Jack Keely (Los Angeles, CA) grew up in Binghamton, New York, where his interest in illustration and art began at a young age. He spent much of his childhood drawing from comic books and inventing his own characters. He credits his parents for encouraging and cultivating his skills and talents. Jack went on to obtain his BSA in illustration at the Rhode Island School of Design and his MFA in design at the Cranbrook Academy of Art. To share his knowledge of these areas with others, Jack taught at North Carolina State University's School of Design and Ohio University. He also worked as an advertising art director for six years. In 1994, he moved to Los Angeles to concentrate on his career as an illustrator. In addition to illustrating more than 20 popular children's books, Jack has been commissioned to create artwork for magazine articles, book covers, greeting cards, and shopping bags. His cartoon characters have been translated into plush toys, plastic figures, puppets, and rubber stamps.
Carson Van Osten (1945-2015) was born in Philadelphia and studied at the Philadelphia College of Art before beginning his work in TV and film animation. From 1969 to 1976, he worked for Disney Studio, writing and illustrating Mickey Mouse and Goofy comics. From 1976 and through the 1980s, he was the art director for Disney's comic strips department, and in 1994 he went to live and work for Disney as VP of Creative Resources in Paris, France. He continued to work on new comics throughout his later life. He won numerous national and international prizes for his paintings, and he received the prestigious Disney Legends award in 2015.
