Tom Leonard has worked as a free-lance illustrator for over twenty years.He graduated from the Philadelphia College of
Art, (now the University of the Arts). He began by working for Philadelphia publications like the Philadelphia Bulletin, Philadelphia Magazine and local advertising agencies. After moving to New York he worked for national publications such
as Psychology Today, Science Digest, PC Magazine, US Air Magazine, and Readers Digest. His work from that period emphasized conceptual approaches to illustration. In New
York he acquired representation of the firm Kirchoff-Wohlberg, who introduced him to the world of children's books and
school publishing. He has worked for Time-Life, Houghton
Mifflin, Macmillan, McGraw-Hill, Scholastic, Scott-Foresman
and Nickolodean.
In the past seven years he has focused his work on children's books usually with a view toward nature. His recent work combines a folk-art sophistication with a scientifically realistic interpretation.
He has illustrated five books for Hyperion and Golden.
He now lives in Philadelphia and teaches illustration at the University of the Arts, in Philadelphia. He regularly goes to schools to discuss his work. His work has appeared in the Graphis Annual and several times in the Society of Illustrators.
University of the Arts in Philadelphia
