Crush and Color with Maurizio Campidelli Nov 30 2020

As we quickly approach 2021, we here at Advocate wanted to acknowledge one of our favorite series published this year - Crush and Color, illustrated by our very own Maurizio Campidelli!

The runaway hit that was Crush and Color: Jason Momoa: A Coloring Book of Fantasies With an Epic Dreamboat kicked off the series earlier this January, and now the 4th installment, 20th Century Foxes, is coming next month! Readers from all over the world have fallen in love with the whimsical illustrations of dashing celebrity hunks, so much so that a fan named Amber Patty recently reached out to Maurizio about his work.

Amber Patty is an art teacher for 5th and 6th graders in Sweetwater, Tennessee. Ms. Patty’s favorite in the Crush and Color series is Keanu Reaves, and she came up with a great extra credit assignment for her students - to submit a colored page from the book of her celeb crush! All of her students created beautiful coloring pages, and we were so thrilled Ms. Patty was able to share these photos with us! She also reached out directly to Maurizio and requested a Zoom meeting with the students to discuss his work, and Maurizio was more than happy to oblige. He also wrote a letter to the students detailing how he became an artist himself, and how he was inspired by Captain America and Marvel comics. 

It’s always so inspiring to see the effect art can have on people (especially children!), and we think Maurizio’s inspired a new generation of creators with his engaging illustrations. Looking to add Crush and Color to your Christmas list? You can purchase the series on Amazon! If you’d like to see more of Maurizio’s amazing artwork, make sure to visit his online portfolio!