I took the long way around.

 

When I was little, my Dad took me out on Saturdays for art lessons.  He would teach me everything from gesture drawing to rendering complicated ships at marinas, and I wasn’t allowed to use an eraser. But luckily, there were also no such things as mistakes.

 

After school, I earned a Master’s Degree in Architecture, and then designed and managed commercial architecture projects, while raising my three kids with my husband, also an architect.

 

Now that my kids (and I) are all grown up, I'm focused on creating art for children. And though I still draw buildings, they usually don't have straight lines. In fact, things have quite come full circle. I'm back outside drawing people and boats again (and everything else!), preferably without an eraser.

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Lisa Ikegami is an artist and author/illustrator of children’s books. She works in a variety of traditional media, from watercolor painting, alcohol ink on Yupo paper to mixed media and encaustic. She is an active member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI).

 

Awards and accolades for her stories and illustrations include Honorable Mentions in SCBWI Florida's Rising Kite competition, 2017 and 2022, Winner of SCBWI "Draw This" November 2022, and PB Party Finalist in 2021.

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Lisa’s first picture book that she wrote and illustrated, A BLANKET QUITE RARE (pub. 2015, Neptune Press) won acclaim from Midwest Book Review and “Kids First!”. Also a former violin instructor, Lisa collaborated with the director of the German Suzuki Institute and the International Music Teacher’s Exchange in 2016 to create THE JOURNEY THROUGH PRE-TWINKLE, e-book and educational materials for violin students worldwide. Her short story and illustration, “Cracker Creature” was recently published as a part of QUINN’S MONSTER’S by the “Make a Wish” Foundation. She's currently creating a series of illustrated educatioinal materials for Leu Gardens in Orlando.

 

Lisa is presently seeking representation for illustration and a number of picture books she currently has underway. She lives in Florida with her husband, golden retriever Chance, and rabbit, Trixie. When she’s not writing or illustrating, she can be found exploring outside with a sketchbook, or playing with her new grandson, George.