Digital illustration of a young woman with shoulder-length wavy red hair, fair skin, freckles, green eyes, wearing a white and gray striped shirt against a dark green background.

Illustrator

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.

Children walking and playing in a forest with tall trees, some with nests, and birds flying in the sky; a person in a pink dress is waving.
Children walking and playing in a forest with tall trees, some with nests, and birds flying in the sky; a person in a pink dress is waving.

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.

Illustration of a happy girl hugging a tiger, with colorful text above that reads 'I can tell that we are gonna be FRIENDS'.
Illustration of a happy girl hugging a tiger, with colorful text above that reads 'I can tell that we are gonna be FRIENDS'.

My daughter Maebel (around 2 here) with our creamsicle cat Tilly

A digital illustration of a young boy with brown skin, big eyes, and short curly hair, looking contemplative with bubbles above his head. The bubbles contain various thought images: a man in a tuxedo with a top hat, a scene of people planting trees, and a conversation bubble with a to-go coffee cup and a chocolate bar asking, 'modern day slavery?' The background has a soft gradient from pink to light green.
A digital illustration of a young boy with brown skin, big eyes, and short curly hair, looking contemplative with bubbles above his head. The bubbles contain various thought images: a man in a tuxedo with a top hat, a scene of people planting trees, and a conversation bubble with a to-go coffee cup and a chocolate bar asking, 'modern day slavery?' The background has a soft gradient from pink to light green.

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’m open for illustration work and looking for opportunities in children’s media. If you have a project you feel I’m a good fit for, reach out to me via my email. I look forward to hearing about it!

A child in winter clothing, including a hat, scarf, gloves, and a coat, standing on snow and pulling a wooden sled, with snow-covered trees in the background.
A child in winter clothing, including a hat, scarf, gloves, and a coat, standing on snow and pulling a wooden sled, with snow-covered trees in the background.

Let’s keep in touch!

michaela.stinson.art@gmail.com