@illustratedbyjess
Author Illustrator, Bookish, KidLit Community, Pattern Designer. Picture Books, MG, YA, Nature Science, Environmental, Folklore & Historical Fiction. Illustration Coordinator for SCBWI Los Angeles. My portfolio website is www.IllustratedbyJessica.com
Hosts photos for the Sketch Crawl event.
Sketch Crawl event flyer. Meet at the Los Angeles Central Library this Saturday Feb 28th from 11am - 2pm
Hey KidLit Illustrators in the Los Angeles area - SCBWI Los Angeles is launching a new Sketch Crawl event series. The first one is this Saturday! If you’re in the area I hope you can come a join us.
Beautiful!
The American Library Association and Banned Books Week Coalition are pleased to announce the theme for Banned Books Week 2025: “Censorship Is So 1984. Read for Your Rights.” Banned Books Week will take place October 5 – 11, 2025.
www.scbwi.org/essential-re...
Monarch butterfly caterpillar in my garden
Look who I found in our garden this morning! I have been planting Milkweed the last couple of years to help the Monarch Butterflies. #MonarchButterflies
Standing stone sketch for Inktober. Day 9: heavy. Ink sketch by Jessica Cooper
Inktober, Day 9: Heavy
Many of you may know that I am obsessed with archeology, and especially the Neolithic period. It’s still a mystery how our ancient ancestors moved all these extraordinarily heavy stones into place. Here’s my new ink sketch of one sight in Orkney. #Inktober2025
Congratulations! 🎉
Phew! I’ve made it to Day 9 of the Inktober 2025 art challenge. I’m pushing myself to do all 31 prompts (hopefully before the end of the month). Here’s a little run down of my ink illustrations so far. Micron pens and watered down ink are my tools of choice. #Inktober2025 #Inktober
@sarahnfisk.bsky.social has a great podcast for people who want to see Kid Lit queries that have worked. There's a whole youtube playlist, too! youtu.be/nngGutSWBqU...
#KidLitChat
I honestly don’t think I’m great at any of them, judging by my rate of success, but I keep trying nonetheless. Actually, I do like finding comp titles, maybe I am good at that. #kidlitchat
TOPIC: Queries, pitches, log lines, synopses, comps--all the stuff that someone other than you needs to see (sometimes before they agree to see your work itself!). What are you especially good at? What do you dread? Any tips for coming up with good versions of any of those steps? #kidlitchat
I’m playing catch up with Inktober prompts. Today I inked out Day 4: Murky, Day 5: Deer and Day 6: Pierce. Let’s see if I can get to the next few prompts tomorrow. I’m challenging myself to draw all 31 this year. #Inktober2025 #Inktober #kidlitartist #sketchbook
Let’s all support our local libraries, and also purchase banned books this week from our local bookstores. 📚#BannedBooksWeek
Just a reminder that it’s the first of 3 super moons this year: the Fall Harvest moon is tomorrow night. Get all your witchy spells ready. Also, it will be just so beautiful. 🌕#harvestmoon
Oooo this looks awesome! I’m always on the lookout for great illustrated nonfiction history for kids.
SCBWI SoCal Fall Harvest Day 2025 - Jessica Cooper and Krysta
It was a beautiful Autumn southern Californian day filled with sunshine and inspiration at the SCBWI SoCal Fall Harvest Writers’ and Illustrators’ Day. It was so lovely to catch up with you all, and meet some of my fav #kidlit creators. 🎃🍁📚@scbwisocal.bsky.social @brianlarossa.com #scbwi
Who else is going to the SCBWI SoCal Fall Harvest Writers and Illustrators Day? #scbwi I’m looking forward to seeing you all! www.scbwi.org/events/2025-...
Inktober Day 2: weave - Here’s my ink drawing of Ann Radcliffe weaving a spooky Gothic tale. I’m going with a Dark Academia theme this year. #Inktober2025 #Inktober
Ink illustration of Edgar Allan Poe for Inktober 2025
Spooky Season is here! Today is Day 1 of the Inktober art challenge, and today’s prompt is: Mustache. I decided to go with my usual Dark Academia motifs and vibes, and painted a portrait of Edgar Allan Poe. #Inktober2025 #Inktober
SCBWI CenCal group photo
Jaime and me - SCBWI CenCal Writer & Illustrator Day
Writer’s Day SCBWI CenCal
Had such a wonderful day with SCBWI CenCal for their Writer’s and Illustrator’s Day! There were so many great speakers, and so many wonderful books from such a talented group of people. #kidlitcommunity #bookish #scbwi #scbwiillustrators
I think the things we know are connected to the act of making something from nothing, and the way that connects to gaining knowledge of self. James Baldwin speaks to it better than I can. www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGwP...
The best advice I’ve ever been given is to put black over your characters and motifs so you can see them in silhouette. If the shape still reads well then you know your composition and your drawing is good. I learned this quite late and I wish I had been doing this sooner.
Image of a man with a professor’s cap with tassel, looking down at the text: “PROFESSOR BUTS SAYS YOU CAN MAKE A CAREER OUT OF ILLUSTRATION” (An arrow directs the reader to the next image)
Image of a smiling man with a pipe, with the text: “… BUT, THERE IS NO SHAME IN HAVING A DAY JOB TO MAKE ENDS MEET.”
🧑🏫 Class is in session! I’ve been a professor for over 2 decades & I’ve learned a few things in my day. Every bit of wisdom has a big ol’ but.
🎨 I’ll be sharing some buts on here from time to time.
❓What’s the best art/illustration advice you’ve gotten?
#Illustration #KidLitArt #illustrators #art
“Things” that other people don’t see.
Do you think it comes from a place of being a true observer? I have often realized that I see that other people around me don’t see, only because my eye has been trained to notice every detail, every color, every mood, in order to capture those things in my work. The keen eye of an artist.
Hey, so I wrote a blog on substack about my experiences trying to work as an author illustrator in children’s publishing. Check it out: open.substack.com/pub/jesscoop...
Kidlitartpostcard day picture book art postcard by Jessica Cooper
Photo of Jessica W Cooper
Black and white Chapter book spot illustrations by Jessica W Cooper
Cover Art by Jessica W Cooper
Hi #kidlitartpostcard day peeps! I'm Jessica Cooper, a #kidlit author-illustrator based out of Los Angeles. I specialize in stories & illustrations inspired by folklore, history and the wild. I’m currently seeking representation. Here’s my portfolio website: www.IllustratedbyJessica.com
Kidlitartpostcard by Jessica Cooper
Jessica Cooper kidlit postcard sletch version
Happy #KidLitArtPostcard Day for August 2025! I created two cards this month to show the kidlit illustration projects I’m working on. #kidlitcommunity #kidlitart Check out my website: www.IllustratedbyJessica.com
