On many occasions, artists can help bring a story to life. This has been the case for Sara Palacios.
Sara Palacios is a Mexican artist who has illustrated multiple childrens books including Between Us and Abuela , ‘Twas Nochebuena, and Martina Has Too Many Tias!
She earned her degree in Digital Graphic Techniques from the National Institute of Fine Arts in Mexico City and went on to earn her BFA and MFA degrees in Illustration from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.
Sara Palacios has stated in previous interviews that each book that she illustrates requires a lot of research, where she will gather references, and she will read more about traditions, places, or things that she is not familiar with. Once she’s comfortable with the subject matter, she’ll start to doodle.
She says that her approach to her illustrations is in mixed media, where she’ll use a combination of watercolor, acrylic, gouache or cut paper and mix digitally.
She has been the recipient of multiple awards and recognition such as the Pura Belpré Illustration Honor Award 2012, the Tejas Star Book Award, the Americas Book Award 2020, and the New York Society of Illustrators Original Art Show in 2019, 2020, 2022, and 2023.
Check out a few of the stories that she has brought to life with her vibrant and whimsical illustrations:
