Megan Halsey
Lansdowne, PA[email protected]
Megan Halsey has illustrated nearly 50 children's books. She is a graduate of our program, has been lauded by The New Yorker, Children's Book Council, American Library Association, and has won two Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold awards.
I am a professional commercial artist celebrating 25 years in the business of making art. My first children's book, Something to Crow About, hit bookstore shelves in 1990.
I have illustrated 45 books in the last 25 years, some of which I have also written. My children's book art has received numerous honors you can find below. My favorite praise for my children's book work was from The New Yorker magazine. It called my dimensional work "tromp l'oile marvels"!
In addition to children's books, I illustrate articles for magazines and newspapers like Family Circle and The Boston Globe. My art and designs have been used for logos, packaging, wine labels, giftware, textiles, wall art and greeting cards.
I was meant to be an artist. While taking piano lessons as a child, rather than practice, I colored my sheet music. I still love to color and can't play the piano! I grew up looking at beautiful things. My father took me to art museums on my birthday. I look back now and see how everyone around me was making things: my father built furniture, carved wood and painted, my mother sewed and wrote, my brother made homemade movies with his action figures, and my sister painted. My grandparents were creative also making things, sewing and quilting.
I'm a former Pratt Institute and Moore College of Art & Design professor. I am currently on the faculty of Marywood University's MFA Program, Get Your Masters with the Masters. I earned my Masters Degree, in illustration, from this wonderful program.
I also consult one-on-one for projects of all kinds and run children's book workshops with my friend and colleague, Melanie Hall.
A former New Yorker, I now live in the cute, small, town of Lansdowne, PA, where I'm president of the borough's Arts Board. I am also co-chair of Lansdowne's annual three-day celebration of music and art - The Lansdowne Arts & Music Festival.
