Level Up: I’m now an Award Winning Illustrator!

Award winning illustrator - Steph Calvert of Hearts and LaserbeamsI woke up Sunday morning to some really exciting news! I’ve been able to call myself an award winning web designer for some time, but now I can also tell ya that I’m an award winning illustrator to boot!

Throughout 2015, I created over 30 illustrations for Colorful Cities’ book Colorful Tokyo. That book has just won the Bronze in the Travel / Guidebook category for the 2016 Independent Publishers’ Award! You can see the full list of winners here.

It’s so validating as I bring focus to the illustration side of my career to get little signs here and there that I’m on the right path. Here’s a couple of my favorite pieces from the Colorful Tokyo book – you can grab a signed copy here.

The Ramen Eaters from Colorful Tokyo coloring book illustrated by award winning illustrator Steph Calvert of Hearts and Laserbeams
The Ramen Eaters from Colorful Tokyo coloring book illustrated by award winning illustrator Steph Calvert of Hearts and Laserbeams

I totally love this one because all of the folks eating have such fun slurpy expressions on their faces!

Sumo Wrestlers - Colorful Tokyo coloring book illustrated by Steph Calvert of Hearts and Laserbeams
Sumo Wrestlers illustration for Colorful Tokyo by Colorful Cities, illustrated by award winning illustrator Steph Calvert of Hearts and Laserbeams

The art direction Colorful Cities gave me for this was to make sure the diaper was accurate, without showing toooooo much cheek if you get my drift.

Colorful Tokyo coloring book illustrated by Steph Calvert of Hearts and Laserbeams
Mount Fuji – Colorful Tokyo coloring book illustrated by award winning illustrator Steph Calvert of Hearts and Laserbeams

The zooming motion of the train as it passes in front of Mount Fuji is pretty fun, right?

The Imperial Palace - Colorful Tokyo coloring book illustrated by award winning illustrator Steph Calvert of Hearts and Laserbeams
The Imperial Palace – Colorful Tokyo coloring book illustrated by award winning illustrator Steph Calvert of Hearts and Laserbeams

The intricate details of the imperial palace took quite a while to do, not to mention drawing each stone in the walls on the left side of the page! One cool thing about this coloring book was the opportunity to add cute characters here and there, like the little duck family swimming under the bridge.

Koinobori Streamers - Coloring Books for Adults - Colorful Tokyo illustrated by award winning illustrator Steph Calvert of Hearts and Laserbeams
Koinobori Streamers – Coloring Books for Adults – Colorful Tokyo illustrated by award winning illustrator Steph Calvert of Hearts and Laserbeams

This is one of my favorite illustrations from the award winning illustration project! These koinobori streamers, and all the little details that make them so much fun to color, were a total blast to draw.

So now that I’m an award winning illustrator, we should work together!

Whether you’ve got a need for editorial illustration, children’s book illustration, or something else, I want to hear from you!

Oops! We could not locate your form.

Freelance Illustrator Steph Calvert • Steph Calvert Art | https://stephcalvertart.com

Freelance illustrator Steph Calvert is an award-winning artist with 24 years of experience working as a creative professional. She is based in McDonough, Georgia, just south of Atlanta.

Steph Calvert has expertise as a children’s book illustrator. She is an expert surface pattern designer for art licensing and creates line drawings for publishing and product design. Steph has years of additional expertise as a mural artist, creating original art, and logo design for small businesses. She is currently querying literary agents with her first author/illustrator book projects.

National SCBWI Conference, 2023
Illustration Summer Camp – The Highlights Foundation, 2021
Make Art That Sells, 2017
BFA in Computer Art – SCAD, 1999


3 responses to “Level Up: I’m now an Award Winning Illustrator!”

  1. Hi Steph!

    Sounds really good that you are now an award winning illustrator and I think it’s a great achievement for you which will encourage you to go ahead. I have seen you most of the work and I really appreciate that. Hoping that you will do much more better in near future. Congratulation for your great achievement:)

    Regards,
    Jack from ilustra.co.uk

Follow by Email
Instagram
YouTube
YouTube
LinkedIn
LinkedIn
Share
Pinterest
Pinterest
fb-share-icon
RSS