If you live and work in the Toronto or Southern Ontario area and work at least part-time as a professional illustrator, you are eligible to join. A one-time fee of $75 CA is required before your profile will be posted to help cover administrative and maintenance costs. This small fee may be paid by Paypal to webmaster@torontoillustrators.com.
A 72 dip, 90x90 px thumbnail for the index page, a max 400 px by any length full image, and your preferred contact information (website, email, phone number, etc.) along with a 1 or 2 sentence description of your work should be sent to webmaster@torontoillustrators.com.
Members are also invited to include a maximum 225 px wide by 400 px long image to appear above their contact information in the sidebar of their profile page. This can be a logo, photo, self-portrait, another piece of your work, or whatever you feel is representative of your business and work at the moment. If you do not wish to include a special image here, the thumbnail provided for the site index page will be used.
Once a member, we would request that you link back to this site (http://www.torontoillustrators.com) anywhere on your website with the following button:
We're looking forward to seeing you there!
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John Mantha Website: www.johnmantha.com  John Mantha is a Toronto-based artist and illustrator. He has illustrated 24 books and has designed coins for the Royal Canadian Mint. He works in oils and oil-wash and also photoshop for spot illustrations. His style is realistic in nature with an emphasis on texture. 1. When did you start illustrating (for clients professionally?) I worked for small advertising agencies doing illustration for a year or so before starting out on my own in 1984. 2. Who are your biggest influences? I can't name one person but I occasionally come across an illustration that I find impressive and that motivates me. It could be a children's book illustration or a serious magazine piece. The variety of styles out there is amazing. 3. What is your work process? I gather as much reference as possible initially. I am able to do most of it online but I still go to the Toronto reference Library from time to time. Since my still is realistic in nature, I need solid reference, so I have photographed myself in the act of chopping wood, throwing spears, climbing trees etc. I start off with pencil sketches, scan them and then embellish them in Photoshop before sending them to the client. The final work is done in oils, or oil wash and also photoshop for specific pieces. 4. What would you name as the biggest strength of your illustrations? I would like to think, my ability to capture light and shade. The first thing I consider is where the light will be coming from. 5. Do you have any formal education in art? I graduated from the Ontario College of Art, now called OCAD. 6. Where do you see the future of illustration? It's difficult to say where the future lies. I see the ability to draw with pencil on paper becoming a rare talent. What is rare, often becomes valued and appreciated. 7. If you could offer one piece of advice to someone considering a career in illustration, what would it be? It is important to develop a style of your own. 8. Last words? The aspect I enjoy most about illustrating is collaborating with others and bringing our combined ideas from a few simple sketches to a finished piece.
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