Are you a diehard Goosebumps® fan who has always LOVED their scary covers each month but didn't know who painted them? Well, read on to find out more about Tim Jacobus, the talented artist behind all the great Goosebumps covers.
Tim grew up in Denville, New Jersey with his parents and two sisters. Although he didn't have a scary childhood, he did have a REAL skeleton of a small fox with an evil smile in his bedroom. Maybe this is what gave Tim the CREEPY ideas for the spooky Goosebumps covers!
Tim started painting covers for the Goosebumps titles in 1991. Many people think that because he draws all of the Goosebumps covers that he must be best buddies with R. L. Stine. Actually, Tim had been drawing the Goosebumps covers for nearly FOUR YEARS before their first meeting. It is not uncommon for writers and artists not to meet each other; they are each responsible for a different element of the book that doesn't really relate to the other's job. Plus, they're way too busy writing and drawing! Once R. L. Stine and Tim met, though, they became great friends.
Where does Tim create all of these spooktacular Goosebumps covers? In his very own studio. Tim's studio is very small (only 12 feet by 12 feet). He has lots of cool stuff in his studio to give him artistic inspiration -- like a life-size cutout of Curly and a Mexican bottle good-luck charm from his dad. When he is working, Tim wears the same pants (EVERY DAY!) and the same sneakers (Converse All-Stars -- always!).
From start to finish, it takes about four to five days for Tim to create a Goosebumps cover. First, he talks with the art director at Scholastic, who gives him information about the next Goosebumps story and a description of what the cover should look like. Before doing the actual painting, Tim sketches out in pencil a few different rough drawings of the cover. When a final sketch is chosen by Scholastic, Tim uses acrylic paints to do a small version of the cover and makes sure he likes the colors he's using. Finally, he starts on the real Goosebumps cover. Now this is when the real MESS begins. Sometimes painting the covers is such sloppy work that Tim gets paint all over his studio carpet (and his Converse All-Stars)! His carpet is colorful and hard from all of the paint that has been spilled on it over the years. It's a good thing his wife Laura doesn't mind!
Tim loves doing all of the Goosebumps covers, but he does have a couple of favorites: Monster Blood II and Egg Monsters From Mars.
Tim loves to hear from his fans! If you want to ask Tim a question, or just want to say hello, you can write him at:
