Best illustrated books all over the world
Friso Henstra (1928-2013) — Dutch artist, illustrator, and comics artist. He was born in Amsterdam on February 9, 1928, and died there September 28, 2013. The son of a painter, he began drawing from early childhood. He studied at the Rijksacademie van Beeldende Kunsten in Amsterdam (two years drawing), then, […]
Alenka Sottler (born 1958) is a Slovenian artist and illustrator. She was born in Ljubljana into the family of sculptor Gorazd Sottler and received her first informal training in drawing and sculpture in her father’s studio. She later graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Ljubljana, completing postgraduate studies […]
Alexander Nikolayevich Azemsha (1950–2014) was a well-known Russian artist and illustrator. In 1975, he graduated from the Ilya Repin Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. From 1978 to 1988 he served as the chief artist of the youth magazine Koster (“The Campfire”). Azemsha designed and illustrated over one hundred books, […]
Marjorie Flack (1897–1958) was an American author and illustrator best known for her contributions to early 20th-century children’s literature. She was born on Long Island, New York, and began her career in illustration before turning to writing, creating books that combined simple language with engaging imagery for young readers. Among […]
Edmund Dulac (1882–1953) was a leading illustrator and artist in France and Britain during the early 20th century. Born in Toulouse, France, he showed an early interest in art. His father worked as a restorer of old paintings, and his uncle collected and studied Eastern art, including Japanese prints and […]
Mikhail Solomonovich Maiofis (born 1939) is a Russian artist and illustrator, known for his work in graphic arts, painting, and etching. He was born in Leningrad and graduated in 1963 from the Ilya Repin Institute of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture. Maiofis began illustrating books in the early 1960s and went […]
Nikolai Nikolaevich Kupreyanov (1894–1933) was a Soviet graphic artist. He was born in the Polish town of Włocławek. In 1912, he graduated from the Tenishev School and then studied for four years at the Faculty of Law at Saint Petersburg University, while also attending the workshops of the Imperial Academy […]
Bob Graham (born in 1942) is an Australian author and illustrator best known for his picture books about everyday life. His works often focus on small, real moments — families, city streets, quiet gestures — drawn with loose watercolors and a documentary kind of tenderness. In 2002, his book Jethro […]
Leo Lionni (1910–1999) was a pioneering author and illustrator of children’s books. Born in the Netherlands, he grew up partly in Italy and later moved to the United States in 1939, where he worked as an art director in advertising and for Fortune magazine. In 1962, Lionni began creating children’s […]
Vladimir Radunsky (1954–2018) was an artist, writer, and designer who never liked to stay in one style for long. He was born in Perm, grew up in Moscow, and studied art, design, and architecture before moving to New York in 1982, where he discovered the world of children’s books. He […]
Oleksandr Shatokhin (born 1988) is a Ukrainian illustrator. He has been drawing since childhood, with watercolor as his favorite medium, while also working with digital graphics. Shatokhin illustrates children’s books and magazines. His wordless picture book Yellow Butterfly (2022) gained international recognition and was translated into several languages. In his […]
Paul Rogers is an American illustrator and graphic designer best known for his bold, poster-like style that often draws on mid-20th-century design traditions. He studied at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, and later worked in advertising and editorial illustration before moving more heavily into book projects. […]
Raquel Catalina is a Spanish illustrator living in Valencia. She studied Fine Arts at the Complutense University of Madrid and later completed postgraduate studies in illustration at ESAT in Valencia. Her illustrations often balance warmth, humor, and detail, with a strong focus on everyday life and human gestures. She spends […]
Sean Qualls is an American illustrator and author of children’s books. He grew up in New Jersey and later moved to New York City, where he studied at Pratt Institute. His art is known for its layered, collage-like style that blends drawing, painting, and mixed media. Qualls often explores themes […]
Beni Montresor (1926–2001) was an Italian artist, film director, set and costume designer, author, and illustrator of children’s books. He worked extensively in the United States as a designer of sets and costumes for opera productions. From 1988 to 1989, he served as artistic director of the Rome Opera House […]
Andrei Gennadiev (born 1947, Leningrad, USSR) is a Russian painter and graphic artist. He graduated from the Leningrad Art and Graphic Pedagogical College. After finishing his studies, he twice attempted to enter the Repin Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), but was not accepted due […]
Brian Pinkney (b. August 28, 1961) is an American illustrator of children’s books. He was born in Boston into a creative family — his father, Jerry Pinkney, was a celebrated illustrator, and his mother, Gloria Jean, was an author, milliner, and silversmith. Both parents kept studios at home, and Brian […]
Robert Roger Ingpen (born 1936) is an Australian illustrator, author of children’s books, and graphic designer. He was born and raised in Geelong, Victoria, Australia, and graduated from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT University) with a degree in art and illustration. In 1958, Ingpen began working for the […]
Chris Raschka is an American author and illustrator of children’s books, known for his loose, expressive style and the way he often lets the pictures carry as much meaning as the words. Raschka often writes about feelings in a way that’s simple enough for children, but very true to life. […]
Ulla Thynell is an independent artist and designer based in Finland. She has worked as a professional illustrator for eight years now. She mostly makes dream-like illustrations with fairytale, fantasy and nature themes. Her main focus is currently on her personal artwork, and her own designs such as art books […]