Lee J. Ames

His first job at age eighteen was at Walt Disney Studios. His career spanned working 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 was a recipient of the Inkpot Award. He was a founding member of the Berndt Toast Gang, the Long Island Chapter of the National Cartoonists Society. Ames once reminiscenced on how the Berndt Toast Gang got its name: "When Creig Flessel, Bill Lignante, Frank Springer, Al Micale, and I got together to work for Hanna Barbera in the 1960s, we decided to have a lunch at Finnegan's Bar the last Thursday of every month. During that period, Creig brought Walter Berndt to join us. We fell in love with the cigar-smoking old-timer (look who's talking!), as he did with us. After a couple of years he passed away and left us grieving. Thereafter, whenever we convened on Thursdays, we'd raise a toast to Walter's memory. On one such, my big mouth opened and uttered, "Fellas, it's time for the Berndt toast!" I wasn't trying to be cute at the time, but I'm not displeased that it stuck and we became the Berndt Toast Gang, one of the largest branches of the National Cartoonists Society." He and his wife Jocelyn resided for many years in Mission Viejo, California before returning to Long Island, NY.

• 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: Doubleday, 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.