Lee J. Ames, American artist and illustrator, died from heart failure he was , 90.

Lee Judah Ames is an American artist noted for his Draw 50... learn-to-draw books.

(January 8, 1921 – June 3, 2011)

He was born in Manhattan, New York. His first job at age eighteen was at Walt Disney Studios. He has since led a career as an advertising artist, fine artist, cartoonist, designer, animation in-betweener, illustrator, and as an artist-in residence at Doubleday. His series of 26 Draw 50... books take a friendly and minimalist approach to teaching drawing while the books often contain no instructional text.
He enlisted in the military and served as a second lieutenant during World War II.
He and his wife Jocelyn resided in Mission Viejo, California.

Written by Ames

• City Street Games. By Jocelyn and Lee Ames. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1963.
• The Dot, Line, and Shape Connection, or, How to Be Driven to Abstraction. 1st ed. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1982.
• Draw 50 Airplanes, Aircraft, & Spacecraft. 1st ed. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1977.
• Draw 50 Aliens, UFO's Galaxy Ghouls, Milky Way Marauders, and Other Extraterrestrial Creatures By Lee J. Ames with Ric Estrada. 1st ed. New York: Doubleday, 1998.
• Draw 50 Animal Toons. By Lee J. Ames and Bob Singer. 1st ed. New York: Doubleday, 2000.
• Draw 50 Animals. 1st ed. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1974.
• Draw 50 Athletes. 1st ed. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1985.
• Draw 50 Beasties and Yugglies and Turnover Uglies and Things That Go Bump in the Night. 1st ed. New York: Doubleday, 1988.
• Draw 50 Birds. By Lee J. Ames with Tony D'Adamo. 1st ed. New York: Doubleday, 1996.
• Draw 50 Boats, Ships, Trucks & Trains. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1987, c1976.
• Draw 50 Buildings and Other Structures. 1st ed. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1980.
• Draw 50 Cars, Trucks, and Motorcycles. 1st ed. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1986.
• Draw 50 Cats. 1st ed. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1986.
• Draw 50 Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Animals. 1st ed. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1977.
• Draw 50 Dogs. 1st ed. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1981.
• Draw 50 Endangered Animals. By Lee J. Ames with Warren Budd. 1st ed. New York: Doubleday, 1992.
• Draw 50 Famous Caricatures. By Lee J. Ames and Mort Drucker. 1st ed. New York: Doubleday, 1990.
• Draw 50 Famous Cartoons. 1st ed. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1979.
• Draw 50 Famous Faces. 1st ed. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1978.
• Draw 50 Famous Stars, As Selected by Rona Barrett's Hollywood Magazine. 1st ed. Garden City, NY: Doublday, 1982.
• Draw 50 Flowers, Trees, and Other Plants. By Lee J. Ames, with P. Lee Ames. 1st ed. New York: Doubleday, 1994.
• Draw 50 Holiday Decorations. By Lee J. Ames with Ray Burns. 1st ed, New York: Doubleday, 1987.
• Draw 50 Horses. 1st ed. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1984.
• Draw 50 Monsters, Creeps, Superheroes, Demons, Dragons, Nerds, Dirts, Ghouls, Giants, Vampires, Zombies, and Other Curiosa. 1st ed. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1983.
• Draw 50 People. By Lee J. Ames with Creig Flessel. 1st ed. New York: Doubleday, 1993.
• Draw 50 People of the Bible. By Lee J. Ames and Andre Le Blanc. 1st ed. New York: Doubleday, 1995.
• Draw 50 Sharks, Whales, and Other Sea Creatures. By Lee J. Ames with Warren Budd. 1st ed. New York: Doubleday, 1989.
• Draw 50 Vehicles: Selections form Draw 50 Boats, Ships, Trucks, and Trains, and Draw 50 Airplanes, Aircraft, and Spacecraft. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1977.
• Draw, Draw, Draw. 1st ed. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1962.
• Drawing with Lee Ames: From the Bestselling, Award-Winning Creator of the Draw 50 Series, A Proven Step-by-Step Guide to the Fundamentals of Drawing for All Ages. 1st ed. New York: Doubleday, 1990.
• How to Draw Star Wars Heroes, Creatures, Space-Ships, and Other Fantastic Things. New York: Random House, 1984.
• Make 25 Crayon Drawings of the Circus. 1st ed. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1980.
• Make 25 Felt-Tip Drawings Out West. 1st ed. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1980.

