15 Must-See Children’s Book Illustrators to Inspire Your Art & Writing
I hold this truth to be self-evident - that some of the best artwork in the world comes from children’s books!
Thanks to Pinterest, Etsy, Behance, and the like, these jewels of the art world are finally starting to garner the recognition that they so richly deserve. But children’s book illustration is an otherwise overlooked, often undervalued, area of artistry.
And why? These images and their accompanying stories are shaping the minds of the wee folk who will one day be running our planet. I’d say that deserves some acknowledgement!
So, in honor of illustrators across the globe, and to spark your own curiosity and creativity in the fields of visual art and writing, here are 15 children’s book illustrators’ websites (just for starters!) that feature some of the most engaging and expressive artwork out there (in no particular order):
Novice author-illustrators, Phung Nguyen Quang and Huynh Kim Lien, won Singapore’s 2018 Scholastic book challenge for Best Children’s Picture Book. Here you can see why. Their artwork is delightful, epic eye candy, with a little flavor of Hokusai’s “The Great Wave”.
2) Beatrice Blue
In keeping with the bizarre, but playful, style of today’s cartoons, Beatrice Blue’s illustrations feature loads of visual warmth. How she gets so much expression with such few facial features remains a mystery to me!
3) Cicely Mary Barker
The late Cicely Mary Barker is world-renowned for her impossibly precious flower fairy illustrations. I used to sketch from her book for art practice - her instinctual skill and imagination is beyond inspiring! Barker’s work has since become integrated into mainstream culture. You can read more about her life and art here.
4) Zebo Ludvicek
Zebo Ludvicek’s work is striking for its exaggeration of gestures, layout, and expression. So. Much. Expression. Honestly, words are almost irrelevant when your art tells this much of a story!
5) Ivan Bilibin
Russian artist Ivan Bilibin, who has long since shuffled off this mortal coil, was as patriotic as he was prolific. He produced scores of classic illustrations, in a style not unlike illuminated manuscripts, for Russian and Slavic folklore. There’s beauty and inspiration in every aspect of his art - drawings and text.
6) Olga Ionajtis
Olga Ionajtis has mastered the colorful and cozy vignette. Her work is loaded up with charm, and features little creatures and little people in little scenes brimming with detail.
7) Helen Mussellwhite
Children’s books are traditionally illustrated with 2-dimensional mediums - pen, pencil, paint, etc. Makes sense, since they are printed on flat paper. But Helen Mussellwhite jumps us a dimension ahead - transporting readers to a 3-D realm exploding with exquisitely crafted paper art illustrations. Wow. Just wow.
8) Joey Chou
Joey Chou is such a force in the illustration world that the “Joey Chou style” has become iconic in the industry. Disney is only one of the big-name brands that use his work extensively in their marketing, branding and, of course, children’s literature! You’ll love his clever combination of simplified graphic shapes and crazy color and detail.
9) Will Terry
Will Terry creates contemporary artwork that I would sum up with the words “wacky” and “unexpected.” You’ll see on his site that he’s been around the children’s book illustration block a time or two, and can be admired for developing a uniquely recognizable style.
10) Janet & Anne Grahame Johnstone
Let’s go vintage here for a minute, to admire the brilliant illustrations of British twin sisters Janet & Anne Grahame Johnstone, who hit their artistic stride in the early 50’s. They collaborated on every piece, passing it back and forth until they were both satisfied. Their work with authoress Dodie Smith on “101 Dalmatians” secured their legendary status. Janet and Anne’s story is fascinating, and worth a read!
11) Becky Dreistadt
Another skilled contributor to the top-tier illustration industry, you’ll find Becky Dreistadt’s work fun and retro. There’s much to love in her stylized caricatures and bubbly critters.
12) Simon James
In the midst of all the hyper-colored, digitally-enhanced, detail-driven (albeit, gorgeous!) children’s book illustrations, Simon James’ loose and innocent ink and watercolor art is refreshingly different. Take a look and see if you agree about this Brit’s mild-mannered, breath-of-fresh-air work.
13) Zainab “Daby” Faidhi
Zainab “Daby” Faidhi is an up-and-coming illustrator worth checking out. Her artwork is supremely likable: fun style, personality-packed characters, playful presentation, and the flexibility to gear her creativity toward a variety of mediums and projects.
14) Rob Kaz
There’s no mistaking the fact that Rob Kaz is a storyteller. His portfolio is packed (and I mean PACKED) with personality. He’s a wizard at conveying “heart-melting” and “adorable”. You’ll also see something like a jillion pieces of visual joy that he’s created for the likes of Disney, Pixar, Lucasfilm, and Warner Bros.
15) Pascal Campion
Pascal Campion is brilliant at capturing mood. He intertwines twilight, misty rain, watery light, lone silhouettes, and long verticals with glorious, moody effect. His scenes are somehow cozy and highly, highly appealing.
