After many years, I escaped from the corporate arena of design to pursue my love for children's book illustration. I ventured out and started my own Illustration and Design business in 2003. Since then I have worked on many various projects with my main focus being children's illustration. I have illustrated three picture books and am also illustrating the "Wright on Time" chapter book series. My books have won a variety of awards including the Bronze Medal for the 2011 Moonbeam Children's Book Award, the 2010 Arizona Book Awards and the 2008 and 2010 Annual International Latino Book AwardsIn addition to design and illustration projects varying from character studies, book illustrations, greeting cards and marketing collateral, I have also enjoyed working on numerous book jackets ranging from children's titles to adult fiction and non-fiction. My love of storytelling drives me to continually refine my craft. Traditional mediums such as acrylics, acrylic gouache, water color as well as pen and ink are my favorite, but I also love the freedom that digital tools, such as Photoshop, offer. My current focus is to develop my own stories and I am excited and hopeful to soon be published as both writer and illustrator. I was born in Germany, but grew up outside Melbourne, Australia and now live near Phoenix, Arizona, with my husband, Kevin, my daughters, Isabelle and Zoe, and my menagerie of two Golden Retrievers and three cats. I have been a member of the SCBWI for many years and am always working on improving my craft in both writing and illustrating by attending workshops and conferences. In my free time, I love to go kayaking and camping with my family and I recently started volunteering at a local horse sanctuary that rescues unwanted animals from abuse, neglect and provides them with a safe and loving home. I am so lucky because I simply love what I do!www.tanjabauerle.com