What If Magic Was Hidden Underground?

One of my favorite things about creating art for children is that it gives me permission to lean fully into imagination. I love building illustrations that open the door to wonder, the kind that sparks a little what if moment for kids.

What if animals set up their homes like we do, only underground or in their own habitats? What if magic was all around us, hidden in plain sight, waiting to be noticed? These are the questions that guide me when I draw.

My current series takes a deep dive into an unseen world beneath the surface, alive with anthropomorphic animals. Even though these characters do not look like us, I want them to feel familiar, relatable in their struggles, joys, and quiet moments. That is why children and adults connect with them.

In the first three installments of the Tree of Life Series, I created complete spaces: a hedgehog watering a garden, mice playing cards in a bedroom, and bunnies resting in a living room. In my latest piece, I explore the idea that behind all these spaces, just as in our real world, there is someone who built them. Someone’s hands shaped this world. In this case, one of those builders is the humble mole.

This piece in my Tree of Life series shows that mole, wearing a hardhat, pausing from his digging, admiring what he has accomplished, and thinking about how much further he wants to go. There is something wonderfully human in that moment of reflection, even though the character is a mole in a hardhat.

That balance between whimsy and relatability excites me most as an illustrator. I want children to see my art and not only laugh at a silly situation but also recognize themselves in it. I want them to imagine new worlds, invent stories of their own, and carry the spark of wonder a little further.

At the end of the day, the real magic of illustration is not just in what is on the page, it is in the imagination it sets free.

Storybook Illustrations and Whimsical Art