State of the Children's Book Market

Don't miss this essential industry briefing with veteran editor and author Deborah Halverson. Get an up-to-the-minute look at critical market shifts, acquisition trends, and imprint changes. Discover how the children's book industry is navigating AI, book banning, and economic forces—all while publishing books that enlighten and entertain young readers. This is a must-see presentation for everyone looking to sell a book in today’s market.

Free for SCBWI Premium Members

Friday, November 13th

1pm PACIFIC / 4pm EASTERN

REGISTER HERE

To register for this free Digital Workshop, click HERE. After registering, click on MEMBER HOME > MY EVENTS > MEETING INFO to access the ZOOM LINK for the webinar. A video recording will be posted to the SCBWI website after the event and will be available to view for six months. To access the video replay go to MEMBER HOME > MY RESOURCES.

Deborah Halverson is the award-winning author of Writing Young Adult Fiction for Dummies and Writing New Adult Fiction, as well as books for young readers. Formerly an editor at Harcourt Children's Books and now a freelance editor specializing in picture books and Middle Grade/Young Adult fiction and nonfiction, Deborah is also the founder of the popular writers’ advice site DearEditor.com and serves on the advisory board for the UC San Diego Extension “Children’s Book Writing and Illustrating” certificate program.

Annie Herzig: Executing the craft of narrative illustration at the highest levels while staying true to your six-year-old self

Hello good people of SCBWI!

Next up in our illustrator insights series, we have Annie Herzig, an illustrator, author and all-around creative based out of the Rocky Mountains of Colorado!

Annie Herzig

What are some illustration choices you make by instinct now that took you a long time to build, and what frustrated you as you learned it? 

I think I am instinctually drawn to line (pun intended). I absolutely love it when I can express something with just a few simple lines. I took an online course many years ago about children’s illustration—kind of my first foray into kidlit—and the person who ran it made a bold statement of warning people against using black outlines in their illustration. I know now that it was just their own strong opinion, and not some kind of rule or preference of publishers, but it rubbed off on me for years and I found myself getting permission again and again from my critique mates (and myself) to use black/dark line in my work. Now I wouldn’t recommend that course to anyone. Art is so subjective as it is, without teaching people a hard and fast rule like that. 

Can you describe a page turn you've designed that you're really happy with, and walk us through how you came up with it? 

Here is a page turn from my book, Wonder & Awe, that I was quite proud of. I loved building up the tension through the energy-filled spot illustrations, and then bringing it all to a halt right before the page is turned. And the biggest, most joyful embrace follows, with magical footprints in the snow leading our eye right to the moment. 

I knew I wanted that embrace to be a full spread. And originally I had all of the spots of the girl getting dressed and running outside covering the full spread before it, but it didn’t make for a great page turn, it was too sudden. So I condensed the spots to the left page, and added a full bleed image on the right. Adding a needed a beat in between the action, a screeching halt and intake of breath when we see her snow friend has returned after a long separation. It added some weight to the emotional moment.

Where do you think your most interesting ideas come from? Do you have any rituals or habits that keep you connected to those sources, and what happens when you forget?

I keep a dream journal under my pillow. When I can, I lay there half-asleep, with one eye open, and scrawl illegible words and messy drawings attempting to document my other life. The life that feels so real and often makes no sense, yet sometimes makes MORE sense than this one. And sometimes they lead to very fun story and/or illustration ideas.

When you’re feeling at your best or your worst—about your work or a specific project—what does that look like and how do your work habits help you?

When I’m feeling at my worst about my work, or a specific project, I tend to avoid it. I’ll put in more time on admin, scrolling, cleaning the house, or watching shows and doing a puzzle. As avoidance seems like a negative thing, it actually helps me sometimes, to just remove myself and come back later with fresh eyes. It also helps me to simply have art play time. To paint instinctively, and BIG, or get my hands dirty in clay, or to get together with illustrator friends and play drawing games. Those explorations pay dividends later on. It’s all part of the process.

What are some things you used to believe about developing a style that you no longer believe?

Once upon a time I thought all of my work had to look exactly the same. That the noses and ears and hands, etc all had to be drawn the same way project to project. That I had to use the same kind of color palettes in every piece. Now I know that’s not true, and that style is essentially ME. Style is MY individual interpretation of the subject at a given moment in time. Specific media doesn’t matter, technique doesn’t matter, the exact way I draw a nose doesn’t matter. Exploring different techniques and media are great and can help to get closer to myself, and thus my style. But my style is me. Your style is you.