Illustrated by Ames

• Asimov, Isaac. Great Ideas of Science. Illustrated by Lee Ames. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1969.
• Blocksma, Mary. Amazing Mouths and Menus. Illustrated by Lee J. Ames. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1986.
• Fenner, Phyllis R., comp. Circus Parade; Stories of the Big Top. Illustrated by Lee Ames. 1st ed. New York: Knopf, 1954.
• Freeman, Mae Blacker. You Will Go to the Moon. By Mae and Ira Freeman. Illustrated by Lee Ames. Rev. ed. New York: Beginner Books, 1971.
• Garst, Shannon. Big Foot Wallace of the Texas Rangers. Illustrated by Lee Ames. New Yor: Messner, 1951.
• Garst, Shannon. Three Conquistadors: Cortes, Coronado, Pizarro. Illustrated by Lee J. Ames. New York: J. Messner, 1947.
• Holl, Adelaide. Hide-and-Seek ABC. Pictures by Lee Ames. New York: Platt & Munk, 1971.
• Klimowicz, Barbara. The Great Green Apple War. Drawings by Lee J. Ames. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1973.
• Klimowicz, Barbara. My Sister the Horse. Drawings by Lee Ames. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1971.
• Knight, David C. The Battle of the Dinosaurs. Illustrated by Lee J. Ames. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1982.
• Dinosaurs That Swam and Flew. Illustrated by Lee J. Ames. New York: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, 1989; Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1985.
• Lauber, Patricia. All About the Planet Earth. Illustrated with Drawings by Lee J. Ames and with photos. New York: Random House, 1962.
• Leavitt, Jerome Edward. By Land, By Sea, By Air; The Story of Transportation. Illustrated by Lee Ames. New York: Putnam, 1969.
• MacClain, George. Graff-a-Doodle Doo. Conceived by Lee J. Ames; Written and illustrated by George MacClain. New York: Grosset & Dunlap, 1981.
• Manus, Willard. Sea Treasure. Illustrated by Lee J. Ames. 1st ed. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1961.
• McNeel, John P. The Brain of Man. Illustrated by Lee Ames. New York: Putnam, 1968.
• Ross, Frank Xavier. Stories of the States; A Reference Guide to the Fifty States and the U.S. Territories. New York: Crowell, 1969.
• Rowley, Anthony. Tool Chest. Syracuse, NY: L. W. Singer, 1967.
• Selsam, Millicent Ellis. Exploring the Animal Kingdom. Garden City, NY: Garden City Books, 1957.
• Silverstein, Alvin. Carl Linnaeus; The Man Who Put the World of Life in Order. By Alvin and Virginia Silverstein. New York: John Day, 1969.
• Silverstein, Alvin. Excretory System; How Living Creatures Get Rid of Wastes. By Alvin and Virginia B. Silverstein. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1972.
• Silverstein, Alvin. Harold Urey; The Man Who Explored from Earth to Moon. By Alvin and Virginia Silverstein. New York: John Day, 1970.
• Silverstein, Alvin. Life in the Universe. By Alvin and Virginia B. Silverstein. Princeton, NJ: Van Nostrand, 1967.
• Silverstein, Alvin. Muscular System; How Living Creatures Move. By Alvin and Virginia B. Silverstein. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1972.
• Silverstein, Alvin. The Origin of Life. By Alvin and Virginia B. Silverstein. Princeton, NJ: Van Nostrand, 1968.
• Silverstein, Alvin. The Reproductive System; How Living Creatures Multiply. By Alvin and Virginia B. Silverstein. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1971.
• Silverstein, Alvin. The Skin: Coverings and Linings of Living Things. By Alvin and Virginia B. Silverstein. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1972.
• Thurber, Walter. Exploring Earth Science. By Walter A. Thurber, Robert E. Kilburn, Peter S. Howell; illustrated by Lee Ames ... [et al.] Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1976.
• Zim, Herbert Spencer. Commercial Fishing. By Herbert S. Zim and Lucretia Krantz. New York: Morrow, 1973.
• Zim, Herbert Spencer. Pipes and Plumbing Systems. By Herbert S. Zim and James R. Skelly. Illustrated with drawings by Lee J. Ames and Mel Erikson. New York: Morrow, 1974.
• Zim, Herbert Spencer. Telephone Systems. By Herbert S. Zim and James R. Skelly. New York: W. Morrow, 1971.
• Zim, Herbert Spencer. Tractors. By Herbert S. Zim and James R. Skelly. New York: Morrow, 1972.

 

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