# J. C. Phillipps: Author/Illustrator


## Posts

- [The Ghost in Cabin 13](https://jcphillipps.com/the-ghost-in-cabin-13/): The Ghost in Cabin 13 is a middle grade graphic novel about 12 1/2 year-old Leah who’s in the stage between being a girl who plays with dolls and a teenager. Her mother sends her to sleep-away camp and puts her in the teen cabin, hoping the older girls will rub-off on Leah. Leah feels homesick and awkward and just wants to play with her doll, Beverly. On the first night, the older girls arrange a séance in the forbidden Cabin 13 and things get a little spooky after that. I never went to sleep-away camp as a kid, but […]
- [Kitty's First Snow](https://jcphillipps.com/kittys-first-snow/): In December 2022, I created art for a few online winter prompts. These were just fun little exercises to make winter-themed art and post them online. I believe the first prompt was snow. I made the image (left) that would become the cover image for Kitty’s First Snow, a child pulling a little black cat on a sled. I got some likes on it so when another prompt came up, I used the same characters and created them making snowmen. I did another one, then thought about turning the illustrations into a picture book. But it’s difficult to get a […]
- [Dragon Rider](https://jcphillipps.com/dragon-rider/): I’m so excited to share Book 4 in the Pacey Packer Unicorn Tracker graphic novel series, Dragon Rider. In this one, Pacey has to tackle one of her biggest fears, heights, when she is forced to ride a dragon up above the clouds to rescue Mina from a very strange incident. Let me take you into the process of planning this cover. Since the title of the book is Dragon Rider, it wasn’t too hard to figure out what the main image should be. Dragons! First I did a couple sketches for the team at Random House Graphic. A lot […]
- [Mermaids Vs. Unicorns](https://jcphillipps.com/mermaids-vs-unicorns/): Book 3 of the Pacey Packer Unicorn Tracker kicks off after Pacey receives a note from Zella the mog, saying that they believe they have located Arkane’s missing horn and need Pacey’s help to retrieve it. Pacey, Mina, and Slasher use a prism pod to conjure a rainbow back to Rundalyn and soon they are on a raft, floating deep into the Dark Caverns. The trio washes up on a beach, where they meet a mermaid named Briony. Pacey and Mina are psyched, but Slasher is not so sure. He’s heard things about mermaids, bad things, and he doesn’t trust this new […]
- [Horn Slayer](https://jcphillipps.com/horn-slayer/): Pacey Packer Book 2 is titled Horn Slayer. After the events of Book 1, Pacey has developed a reputation in Rundalyn, secret land of the unicorns. They’re calling her Horn Slayer, much to Slasher’s chagrin. Pacey loves it! The plot of book 2 centers around Pacey’s return to Rundalyn to save the statue children. Slasher summons a rainbow which the gang uses to travel to the magical land. Random House requested some full color illustrations for marketing so I redid this scene. Fun, right? In book two, we formally meet the mogs. Elder Mog is the leader, Zella is a […]
- [Pacey Packer Unicorn Tracker](https://jcphillipps.com/pacey-packer-unicorn-tracker/): I’m so excited about the way the front cover for PACEY PACKER UNICORN TRACKER turned out.  I worked with Michelle Cunningham, the Random House designer on my project, to get the right balance of attitude and action.  The cover is full color, but you’ll see that the interior spreads are done in purples. Pacey makes a big splash when she lands in Rundalyn – magical land of the unicorns.  This was a fun illustration for me because I was able to “paint” a bit more with the digital paint brushes. Finally, Pacey meets Arkane the Alpha Unicorn. Arkane is very fancy […]
- [Pacey Packer Merch](https://jcphillipps.com/pacey-packer-merch/): Do you love Pacey Packer Unicorn Tracker? Do you want T-shirt, stickers, and other things that feature your favorite characters from the series? Good news! I have a lot of Pacey merch on my Redbubble Page. Here’s the link to the Slasher T-shirt. I enjoy taking my characters from Pacey Packer Unicorn Tracker and putting them on shirts, socks, mugs, pillows, and a bunch of other stuff over on RedBubble. Most of the time, I buy fun stuff for myself, but it’s also nice if a fan wants a shirt or something too. RedBubble allows you to choose a design, an […]
- [My Friend Slasher](https://jcphillipps.com/my-friend-slasher/): One of the main characters in the graphic novel series, Pacey Packer Unicorn Tracker, is a cute little stuffed unicorn named Slasher.  Although he’s sweet and cuddly on the outside, he’s a snarky grump on the inside.  Because I need to draw Slasher hundreds of time, I try to get different angles and perspectives – which can be challenging.  So I made this clay model of Slasher to help me out.  He also is good at keeping me on task when I spend too much time on Instagram. One student asked me how I came up with the name and […]
- [Benefits of Graphic Novels](https://jcphillipps.com/benefits-of-graphic-novels/): It might be shocking to learn that some people don’t consider reading graphic novels (or comics) to be real reading. Crazy, right?! Studies have shown that by deciphering images along with text helps some students retain more of the story, learn the context of the scene or unfamiliar words, and even heighten their enjoyment of the story – which boosts their self-esteem – and creates life-long readers. And graphic novels aren’t just super hero stories any more. A graphic novel is simply a story told in panel form with text and images, but it can be any kind of story. Smile by Raina […]
- [School Visits](https://jcphillipps.com/school-visits/): I really love visiting schools.  So much of my job is spent alone making art (which I also love) that it’s refreshing to get out and talk with the young readers. I have a variety or presentations and workshops that I offer. My current workshops focus more on my graphic novels, but I also have some based on my picture books (for the younger students.) Every school is different, and so is every school visit. But here is an example of a somewhat typical full-day author visit. To learn more about my school visits, visit the Author Visit tab above, […]
- [Drawing Slasher](https://jcphillipps.com/drawing-slasher/): These are the instructions to draw Slasher in the back of Pacey Packer Unicorn Tracker. I LOVE when kids draw Slasher and send me images. (Usually they post them to Instagram and tag me @jcphillipps.) They always do such an amazing job and it really feeds Slasher’s ego. Here are a couple images of Slasher Fan Art. Practice makes perfect when drawing Slasher.
- [Random House](https://jcphillipps.com/random-house/): This is me, in the lobby of the Random House offices in Manhattan, 2017.  I went in to meet with my editor, the great Shana Corey (who has edited such series as Babymouse by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm, and Hilo by Judd Winick.) While there she snapped this photo of me in front of a small sampling of Random House’s books. Then, much to my delight, I was invited to draw Slasher on the illustration wall up in the office.  It was such a thrill, it was honestly hard to keep my hand steady. It’s such a thrill to be a part […]

