott Honor Medals, five Coretta Scott King Awards and four Coretta Scott King Honor Awards, Pinkney has received many commendations for his outstanding body of work, including a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society of Illustrators in New York and an Artist Laureate Award from the Norman Rockwell Museum. His illustrated books have been translated into many languages and published in fourteen different countries.

In addition to his work in children’s books, Pinkney has created illustrations for a wide variety of clients, including the U.S. Postal Service, National Park Service, and National Geographic. He served on the U.S. Postal Services Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee for ten years, from 1982 to 1992, and in 2003, was appointed to the National Endowment for the Arts/NEA, a prestigious position held by the artist for six years. A gifted educator, he has mentored aspiring illustrators at Pratt Institute, the University of Delaware, and the New York State University at Buffalo. The recipient of Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degrees from the Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University and the Pennsylvania College of Art and Design, he has created artworks that are among the collections of The Library of Congress, the New York Public Library, the Delaware Art Museum, and the Brandywine River Art Museum.

This wordless adaptation of an old Aesop fable shows an unlikely pair of friends learn that acts of kindness are never wasted

Award-winning children's book illustrator Jerry Pinkney, whose picture books celebrated African American culture and historical figures while reimagining fairy tales, died October 20, 2021 at the age of 81. In this "Sunday Morning" profile which aired on December 23, 2001, correspondent Martha Teichner talked with Pinkney about his radiant watercolor-and-pencil artworks, and the books which had grown to include several members of his family.