Vlasta van Kampen's interest in illustration came at an early age. In high school she designed posters and set designs for school plays and drew pictures for school exhibitions. She went on to the Ontario College of Art where she graduated with honours in advertising and illustration in 1966 and then travelled on a scholarship to the Gerrit Rietveld Akademie in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, where she studied typography and illustration. In 1967 she was hired as an illustrator for a series of natural-science books. She become a freelance illustrator in 1970. Van Kampen likes to vary her media and drawing techniques and has worked in black and white, watercolour and mixed media. Her illustrations begin as thumbnail sketches and a lot of research goes into each work. Animals and young children are her favourite subjects, and she has used her own children as models. She embellishes her pictures with a wealth of detail, so that each reading of the picture book brings forth something new. Van Kampen often directs classroom workshops where she displays her rough sketches and final art, and describes the process of making a picture book from its inception to completion. Her favourite books are Orchestranimals (1989) and Rockanimals (1991), brightly coloured picture books filled with zany animals playing musical instruments.
Awards
 1982 | Canada Council Literature Prize, English language, illustration, for ABC, 123: The Canadian Alphabet and Counting Book. |
Selected Bibliography
Books for Children
ABC, 1 2 3: The Canadian Alphabet and Counting Book. Written and illustrated by Vlasta van Kampen. Edmonton: Hurtig, 1982.
47 p.: ill.; 23 cm.
ISBN 0888302231
Animal Hours. Written by Linda Manning; illustrated by Vlasta van Kampen. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1990.
32 p.: col. ill.; 28 cm.
ISBN 0195407717 (bound)
ISBN 0195408446 (pbk.)
Atlas du monde Nelson: un atlas métrique. Maps by Fiona Cowles and Leonard Guelke; illustrated by Vlasta van Kampen; cartography by David L. Fryer et compagnie. Don Mills, Ont.: Nelson, 1979.
92 p.: ill., col. maps; 29 cm.
ISBN 0176007350
(French edition of Nelson World Atlas)
Canada Close-up: Je suis canadien. Written by Donna Hopper Nathanson, Peter Nowell, and Penny Campbell; illustrated by Pirjo Selistemagi, Ruth Bagshaw, and Vlasta van Kampen. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson, c1975.
71 p.: ill.; 24 cm. (Social and Environmental Studies)
ISBN 0070775958
Dinosaur Days. Written by Linda Manning; illustrated by Vlasta van Kampen. Toronto: Stoddart, c1993.
32 p.: col. ill.; 28 cm.
ISBN 0773726993
Emily Umily. Written by Kathy Corrigan; illustrated by Vlasta van Kampen. Toronto: Annick Press, 1984.
28 p.: col. ill.; 20 cm.
ISBN 0920236960 (bound)
ISBN 0920236995 (pbk.)
Four Seasons for Toby. Written by Dorothy Joan Harris; illustrated by Vlasta van Kampen. Richmond Hill, Ont.: North Winds Press, 1987.
26 p.: col. ill.; 27 cm.
ISBN 0590716778
Great Canadian Adventure Stories. Edited by Muriel Whitaker; illustrated by Vlasta van Kampen. Edmonton: Hurtig Publishers, c1979.
224 p.: col. ill.; 24 cm.
ISBN 0888301693
Great Canadian Animal Stories. Edited by Muriel Whitaker; illustrated by Vlasta van Kampen. Edmonton: Hurtig, 1978.
232 p.: col. ill.; 24 cm.
ISBN 0888301650 (bound)
ISBN 0888302312 (pbk.)
King of Cats. Written by Arthur Johnson; illustrated by Vlasta van Kampen. Toronto: Stoddart, 1992.
32 p.: col. ill.; 29 cm.
ISBN 077372589X
Muddle Cuddle. Written by Laurel Dee Gugler; illustrated by Vlasta van Kampen. Toronto: Annick Press, c1997.
24 p.: col. ill.; 27 cm.
ISBN 1550374354 (bound)
ISBN 1550374346 (pbk.)
My Dad Takes Care of Me. Written by Patricia Quinlan; illustrated by Vlasta van Kampen. Toronto: Annick Press, 1987.
21 p.: col. ill.; 22 cm.
ISBN 0920303765 (pbk.)
ISBN 092030379X (bound)
Nelson World Atlas: A Metric Atlas. Maps by Fiona Cowles and Leonard Guelke; illustrated by V1asta van Kampen; cartography by David L. Fryer and Company. Don Mills, Ont.: T. Nelson & Sons (Canada), 1974.
92 p.: ill. (some col.), col. maps; 32 cm.
ISBN 0176329528
Orchestranimals. Written by Vlasta van Kampen and Irene C. Eugen; illustrated by Vlasta van Kampen. Toronto: North Winds Press, 1989.
40 p.: col. ill.; 26 cm.
ISBN 0590731610
Pocketful of Puzzles. Written by Lillian Marcus; illustrated by Vlasta van Kampen. Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Puffin Books; Markham, Ont.: Penguin Books Canada, 1985, c1984.
128 p.: ill.; 18 cm.
ISBN 0140317503
The Princess, the Hockey Player, Magic & Ghosts: Canadian Stories for Children. Edited by Muriel Whitaker; illustrated by Vlasta van Kampen. Edmonton: Hurtig, 1980.
158 p.: ill.; 24 cm.
ISBN 0888301944
Racing Stripes for William. Written by Dorothy Joan Harris; illustrated by Vlasta Van Kampen. Toronto: Three Trees Press, c1987.
23 p.: ill. (some col.); 23 cm.
ISBN 0888231229 (pbk.)
ISBN 0888231245 (bound)
Rockanimals. Written by Vlasta van Kampen and Irene C. Eugen; illustrated by Vlasta van Kampen. Richmond Hill, Ont.: Scholastic Canada, c1991.
38 p.: col. ill.; 26 cm.
ISBN 0590736612
Salut Canada! Je suis canadien. Written by Donna Hopper Nathanson, Peter Nowell, and Penny Campbell; translated by Rita Quesnel-Turgeon; illustrated by Pirjo Selistemagi, Ruth Bagshaw, and Vlasta van Kampen. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson, c1979.
71 p.: ill.; 24 cm.
ISBN 0070828318
(French edition of Canada Close-up: Je suis canadien)
Stories from the Canadian North. Edited by Muriel Whitaker; illustrated by Vlasta van Kampen. Edmonton: Hurtig Publishers, c1980.
191 p.: ill.; 24 cm.
ISBN 088830188X
Théo et les quatre saisons. Written by Dorothy Joan Harris; translated by Cécile Gagnon; illustrated by Vlasta Van Kampen. Richmond Hill, Ont.: Scholastic Canada, 1993, c1986.
26 p.: col. ill.; 23 cm.
(French edition of Four Seasons for Toby)
Books for Adults
The French Kiss: A Tongue-in-Cheek Political Fantasy. Written by Eric Koch; illustrated by Vlasta van Kampen. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1969.
223 p.: illus.; 23 cm
Nutrition for Today. Written by Elizabeth Chant Robertson; illustrated by Jan and Vlasta Van Kampen. 3rd edition. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart,1979, c1968.
255 p.: ill.; 24 cm.
ISBN 0771075502
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