About Nancy Harrison

I began my career as an illustrator, like many do – crayoning on walls. Back then, it was considered a bad habit, now I get paid for it. In fact, I’ve somehow managed to doodle my way into a great career.

While I now live in the United States, I was born and raised in Montreal. (I happen to love four seasons and snow, so it worked out well). I went to a traditional art school and then university for a B.F.A. in Graphic Design and Illustration. That meant I got a much bigger box of crayons and a big black portfolio to drag around.

I worked as an Art Director, Creative Director for clients like Gillette, Kraft, Disney, Pfizer, Calvin Klein, and a big bunch of others, then started my own business. While being self-employed has been great, there are days I hate my “boss.”

I went to Syracuse for an M.A. in Illustration and made some weird new friends just like me. That made my big move to America much easier. I’ve lived on the East and West Coast, and now I’m settled in Vermont with my husband and dog Pixel, where I can do all kinds of sporty things when I’m not painting.

Along the way, my illustrations have won a bunch of awards, and my “Who Was…?” book series was listed #1 on the New York Times Best Sellers Series, and was made into a nifty Netflix show. I’ve now illustrated over 300 book covers, 20+ kid’s books published in lots of countries, and illustrated for magazines, posters, Apps, websites and eBooks.

I also teach Digital Painting and Illustration, passing along many of the tricks and tips I’ve picked up along the way. I hope I can “pay it forward” for having a job so awesome it shouldn’t be legal.