Lisa Swerling
Encyclopedia
Lisa Swerling is a writer
, artist
and illustrator
. Partnering with her husband Ralph Lazar
, they are best known for their cartoon
characters Harold's Planet
, Vimrod
and The Brainwaves
.
Harold's Planet
and Vimrod
sell as greetings cards in the millions, and have been published by Penguin Books
, Harper Collins and Andrews McMeel. The Brainwaves
are cartoon characters that populate Dorling Kindersley
's children's reference titles, published in over a dozen languages. Their artwork appeared weekly in The Financial Times and The Scotsman
from 2006 to 2009.
Swerling is also known for her Glass Cathedral sculptures which are showcased at a number of shows in the UK and US each year. The Glass Cathedral pieces feature miniature figures in situations often emphasised by the size of the display box Swerling places them in.
Awards and nominations include The Royal Society Prizes for Science Books (shortlist - 2008), Annecy International Animated Film Festival
Grand Prix winner 1998 (International Project Competition), The Royal Society Prizes for Science Books (shortlist - 2007 ), The Washington Post
Book of the Week (April 2007) and The US Parent's Choice Awards 2006 and 2009
.
Lisa Swerling was born in Cape Town
, South Africa
in 1972, and has degrees in Politics and Philosophy from Oxford University.
She lives with her husband and children in Marin County, California
.
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
and illustrator
Illustrator
An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
. Partnering with her husband Ralph Lazar
Ralph Lazar
Ralph Lazar is a writer, artist and illustrator. Partnering with his wife Lisa Swerling, they are best known for their cartoon creations Harold's Planet, Vimrod and The Brainwaves....
, they are best known for their cartoon
Cartoon
A cartoon is a form of two-dimensional illustrated visual art. While the specific definition has changed over time, modern usage refers to a typically non-realistic or semi-realistic drawing or painting intended for satire, caricature, or humor, or to the artistic style of such works...
characters Harold's Planet
Harold's Planet
Harold's Planet is a popular online cartoon character created by Lisa Swerling & Ralph Lazar.Winner of the "Grand Prix - International Project Competition" at the Annecy Animation Festival in France in 1998, it has since grown to become one of the UK's most commercially successful cartoon...
, Vimrod
Vimrod
Vimrod is a cartoon character created by Lisa Swerling & Ralph Lazar.Vimrod is best known for its greetings cards, which sell worldwide in the millions, and books, which are published by Harper Collins and Andrews McMeel / Universal Press Syndicate....
and The Brainwaves
The Brainwaves
The Brainwaves are cartoon characters that populate Dorling Kindersley's children's reference books.The first title in the series, "How Nearly Everything Was Invented...by The Brainwaves" was first published in September 2006. It was written by Jilly MacLeod and Illustrated by Lisa Swerling & Ralph...
.
Harold's Planet
Harold's Planet
Harold's Planet is a popular online cartoon character created by Lisa Swerling & Ralph Lazar.Winner of the "Grand Prix - International Project Competition" at the Annecy Animation Festival in France in 1998, it has since grown to become one of the UK's most commercially successful cartoon...
and Vimrod
Vimrod
Vimrod is a cartoon character created by Lisa Swerling & Ralph Lazar.Vimrod is best known for its greetings cards, which sell worldwide in the millions, and books, which are published by Harper Collins and Andrews McMeel / Universal Press Syndicate....
sell as greetings cards in the millions, and have been published by Penguin Books
Penguin Books
Penguin Books is a publisher founded in 1935 by Sir Allen Lane and V.K. Krishna Menon. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its high quality, inexpensive paperbacks, sold through Woolworths and other high street stores for sixpence. Penguin's success demonstrated that large...
, Harper Collins and Andrews McMeel. The Brainwaves
The Brainwaves
The Brainwaves are cartoon characters that populate Dorling Kindersley's children's reference books.The first title in the series, "How Nearly Everything Was Invented...by The Brainwaves" was first published in September 2006. It was written by Jilly MacLeod and Illustrated by Lisa Swerling & Ralph...
are cartoon characters that populate Dorling Kindersley
Dorling Kindersley
Dorling Kindersley is an international publishing company specializing in illustrated reference books for adults and children in 51 languages. It is currently part of the Penguin Group....
's children's reference titles, published in over a dozen languages. Their artwork appeared weekly in The Financial Times and The Scotsman
The Scotsman
The Scotsman is a British newspaper, published in Edinburgh.As of August 2011 it had an audited circulation of 38,423, down from about 100,000 in the 1980s....
from 2006 to 2009.
Swerling is also known for her Glass Cathedral sculptures which are showcased at a number of shows in the UK and US each year. The Glass Cathedral pieces feature miniature figures in situations often emphasised by the size of the display box Swerling places them in.
Awards and nominations include The Royal Society Prizes for Science Books (shortlist - 2008), Annecy International Animated Film Festival
Annecy International Animated Film Festival
The Annecy International Animation Film Festival was created in 1960 and takes place at the beginning of June in the town of Annecy, France. Initially occurring every two years, the festival became annual in 1998...
Grand Prix winner 1998 (International Project Competition), The Royal Society Prizes for Science Books (shortlist - 2007 ), The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
Book of the Week (April 2007) and The US Parent's Choice Awards 2006 and 2009
.
Lisa Swerling was born in Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
in 1972, and has degrees in Politics and Philosophy from Oxford University.
She lives with her husband and children in Marin County, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.