Ritchie, Scot 1954-

PERSONAL:

Born September 12, 1954, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; son of Ross Brian (an architect) and Geraldine (a writer) Ritchie. Education: University of British Columbia, B.F.A., 1974.

ADDRESSES:

Home and office—Scot Ritchie Illustration and Design, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

R.O.D. Cards (greeting card company), Toronto, Ontario, Canada, owner, artist, and writer, 1978-89; freelance illustrator in Toronto and in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, 1989—. Scot Ritchie Illustration and Design, owner.

WRITINGS:

(And illustrator) Up Up and Away (juvenile), Little Hare Books (Surry Hills, New South Wales, Australia), 2005.

ILLUSTRATOR:

Laurie Work, Soccer, Kids Can Press (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 1994.

Laurie Work, Baseball, Kids Can Press (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 1994.

Laurie Work, Hockey, Kids Can Press (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 1994.

Kerry Westell, Dinosaur Dreams, Annick Press (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 1997.

Catherine Ripley, Why? The Best Ever Question and Answer Book about Nature, Science, and the World around You, Owl Books (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 2001.

Lyn Thomas, My New Home and Me: A Memory Scrapbook for Kids, Kids Can Press (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 2001.

My Class and Me, Kids Can Press (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 2003.

Robert Heidbreder, See Saw Saskatchewan: More Playful Poems from Coast to Coast, Kids Can Press (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 2003.

ADAPTATIONS:

Some of Ritchie's work has been adapted for videotape by the National Film Board of Canada.

SIDELIGHTS:

Scot Ritchie told CA: "I began illustrating at a very early age, although I guess it was called scribbling back then. In my early twenties, while still waiting on tables, I would do gallery shows around town, selling framed pieces. I was actually quite successful but realized very quickly that more money could be made by drawing something once, printing it up a thousand times, and then selling that. So a friend and I started R.O.D. Cards. At the time it was the largest all-Canadian greeting card company in Canada. We realized after about eleven years that our competition was with the giants in the business, and it got to be a very hard company to make profitable. That's when I decided to try freelance work and was very fortunate to be taken on by a brand new agency in Toronto. We grew together over the next fourteen years learning from each other and eventually going our own ways. Just recently I have ventured out on my own into the wild world of self-promotion.

"My main reason for doing what I do (aside from the financial rewards) is that I love drawing. I consider myself very lucky to have a skill that I can actually make money at. I never forget how fortunate I am to be able to support myself doing that, although working freelance at home can be very trying. If I don't sit down at my desk, nobody is going to make me do it. And if there's an old Simpsons rerun on television I had better be able to make up that viewing time later if I choose to watch it. After doing this for over twenty years, I've developed a reliable habit of getting my day started at eight a.m. and writing down goals for the day. As I cross them off, I know I've accomplished something. As an entrepreneur, having some irons in the fire is almost as rewarding as receiving a check.

"I've been fortunate to have illustrated several children's books, and am now working on the second book for which I'm both author and illustrator. Recently a series of books I did was gathered into an anthology and sold around the world. I was very excited to see Korean, Polish, French, and Dutch translations.

"I've always felt that, if you just keep at it, you will rise to the top of your field. Of course, you have to have some level of quality in your work that makes it enjoyable to look at, but a big factor in any business is just the desire to keep at it when others fall by the wayside. Having worked in commercial illustration for fifteen years, I know how competitive it is. But through tough times I'm always sustained by being aware of what a huge reward it is."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Resource Links, June, 2001, Joanne de Groot, review of My New Home and Me: A Memory Scrapbook for Kids, p. 23; December, 2001, Elaine Rospad, review of Why? The Best Ever Question and Answer Book about Nature, Science, and the World around You, p. 29; April, 2003, Connie Forst, review of See Saw Saskatchewan: More Playful Poems from Coast to Coast, p. 3.

School Library Journal, December, 2001, Saleena L. Davidson, review of Why?, p. 128.