Luciana Powell – Designer

I am originally from Brazil and moved to the US in 2002. There were no Illustration degrees in Brazil at the time I went to college, so I graduated with a degree in Product Design. I worked as a product and graphic designer for a few years, but I was always drawing, taking classes, and doing freelance illustration projects on the side. I took the plunge and became a full-time illustrator in 2001, right before moving to the United States - because why take only ONE leap of faith if you can take TWO? Watercolor and acrylic paints were the media I used at the beginning of my career, but I eventually settled with the digital brush – I love the freedom that comes with digital art, and all the possibilities of experimentation with different textures. Nowadays my style can be described as mixed media: I still use analog methods, but they are now mixed with photographs and scanned objects, all together in a melting digital pot. I believe that the colors, vibrancy, and warmth of my home country still inform my work today. A sunny optimism, humor, and warm human interactions permeate my depiction of characters, animals, and landscapes. Representation in children’s books is finally at the forefront when we talk about children’s literature today. As an immigrant myself, making sure that kids see themselves in the art I produce is of utmost importance. I have lived in Illinois and California, and now I call the beautiful Pacific Northwest home in Washington state, where I live with my husband and 2 sons just south of the border with Canada, after living just north of the border with Mexico for 11 years. I have also learned recently that I can claim Luxembourguese citizenship, which makes me a tri-citizen of Brazil, the USA, and the European Union. I have illustrated for Chronicle Books, Matell, Fisher Price, Highlights Magazine, Ladybug Magazine, Spider Magazine, Crocodile Creek, Scholastic, Pearson, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, McGraw-Hill, Hasbro Toys, National Geographic School Publishing, A-Z Learning, Oxford University Press, Kane Miller, Lerner Publishing, Random House, Amicus Ink, among others.