Gábor Tom Steisinger

Gábor Tom Steisinger was born on April 29th 1968 in Dresden (Germany), then part of the former GDR. His hometown with its wonderful art collections, its history, and affinity toward the arts was a ready source of inspiration to Gábor as a growing child. He always loved to draw and to listen to good stories. Combining the visual arts with storytelling became Gábors key interest. Adding sound and movement got him into the making of animated films. He studied Animation at the Film University in Potsdam - Babelsberg. Gábor was hired to work as a Character Animator, first in Ireland and then in the USA, where he worked for 20th Cent. Fox and Walt Disney Studios. He has taught Character design in Germany (Film University Potsdam – Babelsberg) and Denmark (Animation Workshop, Viborg). Making picture books has been on Gábors mind for a long time. The kickstart for this medium came when there was a lull between two film productions. Gábor grasped the opportunity and started to make a picture book for his little daughter, who was also the inspiration for the story’s heroine. Through an illustrator friend Gábor learned about the Key Colours competition of Clavis Publishing, which he ended up winning with his picture book The Princess and Her Knight.