April Kim Tonin
A native New Yorker, I began drawing as soon as I could walk. My first large-scale “works” of art involved decorating the walls of my parents’ Brooklyn apartment with scribbles in crayon and ink. I moved onto covering rolls of drafting paper with horses because when I wasn’t riding, I was drawing. In high school, I began studying life drawing. In between classes, my friends would time me with a stopwatch to see how quickly I could draw caricatures.
These days, I divide my professional time as an artist and educator. I am the author and illustrator of Start Naked, a book inspired by New York artist Lisa Dinhofer’s Saturday morning life drawing class at the National Academy School. To this day, I still take life drawing classes because as an artist, you never stop learning something new.
EDUCATION
Columbia University School of Arts and Sciences (New York, NY), M.A., Art History
Mount Holyoke College (South Hadley, MA), B.A., Fine Arts and French
The Dalton School (New York, NY)
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Mid-Year Exhibition, National Academy School, New York, NY, December 14 – February 2, 2017
Creative Mischief, Juried exhibition at the National Academy Museum, New York, NY, May 19 – 29, 2016
Black & White Perspectives: Works on Paper, National Academy School, New York, NY, April 14 – May 8, 2016
Year-End Exhibition, National Academy School, New York, NY, June 4 – July 12, 2015
Experiments in Self-Portraiture, Juried exhibition at the National Academy School, New York, NY, January 29 – March 1, 2015
Creative Mischief, Juried exhibition at the National Academy School, New York, NY, May 2013
Start Naked: Saturday Morning at the National Academy with Lisa Dinhofer, Solo Exhibition and Book Launch, National Academy School, New York, NY, October 22 – November 10, 2012
Bar / Bat mitzvah albums
Brochures and textbooks
Customized illustrations for corporate functions, political fundraisers, school events, weddings
Commissioned portraits
Equestrian themed illustrations
Holiday cards and personalized stationery
Website illustration: media and news organizations
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
Academy for Teachers
Graphic Artists Guild
Society for Children's Book Writers and Illustrators