Kelly Pousette is a children’s book illustrator who uses paper cut pieces and dioramas to create magical, whimsical stories and scenes. Primarily self-taught, she experiments with both traditional and nontraditional techniques, incorporating mixed media. Her images often include woodland creatures and mirror the wild natural world around her.#Originally from the west coast of British Columbia, Kelly currently resides in northern British Columbia with her husband and their Anatolian Shepherd, Clovis. Their frequent outdoor adventures help to encourage her imagination and the creation of her paper cut worlds. Fly fishing, hiking and exploring are only a few of the activities that Kelly and her family enjoy in the north. Her favorite season is winter, when the smallest details – such as tiny footprints and lacy leafless trees – are accentuated.#Kelly’s paper cut dioramas capture the peace she feels when she is outside exploring, and she strives to bring the viewer into the scene. Within the slightest details viewers can spot stories within stories, such as seasons changing, wild gardens blooming and animals exploring and interacting. They tell the story of her adventures as well as the importance of these wild outdoor places that deserve our protection.#Kelly Pousette’s work has appeared on a CBC Arts documentary titled Paper Cuts, as well as in the Paris HuffPost and several art blogs. She has previously illustrated three children’s books: Little Things written by Nick Dyer, The Very Very Far North written by Dan Bar-el and Do Not Rake Your Garden in a Party Dress written by Aimée Bissonette.~Instagram: @kpousetteillustratrion

Milan Pavlović was born in Serbia where, after studies in Applied Arts and Book Design he obtained a master’s degree in illustration. Milan started his career as children’s book illustrator and comic artist, publishing his work in many European countries before he moved to Toronto In 2010. He is the illustrator of several children’s books in Canada, including Kids Can Press’s The Boy Who Invented the Popsicle.#Today, except illustrating, he shares his passion and knowledge with students at OCAD University and Seneca College teaching children’s illustration and drawing. #Since he was a child, Milan has loved to read, play the piano and draw. He gets easily inspired by his witty son and by nature, and can be spotted riding a bicycle in many Toronto ravines.~Facebook: @milan.pavlovic.illustrator

Working out of her studio at home in Vancouver, Sakshi Mangal is naturally drawn to the fascinating world of children’s book illustration, where bold colors and scribbly lines inspire her work.#While growing up in Mumbai, Sakshi enjoyed telling bedtime stories to her mother, and this later turned into a passion for bringing these worlds to life through her art. To pursue her childhood passion, Sakshi moved to the United Kingdom to earn a bachelor’s degree in animation from Teesside University, and then a master’s degree from the Cambridge School of Art in Children’s Book Illustration. Since graduating, Sakshi’s work has been published and recognized in both the United Kingdom and North America. With great influences such as E.H. Shepard, Maurice Sendak, Quentin Blake, Walt Disney and Shirley Hughes, it’s easy to see where Sakshi’s love for illustration comes from.#Sakshi enjoys the challenges of storytelling and experimenting with different styles of work. Drawing inspiration from her own childhood, Sakshi finds immense joy in imagining the world through children’s eyes – where bears are getting ready for a tea party and squirrels are dancing to spring.~Instagram: @drawergeek

Katy Dockrill is an award-winning Toronto illustrator with a passion for line. An honors graduate from the Ontario College of Art and Design, she brings the simplest drawings to life with her fresh, cheerful and playfully detailed brush-and-ink work, a style her international and local clients expect and love.#When not sketching, you may find her reading, swimming, biking or gardening. She shares a creative home with her husband, daughter and an irresistibly infuriating black cat.~Instagram: @katydock~Twitter: @KatyDockrill~Facebook: @kdockrill

Mark Hoffmann is an award-winning illustrator, painter, author and professor. Mark was raised in Minnesota, earned a BFA from Rhode Island School of Design and an MFA from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.#Mark found his love of children’s literature ignited after having his son. He worked primarily in the editorial illustration market, but switched gears into the picture book realm and has enjoyed the change of pace. Mark leans heavily on his design and color-work background in his illustrations, but also enjoys trying to add a bit of wit or charm. In each book he works on, Mark, likes to create a new style or approach that gives each publication its own voice. The work can range from realism to cartoon depending on the text. The work is mostly created traditionally with acrylic and gouache paints, though he occasionally uses pastels, colored pencils and digital mediums.#When not creating or teaching, Mark spends what little free time he has left looking for old junk and wood boxes at antique fairs. He currently lives in southern New Hampshire with his lovely wife, his adorable son and a plethora of pets.~Twitter: @studiohoffmann~Instagram: @studiohoffmann