How has your work changed in the last 5 years and what caused those changes?

My work has definitely changed in the last five years. I am always striving to be looser and looser, and I think that is starting to show itself more. I hate the feeling of tightening up on a piece. I love happy little accidents—and yes, I did watch Bob Ross every Sunday growing up, and I am proud of it. I have also made returns to the things that instinctually feel better, like expressive line, globs of paint, big messy blocks of graphite, or hard-to-control paint sticks—basically anything 6-year-old Annie would have a blast with.

What is something you struggle with that you use to your advantage?

I like to joke with my illustrator friends that I’m lazy. They get all up in arms and do beautiful work of lifting me up, encouraging me, stroking my ego, assuring me I am NOT lazy! And I laugh because I love their fierce, instant, and heartfelt rebuttal. No, I know I’m not lazy, I actually work very hard, BUT I can be impatient with my own work. I love a surprising result from a quick brush stroke. I love the energy of working fast. If someone suggests I keep hacking away at something that’s not working (“try this and try that”) I tend to say I’m too lazy to try it. But in reality I guess it’s just following an instinct, and realizing I’ve lost my patience with a piece and with myself. I’d rather walk away and start fresh later.

What kinds of agent and art director feedback are most helpful to you? 

The feedback that helps me most involves a “what-if conversation,” as I like to call it with my critique group. Basically tossing ideas on the table for making a story or piece stronger. “What if your character LIVED in that big hat, instead of just wearing it?” Crazy ideas I may not have thought of in my silo. This kind of constructive collaboration is what really brings kidlit to life for me. I am soooooo much better in my work because of my author/illustrator friends and publishing teams that I work with. Without them, I can be so bored by my own ideas after awhile. I LOVE it when I can find that kind of relationship with an editor or art director.

Have you ever taken something out of your portfolio that you really liked but knew wasn't helping your overall portfolio? How did you decide?

I’ve removed any and all digitally-created work from my portfolio, even though I do still love some pieces. I did jump on that train for a minute, but as it turns out, I am not someone whose work shines when made digitally. I like the happy little accidents too much. Working digitally, I have no restraint on an iPad and will refine and tighten until the last minute something is due. I’ve also removed pieces that I had a blast making but just didn’t have enough narrative. I’d say narrative is the single most important thing to showcase in an illustration portfolio.

You can find more about Annie at her website!

Bear Howe is an author/illustrator and multidisciplinary artist living in Michigan, USA. Their art practice includes fine art, illustration and staying curious, exploring themes of belonging, awe, mystery, discovery and liberation. 

Where you can find Bear:

On Substack at BecomeingArt and @bearhoweart on social media

Their website has their Portfolio

Teaching kids art classes at Young Illustrators Studio

BookStop NOW Open

The SCBWI BookStop is NOW OPEN!

"Browse the virtual shelves and discover stories for young readers that will have them begging for one more chapter!"

Back and better than ever, the SCBWI BookStop has now made it easier to find your next perfect book! This annual event showcases an incredible selection of books from our talented authors and illustrators. 

It's only $25 to create a page and super easy to make!

Visit the BookStop to get started! When you visit the page, click ADD and fill out the very easy-to-follow directions that I've listed below!

Information required:

- Book cover image*
- Book title* / Secondary book title (if applicable)
- Synopsis (optional)
- Book creator or creators*
- Publisher* OR

- Publisher Not Listed* OR

- I am independently published*

- Publishing date*

- Book category*
- Book language*
- ISBN (optional)
- Book can be bought on*

Please note that you will have to confirm that Generative AI was not used to generate, rewrite, illustrate, or alter any portion of the submitted work.

My debut children's book, Introducing Rhythm, with the Artistic Director of Alvin Ailey, Alicia Graf Mack, comes out on November 9th, 2026 and I was able to upload the book to my BookStop, quick and easy. It is a great way to let the community know what you are doing, giving you another way to bolster and champion your work!

As the holidays are approaching, this is a wonderful way to support your fellow creatives and to promote your own books! So browse and find your reader's next obsession!

Nadia Alam: "Style is whatever's left after you stop trying to have one."

Hello! We're back again this week with an interview with Nadia Alam!

Nadia Alam

What do you notice a lot of in your life? How do those things make their way into your art, or how do you get rid of them while you're working so that you can bring what you want into your art?

