ALEX WILLAN
Alex Willan grew up in Louisville, KY where he eschewed Saturday morning cartoons for art class. While outside drawing trees in one such class, he was forced to dodge a driverless car rolling backward down a driveway. This near-death experience troubled him little when compared to the devastating loss of his prized sketchbook, unfortunately crushed under a tire.
He overcame this early adversity to earn his BFA in Illustration from Savannah College of Art and Design. He also attended The Illustration Academy where he studied with many award-winning illustrators, including C.F. Payne, Gary Kelley and Anita Kunz. Alex has exhibited in art galleries, painted murals, theater sets, and squirmy children’s faces, but his true love has always been children's books. He is an active member of SCBWI.
Alex’s picture book debut is Jasper & Ollie with Doubleday, followed by the next title in the series, Jasper & Ollie Build a Fort. His third book is Unicorns are the Worst with Simon & Schuster. When he’s not working on his next writing or illustration project, Alex’s hobbies include: worrying he should be working on his next writing or illustration project, worrying his bookcase is going to collapse if he adds one more book, worrying he has spent the whole day with something in his teeth and no one has told him, and walking his dog on the beach in Chicago where he now makes his home.
