Pittsburgh Society of Illustrators

Tara Zalewsky-Nease is a children’s book illustrator, writer, and educator. 

Her unique illustration technique combines the influences of Classical painting with Claymation by layering digital painting over hand sculpted plasticine reliefs. 

Her quirky characters, and bright, painterly backgrounds are influenced by her animation and fine art backgrounds. 

Tara received a BFA from Kent State University in Visual Communication Design/ Illustration, and an MFA from the University of New Mexico in Painting. She has studied Animation at Point Park University and taken Visual Development classes from artists working at Pixar. 

 She is a versatile artist, working across traditional and digital media. Her most recent project was the illustrations for a board game produced by the educational company “Skillmatics”. Her artwork has been exhibited in galleries in Sante Fe, Taos and Albuquerque, NM as well as in Pittsburgh. She currently teaches drawing and character design at La Roche University, Pittsburgh, PA