My kids' messes. Shoes left in odd places, juice boxes that have been turned into cars, socks everywhere also somehow turned into cars, and never in pairs. It is all clutter and evidence. A sock on the stairs tells you someone was in a hurry, or someone got distracted, or someone took their socks off on purpose because socks are a little jail cell for little feet. There is a whole story in one object.  It is fun, and I think it adds richness and warmth to work. 

When you're feeling at your best or your worst—about your work or a specific project—what does that look like and how do your work habits help you?

At my best I'm drawing fast, I'm not precious about it, and I throw things away easily. The work feels like it's moving. At my worst I'm on my fourth version of the same hand. The habits that help are pretty simple. I'm not afraid to quit while the work is still going well, because coming back to something that's working is much easier than coming back to something I've overworked. I also try very hard not to judge a page on the day I made it. 

How do you balance making work that is really fun and interesting to you with work that publishers can envision buying?

I don't really treat it as a balance. If I'm not enjoying it, an editor won't either, and a kid definitely won't. Boredom shows in a drawing!

What are the steps in your process of creating a full dummy, and which steps usually create the biggest improvements: from research, sketching, reference gathering, color studies, revisions, critiques, or other?

My order is research, then a loose text breakdown, then really messy thumbnails of the whole book, then rough sketches, a dummy, critique, and revision before any colour.

The research is half reference and half just living with the idea for a while. The text breakdown is where I decide what the words are doing and what the pictures are doing, so they aren't both saying the same thing.

The thumbnails make the biggest difference by far. I can't get attached to anything, and I can see the whole book at once. Pacing problems are obvious there. If I miss them at the thumbnail stage, they're much harder to fix later. 

What are some things you used to believe about developing a style that you no longer believe?

That I had to pick a style at all. I thought it was a decision you made, like choosing a font. 

What I've found is the opposite. The less I force my hand to do something, the happier I've been with the results. When I try to draw "in my style," the work looks stiff and self-conscious. When I just draw and pay attention to what I'm drawing, the style takes care of itself. What I kind of believe now is that style is whatever's left after you stop trying to have one.

How has your work changed in the last 5 years and what caused those changes?

It got looser in some ways and more precise in others, mostly because I stopped trying so hard to make it look a certain way and have become more certain in the way it looks. 

I'd credit two things. The first is just doing it a lot. A lot of practice and a lot of drawing naturally leads to change, whether you plan it or not. Some of that change is skill.

The second is how I look at other people's work. I used to look at an illustrator and think, I want my work to look like that. Now I look at their work as inspiration for drive and quality. With some illustrators you can see the hours of practice in even their simplest lines. There's a confidence and an assuredness in them that you can't fake and can't copy. That's what I'm chasing now. I'm not trying to make my work look like theirs. I want it to feel that sure.

What is something you struggle with that you use to your advantage?

Impatience. I don't love rendering and revising. I want to get to the point. I think it can be useful. It forces me to be more sure of my hand, so that I'm not redrawing the same thing a million times. If I know I'm not going to want to go back in and fuss with a line, I have to decide what that line is before I put it down. That makes the drawing cleaner and more direct, and I think kids can feel that directness. It also keeps the work from getting overworked.

You can see Nadia's full portfolio at her website: https://www.nadiaalamillustration.com/

Thanks for being here and we'll see you next week!

Bear Howe is an author/illustrator and multidisciplinary artist living in Michigan, USA. Their art practice includes fine art, illustration and staying curious, exploring themes of belonging, awe, mystery, discovery and liberation. 

Where you can find Bear:

On Substack at BecomeingArt and @bearhoweart on IG

My website has my Portfolio

Teaching kids art classes at Young Illustrators Studio

Registration for 2027 New York Conference Opens October 29!

Registration for 2027 New York Conference Opens October 29!

This year the conference will be March 5-7. Register for an unforgettable in-person event with keynotes by Pete Oswald and Catia Chien, industry panels, one-on-one critiques, a half-day illustrator intensive, and much more. Limited seats available! Don't forget to mark your calendars!

