2012 3X3 Children’s ProShow

With more than 1,700 entries from 35 countries in this year’s 3X3 Children’s Illustration ProShow, receiving a Merit award is a huge achievement.

Gee Hale’s award came in the Children’s Illustration Unpublished category for his work on the book Me And My Dog. The story takes Danny and his dog, Farfell, through fun physical activities, such as ball games and kite flying.

‘With these illustrations, I wanted to show how much the two buddies are enjoying each other’s company, and that it's all about having a great time when growing up as a child,’ says Gee.

‘It’s about the daily life of an active child who prefers to spend his time outside with his friends than being in front of the computer or TV,’ says Gee. ‘So, at the end of the story, I wanted to show they get to eat ice cream as a reward after an exhausting day of running around.’

Gee’s reward was the result of hard work in a highly competitive field. To get into the annual 3X3 show, entrants need a majority of votes from the panel’s six judges. The panel this year included illustrator/educators Owen Smith, Art Center College of Design; Rick Lovell, Savannah College of Art & Design; Alexander Strohmaier, Universität für Angewandte Kunst, Vienna; Michael Taylor, Stellen Bosch Academy, South Africa; Ronca Catell, University of Gloucestershire, UK, and Toni Damkoehler, University of Wisconsin, Green Bay.