Valériane Leblond grew up in France, but now lives in an old farmhouse in Wales, along with her three sons, several cats and too many chickens! She paints in a little studio at home, where she sips sophisticated tea and listens to French radio while she works, and where she always has a cat or two purring by her side. She enjoys drawing and painting, but when she was little she really wanted to be a writer who told stories. She loves playing with words, paint and lego, and reading books, especially in bed in the morning.#Valériane’s desk is kept neat between paintings, but when she’s at work, there are tubes of gouache paint, hundreds of colored pencils and oil pastels everywhere. As well as palettes, paintbrushes, needles, mugs of tea and water, and books. The shelf beside her is covered with art and picture books, from 19th century Japanese printmakers to today’s illustrators.#Her style is influenced by folk and primitive art, and there are often stories happening in the details.#The kitchen or the hearth, the washing drying on the line, the tended garden are often present in Valériane’s paintings and illustrations. Her pictures convey the idea of home, and show how people inhabit the land.#The sea is not far from where Valériane lives, and going for a walk in the hills or on the beach always provides inspiration. The landscape plays a big part in her work, with the passing of the seasons, the variations in color and light, and the everchanging sea.~Twitter: @Triaglog~Instagram: @valerianeleblond~Facebook: @Valeriane.Leblond.Art

Jennifer Yerkes was born in Minneapolis, and spent several of her early years in Karamürsel, Turkey. Her family settled in Iowa City, Iowa, where Jennifer and her brother and sisters grew up surrounded by art, literature, greenery and great cooking. Jennifer studied design, art history and languages in the U.S.A., Austria, Hungary and Scotland, and received a Fulbright Scholarship for art history research in Hungary. She now lives in Strasbourg, France, with her husband and twin teenaged sons.#In Strasbourg, Jennifer steered her work in graphic design and illustration towards cultural and civic organizations, and began teaching design classes and workshops for all ages. Her first children’s book, Drôle d’oiseau, was conceived while she was creating a series of workshops for preschool-aged children.#Drôle d’oiseau was shortlisted for several awards, including the Opera Prima at the 2012 Bologna Children’s Book Fair. The English-language version, Funny Little Bird, was honored with the Gold Medal at the 2013 Society of Illustrators’ Original Art exhibition in New York City.#As part of another workshop series Jennifer developed, the city of Strasbourg printed a book entitled Tout un tas for limited distribution, which was designed and written by Jennifer and featured the illustrations of the preschool children who participated in the workshops.#The success of these projects marked a turning point for Jennifer toward children’s books. She is a frequent presenter at children’s book festivals and conferences in France, where she also continues to lead workshops for children. Her list of children’s books now includes À vue d’oeil; Une parfaite journée; Red Light, Green Lion; and Tu vois?.~Tumblr: jenniferyerkes.tumblr.com

Genevieve Simms studied Illustration at the Alberta College of Art and Design and completed her Masters in Architecture at the University of Toronto in 2018. Genevieve has illustrated for many magazines since 2006, and has only recently begun to illustrate children’s books. Ojiichan’s Gift, written by Chieri Uegaki, is Genevieve’s first children’s book. Genevieve enjoys working on picture books for the opportunity to combine illustration and architecture by creating a world of spaces for the characters to inhabit within the pages of a book. As an architecture student, Genevieve traveled to Japan, an experience that was an inspiration for the artwork in Ojiichan’s Gift.#Genevieve is from St. John’s, Newfoundland, but has also lived in Calgary, Wabasca and Edmonton, Alberta. Genevieve currently lives in Toronto with her husband, Josh Holinaty, who is also an illustrator. They share a home with a mostly-beagle named Jack.

Carolyn Gavin is a painter, illustrator and surface pattern designer based in Toronto, Canada.#Vibrant, playful and happy are perfect words to describe her style.#A flower child of the 60s, Carolyn grew up in South Africa, left to travel Europe and relocated to Canada where she lives today in a quiet, leafy downtown neighborhood with her husband, daughter and bulldog.#Carolyn trained as a graphic designer and learned painting and techniques from artist Nina Campbell-Quine. In 2007, she started Ecojot, an eco-friendly paper business, with her family. Today, she freelances with her agent, Lilla Rogers Studio, and licenses her work for fabric, housewares, packaging and books.#Carolyn works in gouache, watercolor, pen and ink and vector. Finding inspiration in travel, flowers, exotic color and pattern, Carolyn makes sure her life is filled with beauty and creativity.~Instagram: @carolynj

Drew Shannon was born and raised in London, Ontario. After graduating high school, Drew went to the Bealart immersive art education program at H. B. Beal Secondary School. From there, he completed the illustration program at Sheridan College and earned a bachelor of arts. Shortly after moving to Toronto, Drew got his first regular illustration job, with the Globe and Mail. Since then, he’s had the pleasure of working with companies such as the CBC, Reader’s Digest, the Walrus, the Washington Post, NPR and more. He co-created a young adult graphic novel with his friend and writing partner, Nathan Page, called The Montague Twins. Drew lives in Toronto with his cat, Ripley.~Instagram: @bonyfingers