Marissa Valdez - Children's Book Illustrator

Creatives across borders

Marissa Valdez is a talented Hispanic-American illustrator and #1 New York Times bestselling artist, about her incredible journey into the world of children's books.

Starting with a degree in animation, Marissa’s path was far from straightforward. From working as a graphic designer to a preschool teacher, a life-changing podcast finally inspired her to pursue children’s book illustration. Today, she creates magical stories from her home in Birmingham, UK, where she lives with her husband.

During our conversation, Marissa shared:

• Her insights on the differences between American and UK illustration styles.
• How her Hispanic heritage influences her vibrant, character-filled artwork.
• The business side of her arts including her teaching courses and art licensing
• Practical tips for aspiring illustrators.
• Sneak peeks into her current and upcoming projects!

If you’re an artist, writer, or just love children’s literature, you won’t want to miss her inspiring story!

فصول

1. Podcast Intro (00:00:00)

2. Episode brief (00:00:11)

3. About Marissa Valdez (00:01:32)

4. Getting started with Children's books (00:03:28)

5. Experience as a pre-school teacher (00:06:20)

6. Experience as an artist in the UK (00:09:17)

7. Conversation with publishers (00:11:15)

8. Comparison between American and UK children's book illustrations (00:12:16)

9. Agent representation (00:17:22)

10. Meeting collaborative authors in person (00:20:24)

11. Process of working with authors (00:21:38)

12. Experimenting with different medium (00:26:45)

13. Career Highlights (00:30:30)

14. Influences (00:32:30)

15. Impact of Marissa's arts on children (00:34:53)

16. Hispanic influences (00:37:54)

17. Other artistic influences (00:44:23)

18. Affiliations, mentors and self-development process (00:46:31)

19. Role of illustration critique group (00:50:44)

20. Business of art including teaching and art licensing (00:54:22)

21. Current and future projects (01:02:35)

22. Process of building an impressive and intuitive website (01:04:21)

23. Collaboration plans and wishlist (01:08:46)

24. Contacting Marissa (01:11:21)

25. Work-life balance (01:13:06)

26. Tips for others (01:15:36)

27. Outro (01:21:08)