Jillian Tamaki

Jillian Tamaki (born 1980) is a Canadian illustrator and comics artist known for her work in The New York Times and The New Yorker and for the graphic novels Skim and This One Summer, written by her cousin Mariko Tamaki.

Tamaki was born in Ottawa, Ontario, and grew up in Calgary, Alberta. She graduated from the Alberta College of Art and Design in 2003. She teaches illustration at the New York City School of Visual Arts.

Gilded Lilies (2006) is Tamaki's first published book and is a collection of Tamaki's illustrations and comic strips. The first part of the book comprises a carefully selected assemblage of paintings, personal drawings, illustrations and comics. The second part consists of a wordless graphic narrative titled The Tapemines, which tells the story of two children in a surreal landscape featuring "forests of cassette tape".

Skim (2008) is a critically acclaimed graphic novel illustrated by Jillian and written by her cousin Mariko Tamaki. It tells the story of a young high-school girl and touches on themes of friendship, suicide, sexuality, and identity.

Tamaki became the centre of controversy when Mariko Tamaki alone was nominated for the Governor General's Literary Award for Skim. The comics community and others circulated an open letter to the Awards Committee that argued for Tamaki as a co-nominee, which was signed by notable comics artists such as Lynda Barry, Dan Clowes, and Julie Doucet.

Indoor Voice (2010) collects Tamaki's drawings, illustrations and comic strips and is part of publisher Drawn and Quarterly's Petit Livre series. The majority of the book is printed in black and white, but it also features some colour illustrations. Indoor Voice was released to mixed reviews.

"Now & then & when" (2008), a drawing with ink and graphite, was purchased by the Library of Congress in 2011. Within a two-panel horizontal, she depicted herself as a central, monumental figure, flanked by smaller full length figures of herself from infancy to adulthood on the left, from middle age to elderly on the right. Tamaki's variation on the theme with figures in bathing suits, related vignettes and speech balloons, presents an updated counterpart to the demure figures and texts of artistic precedents.

This One Summer by Mariko and Jillian Tamaki is a graphic novel that centres on the experiences of close friends Rose and Windy, who are on the cusp of adolescence, during a summer holiday. It was released in May 2014. It was nominated for a 2014 Ignatz Award. This One Summer won both a 2015 Printz Honor and Caldecott Honor awards. It also won the 2015 Eisner Award.

A collection of Jillian Tamaki's web comics from 2010 to 2015, SuperMutant Magic Academy, was published by Drawn and Quarterly in 2015. Previously, these comics won an Ignatz Award in 2012 for Outstanding Online Comic.

Awards

Wins

• 2008 Ignatz Award for Best Graphic Novel for Skim
• 2008 New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Books List for Skim
• 2008 Best of Books of the Year: Publishers Weekly, Quill & Quire for Skim
• 2009 Doug Wright Award Winner, Best Book for Skim
• 2012 Ignatz Award for Outstanding Online Comic, for SuperMutant Magic Academy (http://mutantmagic.com/).
• 2014 Governor General's Award for children's illustration, for This One Summer
• 2015 Eisner Award for Best Graphic Album: New, for This One Summer
• 2015 Lynd Ward Graphic Novel Prize, for This One Summer
• 2016 Rudolph-Dirks-Award for Best Youth Drama / Coming of Age for This One Summer

Nominations

• 2008 Governor General’s Literary Award nominee for Skim
• 2009 Eisner Award nominee (Best Publication for Teens, Writer, New Graphic Album, Penciller/Inker) for Skim
• 2014 Ignatz Award for Outstanding Graphic Novel for This One Summer

• Kobayashi, ASM. "Gilded Lilies: Comics and Drawings". Broken Pencil. 34 (2005): 48.
• Tamaki, Jilian (2006). Blurb. Gilded Lilies. Montreal: Conundrum Press.
• Tousley, Nancy (November 15, 2008). "Artist left out by awards". Calgary Herald. D1.
• "Product by Jillian Tamaki". Drawn & Quarterly. Retrieved February 6, 2014.
• Anglin, Ellie. "Book Review: Indoor Voice." Broken Pencil. 52 (Summer 2011): 53-54.
• Phipps, Keith; Robinson Tasha; Murray, Noel, Heller, Jason; Pierce, Leonard; Williams, Christian (August 13, 2010). "Books: August 13, 2010". The A.V. Club.
• Smith, Kenton (February 10, 2010). "Canadian-born, raised artist's sketches amuse, entertain". Winnipeg Free Press.
• "Now & then & when / By Jillian Tamaki 2008". Library of Congress: LC-DIG-ppmsca-37417.
• Clark, Noelene (October 22, 2013). "'This One Summer': Mariko and Jillian Tamaki bottle up adolescence.". Los Angeles Times.
• Canva, Michael (August 18, 2014). "SMALL PRESS EXPO: Here are your nominees for the 2014 SPX Ignatz Awards…". The Washington Post. Retrieved 18 August 2014. 
• Foxe, Steve (3 February 2015). "Mariko and Jillian Tamaki On Their Multiple Award-Winning This One Summer". Paste Magazine. Retrieved 24 August 2015. 
• Reid, Calvin (11 July 2015). "'This One Summer' Wins Eisner for Best Graphic Novel". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 24 August 2015. 
• http://mutantmagic.com/about
• (November 1, 2008). "2008 Ignatz Award Recipients". SPX. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
• Cenicola, Tony (2008). "Best Illustrated Children's Books 2008 - Slideshow". NYT. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
• (November 3, 2008). "Publishers Weekly Best Books of 2008". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
• "Past Winners". Doug Wright Award. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
• http://www.comiclist.com/index.php/news/winners-of-2012-ignatz-awards-announced
• "Thomas King wins Governor General’s award for fiction". The Globe and Mail, November 18, 2014.
• http://www.comic-con.org/awards/eisner-awards-current-info
• https://pabook.libraries.psu.edu/awards-contests/lynd-ward-graphic-novel-prize-introduction
• "Die Gewinner des Rudolph-Dirks-Award 2016". December 3, 2016.
• (October 7, 2014). "The 2014 GG shortlist is here". Canada Council. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
• Albert, Aaron (2009). "2009 Eisner Award Nomination Continued". comicbooks.about.com. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
• "2009 Eisner Award Nominees Announced". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
• Canva, Michael (August 18, 2014). "SMALL PRESS EXPO: Here are your nominees for the 2014 SPX Ignatz Awards…". The Washington Post. Retrieved 18 August 2014.