Featuring beloved New Yorker covers, iconic animated characters, and more, Local Fauna is the definitive monograph by award-winning illustrator and character designer Peter de Sève.

Peter de Sève’s work spans four decades and various media, from magazines, books, and television commercials, to Broadway posters and character designs for animated feature films. He is perhaps best recognized for his many covers for The New Yorker magazine and his character designs for the blockbuster Ice Age franchise (Scrat is a veritable international celebrity). De Sève has also contributed to such films as Finding Nemo, Robots, The Little Prince, and The Grinch, to name only a few. He is currently busy at work on various animated projects in both the United States and Europe.

Local Fauna showcases de Sève’s most iconic illustrations and designs alongside a plentiful selection of sketches and personal work that have become fan favorites across social media. This monograph opens a doorway into his visual universe, and it includes behind-the-scenes insight into his process, from a character or cover’s first conception to the final product.

Local Fauna also includes an introduction by writer, illustrator, and character designer Carter Goodrich and an in-depth interview with Bill Watterson, the legendary creator of Calvin & Hobbes, as well as essays by The New Yorker art director Françoise Mouly; Academy Award winning director and animator Glen Keane; comic artist and creator of Hellboy, Mike Mignola; and New York Times bestselling picture book author Randall de Sève.

Peter de Sève is an American artist who has worked in the illustration and animation fields. He has drawn many covers for The New Yorker magazine. As a character designer, he has worked on characters for the films A Bug’s Life, Finding Nemo, Robots, the Ice Age films (which feature his iconic character Scrat), and many more. De Sève has received many honors for his work, including the Hamilton King Award from the Society of Illustrators. He is also a winner of a Daytime Emmy and in 2016 was inducted into the Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame. De Sève lives in Brooklyn, New York, with his family.