The Story Behind the Artwork of Illustrator Hilda Stark

Hilda Stark, the illustrator of Rollo: A Lowcountry Puppy’s Tale, has always loved art. She has found many ways to use her art training to build a career. She creates:

  • production designs for theater, movies, and TV shows — designing sets, choosing locations, selecting props, and setting color palettes to establish the story's mood, tone, and time period

  • set sketches — sketches of the background, props, furniture, and everything else needed to make a scene seem real

  • storyboards for movies — panel-by-panel sketches (like a comic book) to help plan every shot in a scene

  • portraits — paintings of real people

  • fine art — visual art based on creative expression

  • and even cartoons!

Hilda and her family have always loved dogs, too. Their dogs were named Clara Butterscotch, Randolph Jumping Bean, and Sally Sparkles. The gallery below shows the many ways she has included her dogs — and other dogs in her work.