Rodriguez, Christina 1981-

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Rodriguez, Christina 1981-

Personal

Born August, 1981, in Lakenheath, England; daughter of Filiverto G. and Vernia Rodriguez; married. Education: Rhode Island School of Design, B.F.A. (illustration), 2003.

Addresses

Home and office—Stillwater, MN. E-mail—[email protected].

Career

Freelance illustrator and designer. Art instructor for after-school, summer, and private programs, 2003—.

Member

Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (illustration coordinator for Minnesota chapter, beginning 2006), Minnesota Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.

Illustrator

PICTURE BOOKS

Bobby Jackson, Boon the Raccoon and Easel the Weasel, Multicultural Publications (Akron, OH), 2005.

Anilu Bernardo, Un dia con mis tias/A Day with My Aunts, Piñata Books (Houston, TX), 2006.

Ada Gonzalez, Mayte and the Bogeyman, Piñata Books (Houston, TX), 2006.

Diane Gonzalez Bertrand, We Are Cousins/Somos primos, Piñata Books (Houston, TX), 2007.

Tracy Nelson Maurer, Storm Codes, Finney Co. (Lakeville, MN), 2007.

Sidelights

Born overseas to multicultural parents, Christina Rodriguez grew up as an "Air Force brat," moving from place to place. As she told SATA, "As a child I loved to draw and paint, and wherever I lived I excelled in my art classes. Upon graduation from high school, I was awarded a generous scholarship to the Rhode Island School of Design. There I trained in many different art mediums, eventually finding my niche in a mixture of watercolor, watercolor pencils, and gouache. In 2003 I earned a fine-arts degree in illustration.

"Currently I work as a freelance illustrator and designer for many clients nationwide. Reviewers have described my painting style as bold, vibrant, and full of detail, highlighted with an old-fashioned sense of simplified realism and strong outlines. In addition to illustrating children's books, I dabble in graphic design, creating items such as note cards for nature centers and wedding invitation ensembles.

"In my spare time I enjoy cooking authentic Mexican cuisine, volunteering as illustrator coordinator with the Minnesota chapter of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, hula-hooping, and hiking along the St. Croix River, near the home I share with my husband and dog in historic Stillwater, Minnesota."

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Kirkus Reviews, March 1, 2006, review of Mayte and the Bogeyman, p. 230; October 15, 2006, review of Un dia con mis tias/A Day with My Aunts, p. 1065.

School Library Journal, June, 2006, Maria Otero-Boisvert, review of Mayte and the Bogeyman, p. 144; October, 2006, Maria Otero-Boisvert, review of Un dia con mis tias/A Day with My Aunts, p. 144.