J.C. (Judith Christine) Mills

Readings

Depending on the targeted age group, I discuss both writing and illustrating, starting with first draft manuscripts and rough sketches, leading all the way to final artwork and finished book. For younger audiences this would include a reading of one or two picture books. If audience is older I would also discuss YA novels that I have written including the processes of writing and editing and publication. A question and answer period is always included.

Special Equipment:

An easel, if possible, to display sketches and artwork. A large table for displaying my books.

Book Sales:

Copies of books can be brought to be sold and autographed, with advance notice.

Workshops

This would follow a somewhat similar plan to the readings, but with an interactive component. If requested, I will put together a sketching/planning workshop where students can create their own characters from template copies that I bring along. We will discuss how to ‘flesh-out’ characters, giving them personality in both words and pictures.

Special Equipment:

An easel and large table would be helpful.

Book Sales:

Copies of books can be brought to be sold and autographed, with advance notice.

Biography

J.C. (Judith Christine) Mills was born in Middleton, Yorkshire, England – in the city of Leeds – and immigrated to Toronto, Canada as a young child. Primarily self-taught, she began drawing and sculpting in her teens and in the early 1980’s decided to pursue a fulltime career as an artist. Since then, she have had several solo exhibitions in Toronto, as well as solo and group showings in Halifax, Edmonton, Calgary, Montreal, Chicago and Kennebunkport, Maine.

Over the years, J.C. has created fundraising Christmas cards for The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto; a larger-than-life-sized sculpture of prairie women for the Cornwall Centre in Regina, Saskatchewan; a memorial painting for Branksome Hall, Toronto, the 2000 Canadian Children’s Book Centre’s Book Week poster; and a sculpture presented to Prime Minister Jean Chretien by the Liberal Party of Canada in 1992. Her work is included in several corporate and private collections including those of Bob Hope, Anne Murray, Reader’s Digest, The Edmonton Art Gallery, Shell Oil Canada, The City of Toronto Art Collection, The Toronto Board of Education and the Canada Council for the Arts. Currently her work can be found at Bronte Harbour Fine Arts in Oakville, Ontario, and Mast Cove Galleries in Kennebunkport, Maine.

J.C. has lived primarily in the Toronto area, apart from 4 years she and her family spent in Montreal. The arrival of her son in l992 brought with it a renewed interest in children’s literature. That same year, she wrote and illustrated her first manuscript – The Stonehook Schooner – about the stonehooking trade that took place over a hundred years ago in her local lakeside community of Port Credit, Ontario. It was published by Key Porter Books in 1995. Since then, J.C. has continued to write and illustrate children’s books, still finding time to paint and sculpt for galleries.