Sweetland, George: - My name is George Sweetland and I'm working towards my dream. What dream do you ask? The dream of becoming a published author and illustrator. Ever since I could hold a pencil or crayon, without the desire to eat one, I've loved to draw. I just never quite knew what this love would evolve into later in life. That is until I became an elementary school teacher and really started to understand the beauty and genius of children's picture books. I'm a self taught artist who really pushed myself to build my craft after I started to become exposed to various picture books from talented authors and illustrators over 12 years ago. Many of whom even as a child, unknowingly influenced my own style of drawing. Authors and illustrators that included Maurice Sendak, James Marshall, Jose Aruego, and Ariane Dewey. Like these amazing creators, I'm drawn to texts and illustrations that preserve the beauty of color penciled artwork while creating a hybrid that incorporates aspects of digital art. I want illustrations that are strategically connected with the text to create impactful humor and most importantly, to build a love for reading. I watch my students everyday pick out books in the classroom or library that make them laugh and smile. I want to achieve the same goals with my own stories and illustrations. I want my own sons to be able to sit down with me and open a book I've published, so they can see how dreams come true. Stories have always been swarming inside my brain for years but I waited awhile to see which ones would still be in there making a fuss, begging to come out and come alive. Now that I have fine tuned those ideas, they have blossomed into stories with illustrations that I want to have published. For me it's about the love of creating. Writing and drawing bring me to my happy place and I just know how amazing it would be to be able to bring others there with me.