Monty's Monsters

Monty Mittleman has been drawing cartoons for as long as he can remember. He is a self-taught artist who honed his skills on thousands of page margins, napkins and scraps of paper. Monty's "doodles" have always attracted attention and have gained him notoriety wherever he goes.

Despite his obvious talent for art, Monty chose to pursue a different profession. He holds a Bachelor's of Science in criminal justice and a Master's in Public Administration. Monty has 14 years of experience working with inmates in various halfway houses and correctional facilities in California, New Mexico, Texas and Illinois.

When Monty is not reforming dangerous criminals, he finds plenty of time to draw. In recent years, requests for his art have been growing, making it a second job. His artistic achievements include a large mural on a downtown city building, numerous murals for children's rooms, illustrations for a University of Illinois Extension curriculum, gag cartoons and illustrations for a national carp fishing newsletter, a coloring book for children of inmates, and numerous drawings for a local synagogue. But Monty's greatest success has come from personalized children's art.

It all started when Monty drew personalized pictures for the guests at his son's birthday party. The reaction from the children was so overwhelmingly positive that Monty and his wife decided to put some together to sell at a local craft fair. "Monty's Monsters" was born. Over the next few months, Monty drew almost one-hundred original monster pictures, leaving room for a child's name. His wife, Shannon, bought and painted picture frames. Monty personalized children's names onto each picture as it was bought. In two days, more than 40 pictures were sold.

"Monty's Monsters" has appeared at other festivals, birthday parties, and even in a local gift shop. Many of his customers have ordered more for grandchildren, cousins and teachers.

As "Monty's Monsters" continues to grow and flourish, Monty is venturing out even more. He has become a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators and hopes that one day his work will be on a children's library shelf. Until then, he is satisfied knowing that it is on many children's walls.

Monty Mittleman has been drawing cartoons for as long as he can remember. He is a self-taught artist who honed his skills on thousands of page margins, napkins and scraps of paper. Monty's "doodles" have always attracted attention and have gained him notoriety wherever he goes. Despite his obvious talent for art, Monty chose to pursue a different profession. He holds a Bachelor's of Science in criminal justice and a Master's in Public Administration. Monty has 14 years of experience working with inmates in various halfway houses and correctional facilities in California, New Mexico, Texas and Illinois. When Monty is not reforming dangerous criminals, he finds plenty of time to draw. In recent years, requests for his art have been growing, making it a second job. His artistic achievements include a large mural on a downtown city building, numerous murals for children's rooms, illustrations for a University of Illinois Extension curriculum, gag cartoons and illustrations for a national carp fishing newsletter, a coloring book for children of inmates, and numerous drawings for a local synagogue. But Monty's greatest success has come from personalized children's art. It all started when Monty drew personalized pictures for the guests at his son's birthday party. The reaction from the children was so overwhelmingly positive that Monty and his wife decided to put some together to sell at a local craft fair. "Monty's Monsters" was born. Over the next few months, Monty drew almost one-hundred original monster pictures, leaving room for a child's name. His wife, Shannon, bought and painted picture frames. Monty personalized children's names onto each picture as it was bought. In two days, more than 40 pictures were sold. "Monty's Monsters" has appeared at other festivals, birthday parties, and even in a local gift shop. Many of his customers have ordered more for grandchildren, cousins and teachers. As "Monty's Monsters" continues to grow and flourish, Monty is venturing out even more. He has become a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators and hopes that one day his work will be on a children's library shelf. Until then, he is satisfied knowing that it is on many children's walls.
Co-chair of the downstate illustrators group, Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Completed a mural at the Decatur, IL Zoo Have pieces up at the Beacon Art Gallery and Entrepreneurship Center, Decatur, IL www.beaconartcenter.com		All illustrations and designs on this website are copyrighted and use without permission is prohibited.