MEET THE KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Pete Oswald

Author, Illustrator

About

Pete Oswald is a #1 New York Times bestselling illustrator and an Annie Award-nominated animation production designer best known for The Angry Birds Movie film franchise and Oscar® Nominated ParaNorman, in addition to multiple animated studio films. He is also known for his work as a children's book author and illustrator, and painter. Pete's work includes the #1 New York Times bestselling picture book, The Good Egg, the #2 New York Times bestselling picture book, The Bad Seed, and the #2 New York Times bestselling picture book, The Smart Cookie, all written by Jory John.
Discover more at www.peteoswald.com

Catia Chien

Author, Illustrator

About

Cátia Chien is the 2026 Caldecott Medalist for Fireworks, recognized for her luminous and evocative picture book art. She is also a winner of the New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated award and a two-time Society of Illustrators Gold Medal recipient for Original Art. A three-time Golden Kite Award winner, her acclaimed works include The Longest Letsgoboy, The Bear and the Moon, and A Boy and a Jaguar—the latter was also named an ALA Notable Book and received the Schneider Family Book Award.www.catiachien.com/

Milena Milak: Emphasizing Story in Your Portfolio

Hello again! 

I'm back again this week with a new Illustrator interview! 

Next up:

Milena Milak

What are some illustration choices you make by instinct now that took you a long time to build, and what frustrated you as you learned it? 

The big one is visual storytelling. I used to create "pretty pictures", where I would focus so much on my technical skills, yet hardly any of my portfolio pieces had any storytelling going on. It was only after my portfolio was rejected by agents that I decided to dive deeper and understand illustrating children's books better, and the craft of telling a story with pictures. I still have a lot to learn. What has changed is that every time I work on a new portfolio piece, I try to build more than just an aesthetically pleasing image. 

Can you take us through a spread of work you've created (published or not): from sketches, to thumbnails and final work and talk to us about what changed along the way and why?

Lately, I've been feeling pretty confident and happy with how my characters and colours work together, but I still feel I have a lot to improve when it comes to illustrating more detailed scenes and environments. With this illustration, my goal was to illustrate an emotion using both a character and their environment. There's a bored kid in a room full of toys and objects, and no matter how hard they've tried to entertain themselves... they're still bored. I started by building a mood board with pictures of kids' bedrooms. 

I spent quite a bit of time thinking about the composition. One thing I knew was that I wanted to avoid an eye-level, straight-on view and play with a more interesting perspective. It's been months since I started studying movie stills to improve my composition and storytelling (you can read about it here: https://www.milenamilak.com/blog/cinematic-composition-guide), and I decided to use what I learnt. I wanted to experiment with foreground, middle ground and background to create a stronger illusion of depth. That's why I added the open door and the table with the snake toy in the foreground. 

This idea was all about how the environment is part of the story too, so instead of drawing a generic bedroom, I wanted every object to add a little to the feeling of boredom. The toys and objects scattered around should feel like they've all been played with and abandoned by the girl in the tiger pyjamas. There are unfinished drawings, an open book, teddy bears left behind, and half-eaten cookies. It's almost like you're able to retrace everything Lucy tried before finally giving up and collapsing on the bed. For this illustration, I wanted to keep most of the painting in blue and purple hues while using orange for the details and Lucy herself. I love using complementary colour palettes for contrast, and orange stands out against the purples and blues just perfectly! Even at the early stage, I already marked that the orange I used for Lucy should be darker and much more saturated than any other orange in the painting. I wanted whoever looked at the illustration to notice her first. 

One habit I've developed over the last few years is constantly checking my values as I paint. I add a new layer on top, fill it with pure black, and change the blend mode to Color. This lets me see the painting in greyscale. If all the values are too similar, nothing attracts our attention. I always make sure there's enough contrast to keep the focus on the main subject, which in this case is Lucy. 

 

I ended up happy with the final illustration, and it's one of my favourite portfolio pieces I've created in the last few months. 

 

What do you notice a lot of in your life? How do those things make their way into your art, or how do you get rid of them while you're working so that you can bring what you want into your art? 

I've always been a quiet observer, and I've remained one. I enjoy watching people and creating little stories about their lives. I love watching their interactions with the people around them, their surroundings or their pets. I find myself sitting on public transport and daydreaming about the lives of people I've never met. Characters have always been a central part of my art, and to this day, creating a character with their personality, look and backstory is my favourite creative process. I'm particularly interested in wordless interactions and how much can be conveyed through a gesture, body pose, mood and surroundings. I dream of creating a graphic novel with no text. 

When you’re feeling at your best or your worst—about your work or a specific project—what does that look like and how do your work habits help you? 

It's very important to rest. I'm late-diagnosed neurodivergent, and one thing I need to remind myself is that rest is productive, not a reward I need to earn. If the project timeline allows it, I try to disconnect completely over the weekends. I don't check work emails, and I stay off social media. I like watching movies or playing video games to relax. Engaging in fictional worlds helps my brain relax. 

