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“I worked with Christy when I was a
children's book editor at Tricycle Press
and found her art direction and design
skills invaluable. With the picture book
project The Tooth Fairy Meets El Raton
Perez, we were working with a first time illustrator and Christy knew how to make
his layouts more effective and fix technical issues with proportion and perspective.
She also paid attention to the overall visual rhythm of the book and the interaction of
type and art. Her font choices were right on.
Her beautiful book design helped the book
win numerous awards and I think her contribution to the project was a big part
of the book's success. I would hire her
as an art director or designer again in
a heartbeat.”
--Abigail Samoun, co-founder Red Fox
Literary, www.redfoxliterary.com

“Christy has a gift for visually analyzing
artwork and illustrations. She puts her
finger on what can be improved and
articulates her solutions with vivid
language in terms that publishers,
as well as fellow artists, understand.
She's professional, pleasant to work
with and responsive to input from all the players. I more than recommend her
highly—I engage her to work on picture
books myself!”
--Matthew Gollub, Publisher, Tortuga Press

art direction & portfolio review




Brian PinkneyJohn ParraRandy DuBurkeRafael LopezJavaka Steptoe

Christy is available for portfolio reviews and consulting art direction. Christy served on the jury for
a the Society of Illustrators Original Art Show. She's worked as an art director in children's book publishing for over 20 years: in-house at many New York publishers (Dutton, Putnam/Philomel, Bradbury, Macmillan, Four Winds, and Simon & Schuster); and as a freelance art director for numerous other publishers. She
began as consulting art director for Lee & Low's first list and still works with them helping many new
artists into successful careers. New and seasoned artists have won prestigious awards for books they
worked on with Christy, including ALA Notables, Caldecott Honors, Coretta Scott King Awards and Honors, John Steptoe New Talent Awards, and Pura Belpre Awards and Honors. Contact Christy for details.


“Christy Hale is one of the topflight art directors in the business. Her skills and creative sense have helped me to navigate some tricky artistic terrain. I think any company would count her as a valuable creative asset in the creation of any illustrated book they were doing.”
—Randy DuBurke, author/illustrator

The Moon Ring (Chronicle Books 2002) Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award
Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty by Greg Neri (Lee & Low Books 2010) Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards and many more (click here for a complete award list)

“When my first book was published, I was very innocent about the publishing business. Arriving in NYC, I
was eager and excited to meet with Christy Hale to discuss my book design. In her gentle and very knowledgeable way, she suggested a way to work with my art to create a powerful image and presentation. With her simple advice, the book was unified and is still one of my favorites. I will always hold every Art Director up to the standards set by Christy . . . my first! She was so kind, friendly and encouraging. It made my introduction into the world of publishing feel natural. I'll always be grateful.”
—Nancy Cote, author/illustrator

“Christy was the art director for my book Tashi and the Tibetan Flower Cure. From the very start, I found her easy, accessible, and fun to work with. She honored my creative vision while also giving important input to make the book even better. Because she's an illustrator herself, I felt she understood my challenges, needs, and pace very well. I learned a lot that I can apply to future books.

—Naomi C. Rose, author/illustrator


"Thank you, Christy, for taking so much time to give feedback on the book. I am inspired to get started working on making it better, taking it to the next level. It was so nice to get sucha thoughtful and helpful response."
—Marjorie Galen, aspiring picture book author/illustrator

author of The Fashion Designer's Handbook (Workman fall 2012)



 

 

All images and site design © 2011 Christy Hale