Haley McAndrews
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An award-winning artist living in central Iowa, Haley McAndrews uses a variety of mediums to create her illustrative artworks. She earned her Bachelor's Degree in Fine Art: Photography, but also draws and paints with watercolors and acrylics. In the early 2000s she began learning to edit and color her drawings digitally - and she continues to use those same techniques today.
You can find public artworks painted by McAndrews across the state of Iowa; including a large mural, two lighthouse statues in Storm Lake, and a Herky statue in Iowa City. She has also worked as an illustrator for other authors. |
Haley McAndrews' portrait by Emma McAndrews
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In addition to creating visual art, McAndrews is also a writer. She launched the Skipping Painted Stones art blog in the spring of 2022. Under her own name, she has multiple published books that she wrote (and illustrated.)
McAndrews has been writing (non-illustrated) fiction under the name D.C. McAndrews since 2021.
In her free time McAndrews enjoys reading, hunting for geocaches, and listening to many different kinds of music. She also loves late-night cartoons and vampires.
In her free time McAndrews enjoys reading, hunting for geocaches, and listening to many different kinds of music. She also loves late-night cartoons and vampires.
ARTIST'S STATEMENT
While my degree is in photography, and much of my expertise is with digital image manipulation, my first artistic love has always been drawing cartoons and comics. As a kid I would create new characters, give them personalities and stories, and draw them every single day. In college I set aside my cartoons to learn more technical skills and focus on the more “serious” art of photography. After college I no longer had easy access to a darkroom, and found less time for photography but more time for illustration.
When I took my first painting class in college, my professor told me, "I don't particularly like your work, but children need real art too." I took it as a compliment then, and believe it has influenced a lot of my artwork (particularly my watercolors).
Most recently I have been working in mixed media, collaging a variety of materials into a single piece of art. This process has been a lot of fun, and has taken my art in a new direction. I’ve also really enjoyed illustrating not only my own books, but illustrating for other authors’ books as well.
While my degree is in photography, and much of my expertise is with digital image manipulation, my first artistic love has always been drawing cartoons and comics. As a kid I would create new characters, give them personalities and stories, and draw them every single day. In college I set aside my cartoons to learn more technical skills and focus on the more “serious” art of photography. After college I no longer had easy access to a darkroom, and found less time for photography but more time for illustration.
When I took my first painting class in college, my professor told me, "I don't particularly like your work, but children need real art too." I took it as a compliment then, and believe it has influenced a lot of my artwork (particularly my watercolors).
Most recently I have been working in mixed media, collaging a variety of materials into a single piece of art. This process has been a lot of fun, and has taken my art in a new direction. I’ve also really enjoyed illustrating not only my own books, but illustrating for other authors’ books as well.
