Erica Lyn Schmidt graduated from the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design in 2006 with a BFA in Illustration, where she won Best of Show in their Senior Thesis Exhibition. In the following years she had a solo art show at the Burpee Museum of Natural History, created a large exhibition mural for the Royal Tyrell Museum of Paleontology in Alberta, and illustrated “Dinosaur Discovery” through Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. She also created the reference illustrations for the skull of a new species of Thescelosaurus dinosaur, as described by Clint A. Boyd, PhD.

In 2014 Erica began working collaboratively with her husband Anthony Schmidt in the field of children’s illustration, and together they’ve completed several books through independent publishers.

In the past year, Erica has shifted her focus toward her personal fine art, preferring the subject of animals and moving in the direction of imaginative realism. She is also the Creative Director of the BirdWhisperer Project online artist collective, through which she has discovered a deep affinity for painting anything with feathers. She has begun showing her art in fine art galleries and conventions.

In addition to creating art, she also enjoys being a mom to her badass daughter Penny (also an artist).

Anthony J Schmidt is a mid-western illustrator and caricature artist. He graduated with a BFA in Illustration from the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design in 2005 and currently owns and operates his own caricature art and entertainment business at the Kalahari resort in the Wisconsin Dells.

Anthony has illustrated a wide variety of children’s books, and has also illustrated for gaming companies such as Fog God Games and Fantasy Flight Games. Recently Anthony has begun to explore his own personal projects, which include the forthcoming illustrated novel series “Beyond Empyrean Skies.”

Anthony lives in the tranquil hills of Baraboo, Wisconsin with his wife Erica, daughter Penny, and Italian Greyhound Ace.