TESSA BLACKHAM
Tessa Blackham is a Pacific Northwest illustrator based on Bainbridge Island, in a house surrounded by woods. She earned her BFA in Illustration from BYU and her art is inspired by beauty, whether of the mountains where she attended school, of majestic whales she sees from the shores of her island home, or of a twirling ballerina. She works in several mediums, including gouache, for its versatility: thick and bold like acrylic, or transparent and delicate like watercolor, as well as cut paper, for the creative puzzle of compositing an image. She also enjoys paper and pencil, where all of her illustrations begin.
Tessa’s next project is a picture book biography, with Macmillan’s Christy Ottaviano Books, titled, From a Small Seed: The Story of Eliza Hamilton, by Camille Andros. Her debut picture book Monday is Wash Day by MaryAnn Sundby received a starred review from Kirkus who called it, "A labor of love..."