Have you ever taken something out of your portfolio that you really liked but knew wasn't helping your overall portfolio? How did you decide? 

Just this summer, I worked on my portfolio and recently updated my website. I decided to remove all work that focused on a character but that I felt lacked story. I had a few portfolio pieces with a character just standing or wearing a costume, and I felt it was time to let them go. I still like them, but with my focus on picture books, I want to show I can do more than just character design.

You can find more in-depth process from Milena on her blog here: https://www.milenamilak.com/blog/mixed-media-look-in-procreate-tips

Bear Howe is an author/illustrator and multidisciplinary artist living in Michigan, USA. Their art practice includes fine art, illustration and staying curious, exploring themes of belonging, awe, mystery, discovery and liberation. Where you can find Bear:

On Substack at BecomeingArt and @bearhoweart on IG

My website has my Portfolio

Teaching kids art classes at Young Illustrators Studio

SCBWI Gen AI Policy and FAQ

ADOPTED SINCE 2023

For over 50 years, SCBWI has encouraged and celebrated the creativity, dedication, and lived experiences of our members. This is a bedrock principle of our organization. Therefore, we are opposed to any use of text-prompted generative AI in writing, illustrating, translating, or other aspects of creating children’s books.

Generative AI developers train their systems on human-made work, unethically using and copying this work without regard for copyright, credit, or compensation. Our position on AI goes beyond these immediate issues. While Generative AI is a burgeoning technology, we don’t believe it produces unique and meaningful creations.

As a community, we craft and cherish transformative books brought to life through imagination and talent, human heart and soul. The power and joys of children’s literature originate from a creator’s inventiveness, talents, and hard-earned skills. We have a responsibility to young readers everywhere to make the immersive books they need and deserve. The stories and art we create have the power to change lives. We make books to share ourselves and inspire others. It is long, difficult, and immensely personal work, and it cannot be any other way.

No technology can ever replace your labors, your vision, and your urge to create. Our community wants to see the world through your eyes, and hear your voice. Young people need books as singular and original as you.

2026 POLICY ADDITION

GenAI continues to evolve and change, not only as technology, but also in how it has quickly become an everyday part of our lives. Today’s traditional publishing standard is not to encourage or include any GenAI created text, translated text, or illustrations in books, and we abide by that. Protecting the creativity, insights, and empathy that human creators bring to book creation for young readers is essential. SCBWI is dedicated to supporting our members as they create the books young readers will cherish for years to come.

In light of that, we have revised and updated our GenAI policy as of September 2026. As GenAI evolves, we’ll keep a close eye on how it develops and will update the policy as needed.

The following addenda apply to all members, whether you’re seeking traditional publication or choosing alternative publishing, including hybrid or self-publishing. We have given careful thought to these points and feel they will best protect the creativity and integrity of the work SCBWI members create. Generative AI is not to be used to generate, rewrite, illustrate, or alter any portion of work, including but not limited to Awards, Grants, Scholarships, Draw This, the Member Bookstore, the illustrator gallery, BookStop, the portfolio showcases, pitching events, critiques, or consultations at any SCBWI global or regional events or conferences.

When submitting text or illustrations to any of the above, members must check the box on the submission form confirming that no GenAI was used in the creation of their text or images. We will not accept submissions without this declaration.

Members must remove any GenAI created content from the SCBWI website by December 31, 2026. This includes any such content in the member bookstore or the illustrator gallery.

SCBWI reserves the right to disqualify submissions or rescind awards if they are discovered to have been created with GenAI.

Finalists may be asked to provide evidence of the development of their submitted work, such as preliminary sketches, drafts, revision history, layered source files, or other process documentation. Failure to provide reasonable process evidence may result in disqualification.

A panel of Advisory Council members will review the process evidence on a case-by-case basis if the submission is believed to have been created with GenAI. SCBWI will not be using AI detectors to assist in this process.

Saki Tanaka: Making Magic Real

Hello SCBWI community! 

My name is Bear, and I'm so happy we are here together! 

This month for the blog, I asked some of my favorite kidlit illustrators to share some of their thoughts on art process. And I have been BLOWN away, inspired and fascinated by what these hard-working, deeply thoughtful, skilled-up people have shared with us! 

I feel so lucky to be in the company of this community, out here chasing the joy, empathy, humor and heart that make children's books so special and important, despite the bottle necks, rejections and intense economical realities of our industry and our world. The kindness, generosity and fortitude of all of you is powerful! 

