Tony DiTerlizzi

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tony DiTerlizzi (born September 6, 1969) is a fantasy artist best known for his work in the collectible card game Magic: The Gathering and on the Planescape product line for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. He also worked with Holly Black on the Spiderwick Chronicles series. He won a Caldecott Medal for his adaptation of The Spider and the Fly.

[edit] Biography

Acclaimed children’s book creator, Tony DiTerlizzi was born into an artistic household on September 6, 1969. Tony grew up in South Florida amid palm trees and year-round sunshine. While he enjoyed being outdoors and nature, he also loved to draw, write, and create his own little books. During his childhood he was introduced to the work of Norman Rockwell, Arthur Rackham, Dr. Suess, Roald Dahl, and Jim Henson, all of whom inspired him and became major creative influences. In college, he honed his talents at the Florida School of the Arts and later, at The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale where he earned a degree in Graphic Design in 1992.

After art school, DiTerlizzi began a freelance illustration career, working for TSR's Dungeons & Dragons role–playing game. He continued to illustrate in the gaming field for most of the 1990s, working on games such as Planescape, Changeling, and the trading card phenomenon, Magic the Gathering, thus forging a place for himself in the field of fantasy art.

After seven years of successful work as a gaming and fantasy artist, Tony delved into the field of creating children’s picture books. With the publication in 2000 of Jimmy Zangwow's Out-of-this-World Moon Pie Adventure, he fulfilled a childhood dream of writing and illustrating his own book. Jimmy Zangwow, which was lauded by critics, was followed the next year by Ted, which also received high praise, including the 2002 Zena Sutherland Award. It was followed with his spooky picture book of Mary Howitt’s classic poem The Spider and the Fly, for which he was awarded the 2003 Caldecott Honor and the moniker of New York Times best-seller.

Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black co-created the The Spiderwick Chronicles series in 2003, where it was met with immediate success. Children and adults alike loved the adventures of Simon, Jared, and Mallory Grace in a world of faeries, trolls and goblins. Since then, Spiderwick has been published all over the world and translated in over 30 languages. 2005 saw the publication of Arthur Spiderwick’s Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You–a complete culmination of Tony’s passion for fantasy combined with his love for children’s literature. In 2008, Paramount Pictures will release a live-action movie adaptation of the series starring Freddie Highmore and David Strathairn.

Tony lives and works in western Massachusetts with his wife (and manager) Angela, and their pug, Goblin. His latest picture book, G is for One Gzonk, is not only a nonsense alphabet book, but an homage to the late Dr. Seuss.