MANKATO — If anything in the illustrations of the new children’s book “Doghouse Dreams” is reminiscent of Karl Schneider’s signature style, it’s got to be the doe eyes of Rex and Missy.
Wide open, shiny, shaped like teardrops — anyone familiar with Schneider’s work would have seen similar eyes before. But not in children’s books.
Schneider has been drawing those large glossy eyes of his on people’s skin for about seven years.
A tattoo artist at Cactus Tattoo in Mankato, Schneider has developed a unique, signature drawing style that can be seen in the nuances of his first children’s book, “Doghouse Dreams,” the first children’s book by PDXpublications, which recently was released by BookSurge Publishing.
The book follows Rex and Missy, two dogs from a German family that are kept in cages at all times. Their master loves them, but his wife is somewhat afraid of the dogs and doesn’t want the animals in the house. After spending some time trapped in the dogs’ cage, the wife learns to appreciate them.
How does a tattooist become a children’s book illustrator? Well, Schneider grew up in La Crosse, Wis., where he knew a girl named Sarah Yach. Yach, who lives in Portland, Oregon, became engaged to a man whose aunt lives in Germany, and she was writing the initial text for “Doghouse Dreams.”
So, through that chain of acquaintanceship, Schneider was asked to illustrate the book. He also signed on to illustrate eight more animal-inspired stories for PDXpublications.
“Doghouse Dreams” took about a year for Schneider to finish. The basic story line of the book was translated for him from German, and he was given complete artistic freedom to come up with whatever he wanted.
Schneider worked in colored pencils, which is his medium of choice when drawing in his spare time. The book was then rewritten to fit his illustrations better.
“It was fun,” he said. “It was a challenge.”
Schneider never studied art or drawing in college. He moved to Mankato after high school, having earned a two-year apprenticeship at Cactus, which taught him how to be a tattoo artist. Otherwise, he’s self-taught.
Drawing animals is a bit foreign to Schneider, but he’s up to the challenge. Up next will be a book about ducks.
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Related Photos
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Karl Schneider, a tattoo artist at Cactus Tattoo in Mankato, signed on to illustrate nine children’s books for PDXpublications. Pat Christman
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“Doghouse Dreams” is available at Amazon.com.
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This drawing hangs framed in Karl Schneider’s work space at Cactus Tattoo. The red-haired girl has Schneider’s signature teardrop-shaped eyes. Pat Christman
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“Doghouse Dreams” is the first book Karl Schneider illustrated. He’s signed on to illustrate eight more children’s books, which will be sold on Amazon.com. Pat Christman
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