Oliver Jeffers

Oliver Jeffers

Author & Illustrator

Jeffer’s Life

• Grew up in Ireland, now lives in Brooklyn

• Artist, author, illustrator• Attended University of Ulster

– Visual communication• Favorite food: Sushi in New

York or Mexican food in LA• Favorite picture book: The

Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle

• “Be disciplined. Work hard. Be prepared to hear ‘no’ a lot and don’t care.”

Why did I chose Oliver?

The first book of Oliver’s that I owned was “Up and Down.” I loved the simplicity of Jeffer’s illustrations along with the vibrant colors and attractive handwriting used. I enjoy Jeffer’s ability to make a simple story humorous and appealing while instilling an important message.

How did you become an author/ illustrator?

“I have always been a visual thinker. It runs in my family. Since I was very young I’ve had an appreciation for how people make art, how they make something look like they do, and I’d always have rather looked at pictures than say, read or watch TV.”

Author & Illustrator of:

Illustrator of:

• Simple illustrations• Messages incorporated such as:– Friends– Family– Loss– Sharing– Being creative

• Humorous stories with lighthearted feeling

• Appealing illustrations• “Meant to entertain, not over-stress a

message.”

Awards

Received: • 2013

– Winner of the Orbil Prize (best illustrated book, “Stuck”)

– Winner of the CBI Book of the Year for illustration (“The Moose Belongs To Me”)

• 2012– Irish Book Awards winner for Junior’s

Children’s Book (“The Moose Belongs To Me”)

– NY Times Book Review- One of the year’s best illustrated books (“The Hueys in the New Sweater)

• 2011– V&A Book Illustration Award (“The

Heart and the Bottle”)• 2010

– British Book Design and Production (“The Heart and the Bottle”)

– New York Emmy Awards: Best Commercial & Best Graphics for Artwalk ’09

https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=424719210287

Oliver’s Projects:

• Designed the cover of the new U2 album• Did a lyric video for U2• Lost and Found DVD launched Oct. 15, 2013• NY Times #1 bestseller: The Day the Crayons Quit• TED 2013 Video: http://vimeo.com/60638866• ’04 Sketch book• Oliver’s Websites:

– http://www.oliverjeffers.com/– http://oliverjeffersworld.com/

• What would your typical workday

consist of?

– Given the versatile nature of what I do,

every day is different.

– There isn't really such thing a thing.

• What kind of materials do you use for your illustration?– I have differing styles of illustrating and drawing… watercolor,

collage, digitally with Photoshop, oil on canvas and acrylic over second hand paintings and photos.

“Though, an important lesson I learned was when someone once brought to my attention the Mariah Carey Syndrome, where she has an 8-octave range and won’t sing a song without using all 8. Just because you can do something, doesn’t always mean you should. Subtly, restraint and discretion are key in my mind to good illustration.”

Oliver Jeffers Teaching Ideas

• The Hueys in The New Sweater– Write a prequel (ex. Who are the Hueys?)– Make your own jumper (use adjectives to describe it)– Retell the stories (using pictures or felt boards)– Listen to the narration online – http://www.makeyourownhuey.com/– Identify shapes in the book, draw a map to identify where you think they live

• Stuck– Different sizes of the items– Different types of trees and how they grow– Do they have shadows? How are shadows formed?– Estimate the price of each item stuck in the tree– How to draw Floyd video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsHZbDCXVvI

http://www.teachingideas.co.uk/library/books/stuck.htm

Follow Oliver Jeffers On…

Instagram: “OliverJeffers”Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/oliverjeffersartTwitter:

Or Catch him at an upcoming event:Follow events @ Oliverjeffers.com

References:

• http://thegreatdiscontent.com/oliver-jeffers• www.oliverjeffers.com• http://vimeo.com/57472271• http://www.teachingideas.co.uk/library/authors/oliverjef

fers.htm• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsHZbDCXVvI• http://www.makeyourownhuey.com/• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsHZbDCXVvI• https://www.facebook.com/oliverjeffersart• https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=42471921028

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