Professional illustrator, cartoonist

Peter Emslie is a professional freelance cartoonist, who has worked for Disney, as well as creating a icon of corporate mascots. He currently is a regular illustrator of Disney's picture books. He estimates that he has illustrated over 50 books for Disney since 1994 and its licensees. His outstanding

Peter Emslie taught two years for Sheridan College's Classical Animation course, and workshops at Studio M in Toronto, Living Arts Centre in Mississauga, and the Visual Arts Brampton studio.

EMSLIE'S ROOTS

Peter Emslie first entered the cartooning industry professionally in 1978, illustrating Brown's Beat in The Ottawa Citizen for about six years.

During this time, Peter was fortunate enough to meet some of the artists who worked at Walt Disney World in Florida, where he vacationed once every year or two. They liked his artwork and put him in touch with Disney's Canadian licensing office in Toronto, recommending that he approach them to seek work.

Disney Canada was impressed, and Peter became a regular freelancer, then was hired to their staff in Toronto. For six years, Peter illustrated for Disney character licensed merchandise.

Upon hearing of a space opening at the studio's Florida art department, Peter immigrated down to the US to work on staff at the Walt Disney World Marketing Art Department from 1990 to 1994. There, Peter illustrated Disney characters for everything from restaurant menus to vacation brochures to resort phone book covers to adverising spots.

When working in Florida, he was approached by Disney Publishing in California about accepting some freelance illustration for children's books. Peter liked illustrating story books so much that he quit WDW Marketing to work exclusively as a freelancer for the publishing division. This afforded Peter the chance to move back to Canada, and work with a more diverse slate of characters, other than just those from the Disney universe.

According to Peter, "At this point in my career, however, I am looking to vary my artistic diet by pursuing more non-Disney work to satisfy my desire to engage in my own personal cartooning style. It is with that desire that I present a sampling of my artwork here for the perusal of potential clients as well as all fans of cartooning!"

The Life Brand Bear, one of Canada's most distinctive corporate emblems was one of Pete's many commissions as a freelance cartoonist; he also has drawn for publications like Entertainment Weekly.

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS

2004, 2005- Co-featured artist in Laughlines, at Artway Shoppers World

Peter loves flow in character design and animation, and encourages cartoonists to focus on rhythm in their drawings, rather than adhering "slavishly to anatomy". He explains why in this article from The Toronto Animated Image Society 'Zine.