First up:

Saki Tanaka

What are some illustration choices you make by instinct now that took you a long time to build, and what frustrated you as you learned it?

One illustration choice or skill that took a while for me to build is color selection. I used to be terrified of color, and primarily only worked with graphite when starting out! Eventually, through trial and error, I discovered my favorites (Cobalt Turquoise, Opera Rose, Lemon Yellow etc) and got better at selecting palettes around these faves. Thinking about what the illustration was trying to do (e.g. feel enchanting or otherworldly, draw the viewer's eye to the main character, capture a specific emotional state) also helped ground my color choices in an intent beyond just my subjective preferences and predilections. That being said, things tend to go well when I prioritize working with colors that have characteristics I'm drawn to, like certain types of pigment granulation and how hues react to each other physically (mmm glazing) and in relation to one another. 

Can you take us through a spread of work you've created (published or not): from sketches, to thumbnails and final work and talk to us about what changed along the way and why? Please include photos!

My first book, BETWEEN WORDS, took TEN years to make, so a lot changed from inception to publication! It started off as a text-only manuscript that went through multiple rounds and story versions. Eventually I sketched thumbnails for the text and mocked up many, many, many dummy books. I have various versions of "final" art that resulted from this iterative process. What changed most along the way was the heart of the story as I dug deeper to source my own lived experience, and the style of the illustrations as I discovered new techniques and mediums. You can find a very detailed description of this specific journey here, if helpful!

Where do you think your most interesting ideas come from? Do you have any rituals or habits that keep you connected to those sources, and what happens when you forget?

I love this question because catching ideas and nurturing story seeds is my absolute favorite part of the book making process! I've distilled this down to what I call my 3 S's: SPARKS (things I'm obsessed with), mySELF (life experiences/memories), and what I want to SEE in the world (wish fulfillment!). Making time to play is a primary habit that keeps me connected to these sources, and clearing my brain cache daily (i.e. meditation) helps make more room and catch new ideas. I also keep an idea sketchbook that I try to add to at least once every few weeks, which often ends up cross-pollinating with and enriching the way I approach my current book projects.

What do you notice a lot of in your life? How do those things make their way into your art, or how do you get rid of them while you're working so that you can bring what you want into your art?

I notice things that make me feel a whole spectrum of deep feels: from joy to fear to anger and everything in between. Of these emotional responses, enchantment is at the top of my list. My macro goal as a creative person is to make magic real — so whenever something comes close to making magic "real" and enchanting me, I notice and remember and chase it like my life depends on it (because it kind of does). Some examples I can think of at the moment include cosmology, surrealist art, lucid dreaming and dreamwork in general, news stories about humans doing things that help and uplift each other, immersive exhibits like Meow Wolf, and the worlds dreamed up by Hayao Miyazaki. All of these seep into my work directly and otherwise, as visual influences, conceptual inspo., synchronicities, and ideally end up becoming output as feelings of being enchanted, embraced and empowered in the readers of my stories. I actually don't get rid of these "noticings" while I work! My studio is a maximalist explosion of sketches, postcards, toys and treasures that remind me of these goodies. They entice me to come play and dream for as long as I possibly can, whenever I can. 

What are some things you used to believe about developing a style that you no longer believe? & How has your work changed in the last 5 years and what caused those changes?

I used to believe style and illustration were a means to an end, and now realize it can be an expression. For a long time, illustration was a bit like an unruly tool I had to wield—something I can learn to execute well enough to convey my ideas and bring the worlds/characters/stories in my head to life. I primarily used style to try to evoke a feeling in an audience, so it shifted from book to book. But in the last several years since I moved to Denver, CO, I've had a very lucky streak of meeting the most amazing artists (locally and beyond). Being surrounded by so many expressive and inspiring friends has lit my desire to excavate my own unique visual language for it's own sake. So I've started keeping an "Expression Excavation" sketchbook and have been exploring the answers to questions like "what is a mark that my soul wants to make? What do I look like as a color palette? What forms feel juicy to me and why?" I have a feeling this will be a WIP for the rest of my life!

Bear Howe is an author/illustrator and multidisciplinary artist living in Michigan, USA. Their art practice includes fine art, illustration and staying curious, exploring themes of belonging, awe, mystery, discovery and liberation. Where you can find Bear:

On Substack at BecomeingArt and @bearhoweart on IG

My website has my Portfolio

Teaching kids art classes at Young Illustrators Studio