Joan C. Waites has been a freelance illustrator for the past 19 years. She received a Bachelor of Science degree from DeSales University in 1982. Employment followed for 15 years as a neo-natal intensive care nurse in Philadelphia and Washington D.C., while she simultaneously returned to college to study illustration and launch her freelance career.Studies were completed at George Washington University, The Corcoran Museum School of Art and Design, The Maryland College of Art and Design, and The Maryland Institute College of Art, where she received a certificate of Illustration in 1990.
While the majority of her work has been commissioned for the Children's market, she also has experience in textile and surface design, medical illustration, and advertising art. To date she has illustrated nearly 40 books for the educational and trade marketplace, work for several children's magazines, and poster art.
In addition to freelancing, the artist is an adjunct faculty member of The Corcoran Museum School of Art and Design in Washington, DC, where she teaches various classes for the College's "Aspiring Artist's" programs.
Joan lives and works in the metro Washington, D.C. area with her husband and three children.
