Brett Helquist

Brett L. Helquist (born November 1965) is an American illustrator best known for his work in the children's book series '' A Series of Unfortunate Events''. As such, his illustrations for that series have appeared in multiple media, including the books, the audio book covers, and the calendars. Helquist graduated from Brigham Young University (BYU) with a BFA in illustration in 1993. After graduation, he moved to New York City where he worked full-time as a graphic designer, occasionally drawing for newspapers and magazines. Helquist's work has been featured in children's magazines, along with '' The New York Times''. He has illustrated almost 50 books.

Biography

Helquist was born in Ganado, Arizona, in 1965, and grew up in Orem, Utah, with his six sisters. His love of art and his desire to become an illustrator came from reading comic strips in newspapers as a child. Helquist served as a Mormon missionary in Hong Kong, then earned a bachelor's degree in fine arts from Brigham Young University in 1993. Prior to entering the illustration program at BYU, Helquist studied as an engineering student. He took a year off during his time as a student to take a job in Taiwan where he illustrated a textbook. This experience helped him make the decision to switch to illustration and the visual arts. From there, he worked closely with Utah artist and BYU professor of illustration Robert Barrett.

Helquist has lived in New York City since 1993. Immediately after graduating from BYU, Helquist was an intern for illustrator Robert Neubecker. For six years, he worked as a graphic designer, drawing for magazines and newspapers in his spare time. He has been published in the children's magazine ''Cricket'', and in '' The New York Times''. He is represented by Steven Malk of Writers House in New York City.

In August 2017, Helquist donated several boxes filled with early sketches of his illustrations for ''A Series of Unfortunate Events'' to BYU's Special Collections department. These sketches were displayed at BYU until the end of September 2017.

In February 2019, Helquist was the Artist Guest of Honor and Keynote Speaker at the 37th annual Life, the Universe, & Everything science fiction and fantasy arts symposium.

Works

Besides the 13 '' A Series of Unfortunate Events'' books, Helquist has provided illustrations for nearly 50 books, varying from children's books to young adult novels.

Children's Books

Middle Grade Books

Young Adult Books

Helquist produced new cover illustrations for a reprint of the 1954–1976 '' Green Knowe'' series by Lucy M. Boston (Harcourt, 2002; retaining the original interior illustrations by the writer's son Peter Boston):"Green Knowe – Series Bibliography"
ISFDB. Retrieved 2015-01-20.
*''The Children of Green Knowe'',
*''The Treasure of Green Knowe'', (a.k.a. ''The Chimneys of Green Knowe'')
*''The River at Green Knowe'',
*''A Stranger at Green Knowe'',
*''An Enemy at Green Knowe'',
*''The Stones of Green Knowe'',

He also produced new illustrations for a reprint of the 1981-1991 '' Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark'' series by Alvin Schwartz (Harper & Row, 2011):
*''Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark'',
*''More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark'',
*''Scary Stories 3: More Tales to Chill Your Bones'',

Helquist also wrote and illustrated ''Roger, the Jolly Pirate,'' , published in 2004; ''Bedtime for Bear'', , published in 2010; and ''Grumpy Goat'', , published in 2013.

References

External links

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* (1999–present)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Helquist, Brett
1965 births
American children's book illustrators
Latter Day Saints from New York (state)
American Mormon missionaries in Hong Kong
Brigham Young University alumni
People from Ganado, Arizona
People from Orem, Utah
Living people
Date of birth missing (living people)
Latter Day Saints from Arizona
Latter Day Saints from Utah
Harold B. Lee Library-related 21st century articles