Viviane Schwarz was chosen as one of the Booktrust Best New Illlustrators of 2011. She is the author-illustrator of the highly acclaimed picture books The Adventures of a Nose and Shark and Lobster's Amazing Undersea Adventure. She lives in London.
About me:
I was born in Hannover, Germany, but my family moved to a smaller town almost at once. I somehow worked out how to read when I was four, and by the trick of holding the books upside down I managed to hide that skill for some time, so I got to read some really exciting books before school. School wasn't so exciting, but I managed to read more books under the table secretly. I had trouble staying awake and often fell asleep during exams because I had such adventurous dreams at night.
After thirteen years of school, which seemed like a very long time, I really felt like going somewhere else. I decided to go to England because I figured that I'd learned good English from reading lots of American science fiction novels. In England, I learned for the first time that there are other exciting things besides reading books, for example swimming in the sea and running around town with friends looking for things to make art out of (I'd enrolled in an art college). I decided not to go back, and now I live in London which is a bit too far away from the sea but otherwise very nice.
I spend my days writing, drawing, making toys and going on exploring missions - well, walks. Sometimes I still read books, too, but only one at a time now.
Things you didn't know about Viviane Schwarz:
1. I always wear lipstick for difficult work, because it makes me feel more serious. Sometimes I wear it on my nose.
2. There are eight pet birds flying around in my house.
3. I don't put my really scary ideas into picture books. Instead I write long ghost novels which I keep in a box.
Things you didn't know about Viviane Schwarz
Illustrator's Website: http://www.vivianeschwarz.co.uk/
