Many in the community are mourning the loss of Lee J. Ames who died this month at a New York nursing home. He was 90.
Ames was a veteran comic book artist, illustrator and good friend to the Mission Viejo Library. He helped to launch the City’s first Readers’ Festival in 2009 – an event that attracted thousands from Mission Viejo and beyond. He was a presenter at that successful event and often spoke at the library, engaging children in the art of drawing. His work was even displayed on the library’s gallery walls.
Ames, a longtime resident of Mission Viejo, enjoyed immense success in the 1960s with a line of “how to draw” books after working in commercial art and as a Disney animator. Many were in a series called the “Draw 50″ series such as “Draw Fifty People”; “Draw Fifty Vehicles”; and “Draw Fifty Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Animals.” His last few decades were spent mostly producing those books and with lecture and teaching jobs that sprang from his many books.
Always with a smile and a story, Ames was a magical man and gifted artist. He books, which helped many young artists discover the joy of drawing, will continue to inspire.