## Pages

- [Author Visits](https://jcphillipps.com/author-visits/): Over the last fifteen years, I have had the pleasure of visiting many schools across the country.  I love engaging with students, sharing my process, and teaching a few tricks of the trade. I have a variety of presentations and I can be flexible with your school and its individual needs.  Sometimes I do large auditorium presentations, and other times I work in a classroom with a single group.  Often, a full day school visit is a combination of both. I’ve taught art to Kindergartners, writing to third graders, and illustration to college age learners. I’ve taught programs on creating […]
- [Video](https://jcphillipps.com/video/): Cover Reveal for Pacey Packer Unicorn Tracker As I work on my new webpage, I will be updating this section with newer video content.  To view older videos, please visit my YouTube page.
- [Art](https://jcphillipps.com/art/): I work in many different mediums. As an illustrator, it would probably benefit me to have one distinct style. I’ve tried. It’s just not how my brain works. I simply visualize how I want an image to look and try to create that. Sometimes they are watercolors. Sometimes they are collage. Sometimes they are ink drawings. They are all authentic to me. Here’s a small sampling of my work. WATERCOLORS ILLUSTRATIONS FROM UNPUBLISHED WORK Sometimes I have an idea for something that just doesn’t take off. It can be a bummer, especially if I really like the art. Here are […]
- [Books](https://jcphillipps.com/books/): THE GHOST IN CABIN 13 Beware of Cabin 13! When a devious ghost possesses Leah’s doll, she must face her biggest fear—befriending the teen girls in her cabin to save the other campers from an evil spirit. Twelve-year-old Leah is nervous to attend sleepaway camp for the first time. She’s worried about meeting new friends, living out in the woods, and being away from her family—the totally normal, non-supernatural scary stuff that all new campers think about. But Leah didn’t expect to also have to fear the ghost in Cabin 13. It’s a good thing she brought Beverly, her beloved […]
- [About](https://jcphillipps.com/about/): Author/Illustrator J. C. Phillipps grew up in Perrysburg, Ohio where she spent most Saturdays taking classes at the Toledo Museum of Art. After graduating as Valedictorian of Mason Senior High School, she went to study art and theater at Hope College in Holland, MI. It was during her time at Hope that Julie (that’s what the J stands for) first studied playwriting, which taught her about characters and plot development. Julie lived in New York and Chicago for brief amounts of time before settling down in Boston, where she earned her MA at Emerson College and got married. For two […]


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