I’m Melanie, a freelance illustrator from Northern Germany. Welcome to my little corner of the internet!
Before I became an illustrator, I was an educational scientist. I have worked as a kindergarten teacher and a parents’ counselor, which gave me a deep understanding of child development and the everyday reality of different kinds of families.
When I was pregnant with my first child, however, the dream of working creatively started to push its way to the surface. I have always enjoyed to draw, create characters and tell stories, and with an impending move and having to quit my old job in the process, I decided to plunge in at the deep end. Since 2019, I’ve been working as a freelance illustrator.
What has always fascinated me about picture books is how they bridge the joys of reading and art.
Both a good read and a beautiful illustration can bring us comfort and relaxation, but also evoke our emotions and fantasy, make us resonate with the story being told, and initiate conversation. As a result, we can connect with ourselves and others.
My goal is to bring stories to life that do just that: be engaging and fun, but also help navigate through more complex topics and leave you with something to think and talk about.
My illustrations are heartfelt with a cozy and nostalgic feel. Telling compelling stories brings me great joy, especially building the world by adding props and little details. I love creating multi-faceted characters with relatable personality traits and always a touch of whimsy. At that, it’s important to me to show a wide range of emotions. They can be overwhelming to both children and adults alike, and books can help validate and communicate them.
I believe that inspiration can be found in all things and places. My biggest impacts are probably the comics, cartoons and books I grew up with (ranging from Disney to French and Belgian comics to manga and anime). I also feel drawn to nature themes, all things vintage and cottagecore. Lastly, my family provides me with a lot of amusing and thought-provoking everyday situations.
In my free time you’ll find me at the sewing machine, curled up with a good book on the couch or spending time with my family in the garden or playing games.
What I love drawing
- Emotions: Emotions bring a character to life and are just fun to explore! A subtle change in the facial features can turn one emotion into a totally different one. But I also like to look at them from a psychological and a parental viewpoint.
- Swedish motives: I’ve been a frequent Sweden traveler ever since I was a little kid. It’s my happy place and I thoroughly enjoy drawing anything that represents the culture and lagom way of living.
- Light: Thunderstorms, lighthouses, the Northern Lights, the colors of the sunset, … My fascination for light runs deep. It sets the mood in an illustration and can make the same room or landscape look friendly and inviting or gloomy and dangerous.
- Details: They say it’s all about the details, and to me that’s absolutely true. The little things that require our attention and curiosity can add tremendously to the charm of an illustration.
What I offer
- Picture book illustration with focus on the age group of 4 to 8 years
- Character design of children, adults and animals
- Colorful and charming storytelling and world-building with attention to detail
- Specialization in Procreate, watercolor and colored pencil art
- Expertise in early childhood education and early childhood psychology
- Profound understanding and visualization of emotions
- Languages: German (native speaker) and English (fluent)