Hans Christian Andersen (/ˈhɑːnz ˈkrɪstʃən ˈændərsən/; Danish: [hanˀs kʰʁæsd̥jan ˈɑnɐsn̩] ( listen); often referred to in Scandinavia as H. C. Andersen; 2 April 1805 – 4 August 1875) was a Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogues, novels, and poems, Andersen is best remembered for his fairy tales. Andersen's popularity is not limited to children; his stories, called eventyr in Danish or "fairy-tales" in English, express themes that transcend age and nationality.

Andersen's fairy tales, which have been translated into more than 125 languages, have become culturally embedded in the West's collective consciousness, readily accessible to children, but presenting lessons of virtue and resilience in the face of adversity for mature readers as well. Some of his most famous fairy tales include "The Emperor's New Clothes", "The Little Mermaid", "The Nightingale", "The Snow Queen", "The Ugly Duckling", and many more.

His stories have inspired ballets, both animated and live-action films, and plays.

Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Photo by Thora Hallager (1821-1884) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.

Michael Hague was born in Southern California in 1948. His mother, Marie, emigrated from England just after World War II and settled in California where she met and married Riley Hague. Michael is the eldest of three children. His mother introduced him to the stories and art in the fairytale books she enjoyed herself as a child. He attributes this and his mother's encouragement to pursue drawing while growing up, to his interest in becoming an illustrator.

Michael Hague was influenced by a wide variety of artistic styles, ranging from the movies of the Disney Studios, to the oriental printmakers Hokusai and Hiroshige. His mother banned comics from their house when Michael was a child, which of course made them all the more attractive to the young artist. Exploring this genre he discovered the work of the comic artists Hal Foster and Windsor McKay. The artists from the Golden Age of Illustration such as Arthur Rackham, W Heath Robinson, Howard Pyle, and Dulac also influenced his work and he is an avid collector of their books and art. His study of classical fine art contributed to his skills in drawing, painting and composition.

Mr. Hague describes his technique: "Once the subject is chosen, I start out with very small compositional sketches. These small thumbnails are then enlarged to full-sized sketches, where I develop the details of the picture. From there I proceed to re-create these initial sketches as finished pencil illustrations. When these drawings are completed, I am ready to begin painting. Today I have added a new tool to the painting process of my work, the computer. Often I do the complete coloring process on the computer. Other times I paint and then rework the piece on the computer. It has opened up a whole new world of possibilities and I am still discovering new ways to paint and draw."

About his work, Michael Hague says, "I count myself as one of the most fortunate of beings. For as an artist I have not only the pleasure but also the duty to daydream. It is a part of my work. I have been a contented daydreamer all of my life, often to the exasperation of those around me. I have always wanted to be a book illustrator. Books are what got me interested in the art field in the first place. I try to infuse my illustrations with the same spirit that the author of the story produces in my imagination. I strive to create something from an empty canvas that becomes a whole "other world" that people can visit for a while and totally believe in --- that's what is exciting to me as an artist. It doesn't matter whether it is a Greek myth or an American legend, my approach is the same, to try and blend fantasy with realism."

In 1980, the classic novel, Wind in the Willows with illustrations by Michael Hague, ushered in a new era in children's books. During the following decades his artistic talents brought attention to this magnificent tale and other classics in children's literature. Millions of children and adults re-discovered these wonderful stories and delighted in the visions Michael created. Mr. Hague continues to work expanding his art to comics and graphic novels.

Photo Copyright: Adam Fedderly

Charles Santore’s (b. Philadelphia, 1935) work as an illustrator is celebrated and diverse. Not only has he illustrated for top advertising agencies and leading magazines (TV Guide, Redbook, Esquire, Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping, Ladies Home Journal, The Saturday Evening Post, Reader’s Digest, Time, Life, Newsweek, and other publications) but his artwork is also included in distinguished collections such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Brandywine River Museum in Pennsylvania and the Free Library of Philadelphia.

Since 1986, Santore has added children’s book illustration to his broad body of work, including the following classics: The Tale of Peter Rabbit and Other Cherished Stories, Aesop’s Fables, The Wizard of Oz, The Little Mermaid, Snow White, The Fox and the Rooster, Paul Revere's Ride; the Landlord’s Tale, The Camel’s Lament, The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus, The Night before Christmas and version of Jack and the Beanstalk for limited Internet distribution. Santore most recently illustrated Margery Williams Bianco’s beloved The Velveteen Rabbit, which, along with his versions of Aesop’s Fables, The Night before Christmas, The Wizard of Oz and his own William the Curious: Knight of the Water Lilies, was selected by US retailer Kohl’s for its seasonal Kohl’s Cares merchandise program supporting children’s initiatives in communities nationwide. In addition to William, Santore is also author/illustrator of A Stowaway on Noah’s Ark, Three Hungry Pigs and the Wolf That Came to Dinner, and The Silk Princess.

Santore has received numerous awards and recognition for his artistic excellence, both for his past achievements in the magazine and advertising fields and for his children’s books, including the Society of Illustrators Award of Excellence and prestigious Hamilton King Award, and the Alumni Award of the Philadelphia College of Art. In 1998, his first original book, William the Curious, Knight of the Water Lilies, received the 1998 Storytelling World Honor Title. His subsequent book A Stowaway on Noah’s Ark won the Gold Medal at the 2000 Society of Children’s Illustrators Annual Show, and in 2003, he won the Silver Medal at the Society of Illustrators Annual Show for his illustrations for Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s Paul Revere’s Ride: the Landlord’s Tale. Santore’s illustrated edition of this American classic was also named 2004 Children’s Book of the Year for Poetry by the Bank Street College Children’s Book Committee.

His illustrations for Aesop’s Fables were the inspiration for a series of national and international Merill Lynch TV commercials aired during the 1993 Winter Olympic Games, for which several works from his book were animated. In 1995, a selection of Santore's illustrations for The Wizard of Oz, widely considered to be the quintessential illustrated version (of which a new edition has recently been published), were used as the scenic backdrops for a major television performance of the work. Santore was also the subject of the 1997 documentary Charles Santore Illustrates the Wizard of Oz, in which he describes his artistic vision and approach to illustrating L. Frank Baum’s classic tale.

Santore’s work has also been the focus of several major exhibitions. In 1992, he was honored for his work in book illustration with a major exhibition at the Brandywine River Museum, and his work was also included in the traveling exhibition Myth, Magic and Mystery: One Hundred Years of American Children’s Book Illustration, where it appeared alongside work by renowned illustrators such as Maurice Sendak and N.C. Wyeth. Santore’s illustrations for Paul Revere’s Ride: the Landlord’s Tale were one of the highlights and inspirations for the 2005 exhibit Paul Revere’s Ride and Longfellow’s Legend, at the Brandywine River Museum and the National Heritage Museum in Lexington, Massachusetts. In 2009, he created the official poster for the 2009 National Book Festival in Washington, DC, and was one of the event's featured authors. In 2012, Santore was honored with a retrospective at The Society of Illustrators in New York.

Santore lives and works in Philadelphia. His next project will be announced shortly.