At age three, Floyd Cooper began drawing on pieces of plasterboard left over from his father's work as a builder. He drew constantly after that, even on his math and reading worksheets in school! After getting his college degree in fine art, Cooper got a job creating art for a greeting card company. But he dreamed of being an illustrator in New York City, and, with the encouragement of the artist Mark English, he moved there. After some rejections, he got a book manuscript to illustrate. Only later did Cooper find out that the book, GRANDPA'S FACE, was written by Eloise Greenfield, a well-known children's writer. Cooper's illustrations for the book brought him a lot of attention, and his career has continued to grow ever since.

The technique Cooper uses is called oil wash on board. He paints an illustration board with oil paint, and then he does something unusual. With a stretchy eraser, he erases the paint to make a picture! He calls this method of painting a "subtractive process." He likes to demonstrate this technique for kids to show them "that there can be different approaches to age-old problems."

Books by Floyd Cooper

The Ring Bearer

by Floyd Cooper - Children's 3-7, Family Life, Fiction, Marriage

Frederick Douglass: The Lion Who Wrote History

by Walter Dean Myers and Floyd Cooper - Biography, Children's 4-8, History

A Spy Called James: The True Story of James Lafayette, Revolutionary War Double Agent

by Anne Rockwell and Floyd Cooper - Children's 7-10, History, Nonfiction

Ira's Shakespeare Dream

written by Glenda Armand with illustrations by Floyd Cooper - Inspirational, Nonfiction

A Dance Like Starlight: One Ballerina's Dream

written by Kristy Dempsey with illustrations by Floyd Cooper - Children's

Brick by Brick

Written by Charles R. Smith Jr. , Illustrated by Floyd Cooper - African American Interest, Children's Nonfiction, History

In the Land of Milk and Honey

Written by Joyce Carol Thomas, Illustrated by Floyd Cooper - Children's, Children's Nonfiction, History