SCOT RICHIE 
Whimsy Run Wild 

(click images to enlarge)

It’s possible that among the many talented and popular artists who live and work in the West End, the name Scot Richie hasn’t yet crossed your radar. Scot readily admits that it is entirely his fault, noting “I'm pretty lousy at promoting myself.”

To emphasize the point, in the whimsical “FAQ” section of his website, Scot answers the question "If you had to describe your Media Relations team in one word what would it be?” with “Elusive”.

What Scot is not “lousy” at is letting his imagination run wild, creating cartoons, illustrations, and maps that always elicit a smile, a chuckle, or often enough an outright guffaw. “Maps?” you ask? Yes, and you may even have one in your kitchen right now, if you’ve found and purchased one of his Stanley Park or West End tea towel maps.

“My main job is writing and illustrating kids books, but I started this business with tea towels, totes and postcards in the midst of COVID. Being a freelancer you learn to pivot and get creative when necessary. I sell the tea towels in a couple of stores on Granville Island, and postcards in the souvenir store in Stanley Park.”

Scot is an award-winning illustrator and author. He has written and/or illustrated more than 65 books, many of which have been translated into multiple languages, including French, Korean, Chinese, Finnish, Arabic and Dutch. He has worked with the National Film Board of Canada and had his illustrations exhibited at the National Gallery of Canada.

He mostly writes and illustrates books, but he also enjoys the wild world of editorial illustration and cartoons, saying they’re maybe “the flip side of kid's books.” He also illustrates for the advertising, editorial and educational markets and his work can be found in publications including the Wall St. Journal, Newsweek, Chicago Tribune, and New York Magazine.

As a freelancer Scot has been able to pack up his office and work in cities like Athens, Berlin and Honolulu. He stays for a few months, convincing himself (he says he's quite impressionable) that he lives there. He actually lives here in the West End.

A couple more examples of Scot’s trademark whimsy from his website FAQ section include:

Q: What is the best fuel for a feud? 
A: Generations ago, my family were McDonalds. We had a feud with the Campbell's. I just found out my brilliant web designer is a Campbell. Should I be worried?

Q: Just who are you? 
A: My Dad was from New Zealand so I got myself a NZ passport. I'm now a Canuck and a Kiwi. Is that a Caniwi?

All Our Love … the story of a little girl, her two dads, and a new baby.

Scot has been short listed for and won numerous awards and honours over the years, including winning the “Parents’ Guide to Children’s Media Award” in 2000 for My Baby Brother and Me and My Baby Sister and Me, making the “Skipping Stones Honour List” for Skipping Stones Magazine in 2020, and winning the “Best Books for Kids and Teens” award from The Canadian Children’s Book Centre in 2018.

Scot has created such titles as P’eska and the First Salmon Ceremony (Groundwood Books / 2015), and Tug: A Log Boom’s Journey (Groundwood Books / 2022). He’s illustrated other books like There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Moose, by Chrissy Bozik (Scholastic Canada / 2019) and All Our Love, by Kari-Lynn Winters (Scholastic Canada / 2024).

More samples of the Scot’s aforementioned whimsy, a complete catalogue of his illustrations, and images of his cartoons and delightful book covers can all be found on his website here.