Meet Daniel San Souci
Position your cursor over this image to see what Daniel San Souci looks like today.
Daniel San Souci was born in San Francisco. The family moved across the Bay to Berkeley, where his father was working for the University of California. In the tree-lined Thousand Oaks district, Daniel spent all his waking hours running around the neighborhood with his two brothers and and many friends.
It was at this time that Daniel discovered the
magic of books. "There
was real excitement about literature in my family," says Daniel. "When
I wasn't outside playing, I could be found on the rug in my room, surrounded
by my books." When Daniel started reading on his own, he went right
for the "Scribners Adventure Classics." His favorite books
were, "Last of the Mohicans," "Treasure Island," Kidnapped," and "The
Boys King Arthur." It was at this time that he discovered the great
illustrators, Howard Pyle and N. C. Wyeth. Daniel started drawing and
painting constantly and was soon dreaming of becoming a book illustrator.
His father, who once worked as an artist in New York, was excited that Daniel had such an interest in art. "In the evenings after dinner, we would clear the kitchen table and draw together. My father felt it was important for me to have a good foundation in drawing at an early age," says Daniel. On weekends, he was driven across town to the art college, where he attended classes for young art students.
In high school Daniel signed up for every available art class. He was also attending the Berkeley Adult school in the evenings. "All the other art students were much older than me," he says. "But they were serious students, very talented and very helpful."
Upon graduation from high school, he enrolled at the California College of the Arts in Oakland, California. There he had the opportunity to study with many outstanding teachers.
Daniel thinks that one of the most interesting facts about his career is that he has done many books with his brother Robert. "What makes this so unique, is not only the fact that brothers are creating books together, but we were both born on October 10th. I arrived on Robert's second birthday." Robert has written over eighty books and also wrote the Disney movie, "Mulan." Check out Robert's web site at www.rsansouci.com.