Carolyn R. Stich is a children’s book illustrator. She is originally from St. Louis, Missouri. She studied commercial art and graphic design at Meremac Community College in St. Louis and continued her studies at the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga. In 1993, she and her husband moved to Holland, Michigan where they presently live with their two children, Peter and Rachel. She also shares her studio with a lazy old yellow lab names Tess and a naughty black lab named Katrina. Carolyn works out of her home in a cozy studio full of pens, pencils, books, paints, and piles and piles of papers.

Carolyn works with traditional techniques such as pen and ink with a watercolor wash, and most recently colored pencils. She has dabbled in digital illustration and has the mega computer in her studio to prove it, but found the simple traditional style suits her best. Carolyn devoted much of her artistic and photographic talents towards her community where she illustrates for architects, builders, big and small corporations, and is often commissioned by the city of Holland to do various pieces of art. If you see a photograph promoting West Michigan, odds are Carolyn was the photographer. However, the projects she enjoys most are the children’s picture books she has the privilege to illustrate.

Carolyn enjoys visiting schools and introducing children to the exciting role of a book illustrator. She loves to share her interaction with the authors, her research tools, and her techniques while she draws with the students. She also provides activities for the children to promote their own creative abilities. To learn more about Carolyn’s presentations, please visit www.edcopublishing.com.

Recently Carolyn was honored to be selected as one of West Michigan’s 50 Women of Influence, the premier issue for “I Magazine”, spring 2006.