Welcome to
my site. My name is Valerie Totire and I'm an illustrator, cartoonist,
sculptor and (sometimes) animator and humor writer based out of
Cleveland, Ohio.
Creating images and characters has
always been a way of life for me. I was drawing as soon as I was old
enough to hold a pencil. I majored in fine art
at Kent State University. pursuing a course of study with
the intent of entering the animation field. I
landed
my first illustration-related job while still in college; then in 1989
was hired as a conceptor/illustrator at American Greetings. Since then
I've made a
lifelong career in illustration-relation fields. I often describe
myself as an actor with stage fright since much of my work is inspired
by the desire to communicate a story or express an emotion.
Beyond
greeting card illustration I've also acquired experience in a variety
of other illustration-related fields, including character development
and design; toy concept and design; storyboarding; animation;
children's book illustration; ghosting for a comic strip and art
retouching. I've worked for other clients including Those Characters
From Cleveland, Character Matters, and Andrews McMeel Publishing.
I am currently working as an illustrator and product developer for K & M International
(Wild Republic).
Even
though my schedule can be busy, I always look for new opportunities to expand my repertoire and
develop my work even further, including working more with
three-dimensional art and perhaps returning to my original
interest in animation.
When I'm
not working I enjoy (among other things): reading, writing, armchair
philosophy, surfing the Web, travel
and photography.
To
inquire about commissioned work, click
here.
