SCBWI TEAM BLOG Exclusive: Peter and Dan! Dan and Peter!

You love their books, you know them from Twitter, they're two author-illustrators even more charming in person, it's:

¡¡¡DAN SANTAT AND PETER BROWN!!!

If you've signed up for the SCBWI International Winter Conference or the Friday Marketing Intensive for Illustrators you know that both of these guys are presenting (Dan on Friday, Peter on Sunday). (If you haven't registered for the Intensive yet, did you know there are only three spots left?)

We all know Dan and Peter are big SCBWI fans, pillars of the children's book community, award-winning creators, and champions of independent booksellers. But did you know they are also former figure skaters? It's true, they were once a professional skating duo. Here's a photo of Peter and Dan in their last ice performance:

While skating, Peter and Dan spent a lot of time exercising and eating healthy foods to improve their synchronized double axels. They've applied many of those same practices to their writing and illustrating careers.

At the beginning of the year, most of us have healthy eating on our minds, getting those recommended vitamins and food groups on our plates. There're even new food guidelines by First Lady Michelle Obama and the USDA, www.myplate.gov:

I asked Dan and Peter to share their well-balanced diets for successful careers in illustration, and below are their plates. No doubt we'll get even more tips for success at the Illustrators' Intensive in a few weeks, but with these hints below, I know how I'm going to plan my days in 2012...

From Peter Brown

From Dan Santat

 AND BONUS ART! Dan's only working on forty books this January, so he's got loads of extra time and kindly made some fan art. Here's Dan's version of Peter Brown's LUCY character. Love it!!!