John Martz - Illustrator

John Martz studied graphic design and worked for several years at CHUM Television, designing broadcast graphics, logos and animation for MuchMusic, Space, Bravo!, CityTV and other television stations. During this time he became involved in the illustration community through his website Drawn, a blog devoted to cartooning, illustration and animation. He left television in 2005 to become a full-time illustrator.#John entered the world of children’s books by way of comics. In addition to his own comics work (twice nominated for a Doug Wright Award in 2008 and 2010, and winner of a Joe Shuster Award in 2011), he has drawn comics for Kayak, Canada’s history magazine for kids, Chickadee magazine, the Flight anthology series, and the Globe & Mail. #John’s favorite place as a kid was the local library, where he discovered a love for books. He now finds inspiration in his own ever-growing book collection. His list of influences includes Jim Henson’s Muppets, Richard Scarry, Charles Schulz, Hanna-Barbera cartoons and Chuck Jones. John has been a fan of Star Trek since he was young, and he spent years drawing aliens and spaceships in his sketchbooks — the perfect practice for eventually drawing Dear Flyary.#John lives in downtown Toronto with his wife, Lindsay, and his dog, Gary, named after cartoonist and artist Gary Panter.