Vanessa Brantley-Newton

Much like Tyree Guyton, Vanessa Brantley-Newton started her artistic pursuits as a child—drawing on walls and on the side of the kitchen stove. Today she's living her dream of being a freelance artist—sticking to paper instead of walls, though. She has illustrated many children's books, including Scholastic's Ruby series and Let Freedom Sing (Blue Apple Books), which she also wrote. She lives in New Jersey.