A bit about me
Childhood inspiration
Growing up I was obsessed with stories and drawing. My mom was an english teacher with a deep love of children’s literature and she filled our days with classics like Beatrix Potter and Frog and Toad. I spent countless hours drawing fairy tale characters and writing my own stories.
A page from a story I wrote and illustrated at the age of 8, shout out to my mom for never throwing anything away.
I earned my BA in digital media arts, focusing on illustration and animation. During college I took some illustration classes and created a children’s book cover for a story idea I had about a dragon. It was one of my favorite projects and I knew that one day I would love to work in children’s books.
College Education
A concept I still hope to some day bring to life and publish
Animation and Art Directing Career
After graduating college I worked as an animator and art director at Epipheo based in Cincinnati for several years. I loved the people I worked with and getting to influence the style and direction of videos, but I longed to focus more solely on illustration. In 2021 I left my job to work as a freelancer for more flexibility and time with my newborn daughter.
My daughter Maebel (around 2 here) with our creamsicle cat Tilly
My personal work has always felt closely linked to children’s book art, and as I moved to freelance I was approached by a couple people to illustrate their children’s books. It felt like a dream come true and I enjoyed every aspect of illustrating both books.
Children’s Book Illustration
The cover of one of the books I illustrated
Where I’m headed
I am excited to continue down this path and seek more work in children’s picture books. My faith in Christ has guided me throughout my life and I’m especially passionate about leaning into Christian book publishing for children.
Let’s keep in touch!
michaela.stinson.art@gmail.com