25/08/2026
Learning a whole new kind of magic ✨📚
I’ve been quietly diving headfirst into something that feels a little bit scary… and VERY exciting.
I’m teaching myself how to become a children’s book illustrator. 🥹🌿
Not just how to draw cute woodland creatures (although there will absolutely be plenty of those 🦊🐿️🐇) but how to tell stories through pictures.
How to create characters children fall in love with.
How to make a page feel magical.
How to use colour, composition, expression and tiny details to make someone feel something before they’ve even read the words.
So, naturally, I’ve started building myself a little library… 📚
These are some of the books currently living on my desk, and I’m slowly working my way through them, filling sketchbooks, making notes, experimenting, getting things wrong and trying again.
And honestly?
I LOVE being a beginner again.
There’s something really beautiful about admitting ‘I don’t know how to do this yet’ and then deciding to learn anyway. 🤍
Especially after a few years where life has felt incredibly heavy, I’m trying to give myself permission to follow the things that make me feel excited about the future again.
And this does.
✨ Stories
✨ Animals
✨ Nature
✨ Watercolour
✨ Whimsy
✨ Healing
✨ Creating little worlds that might make someone feel less alone
That’s the direction I’m dreaming about.
So I need your help…
If you’re a children’s book lover, illustrator, author, artist or just someone who has a favourite book that made your childhood magical, what am I missing?
📚 What books would you recommend for someone teaching themselves children’s book illustration?
I’d LOVE to build the ultimate little self-taught illustrator bookshelf so please throw your recommendations at me in the comments! 👇
And if you’re also learning something completely new right now, tell me what it is.
Maybe we can be beginners together. 🌱💛