ABOUT
Hi, I'm (Aleksandra Szmidt :)) an award-winning children’s book illustrator who grew up in the south of Poland before journeying to the other side of the world to live in New Zealand. Adept in both digital and traditional techniques, I work from my home studio, very near to beach, and I create artworks for clients across the globe. My love of drawing children, animals and landscapes takes my back to the fun and adventures of my own childhood. I love to add layers of magic and humour that are more imagination than reality. My work brings me immense joy and a deep emotional connection to my art..
I was an agented artist for around 4 years. Just recently I decided that I need a change and resign from representation.
Currently, I’m unagented and researching possibilities for the future and open to be represented again.
CLIENTS:
AWARDS:
Nautilus Award Winner - "The Sweet Dreams Express", 2020
Amazon Best Seller, "The Sweet Dreams Express", 2020
Moonbeam Children's Book Award, "Happy Love Sprinkles", 2020
Royal Dragonfly Award, "Happy Love Sprinkles", 2022
Eric Hoffer Award First Horizon Finalist, "Happy Love Sprinkles", 2022
EIFLE Award, "Lily’s Surprise", 2022
NAPPA 2023, "The Moon is Broken"
Bestsellers in NZ:
The Little Lambs' Great New Zealand Easter Activity Book
The Little Lambs' Great New Zealand Easter Ego Hunt
TESTIMONIALS:
"Aleksandra is an incredibly talented and dynamic illustrator, who is a delight to work with. Her work is beautifully balanced and she uses such exquisite textures and colors in all her pieces. Her attention to detail resulted in four gorgeous books. Mommy Cuddles, Daddy Snuggles, Grandma Hugs, Grandpa Love. Aleksandra went above and beyond on these projects, and we were absolutely thrilled with the results."
GEORGINA CHIDLOW
Art Director
WorthyKids
"A friend and I co-authored the children’s picture book, “Happy Love Sprinkles.” Both of us being teachers, we decided to self-publish the story because we had very specific requirements for how we wanted each scene to look. One of our biggest concerns was finding an illustrator who could meet our expectations, and breathe life into our vision. We spent days observing children’s book illustrators online, which is when we stumbled upon Aleksandra’s site. We were instantly drawn to her use of color and dreamy, watercolor feel. Her style was the perfect fit for our magical, woodland-themed story. To our delight, Aleksandra agreed to accept the project, and then the real magic began.
Picture by picture, scene by scene, Aleksandra transformed the story. The characters came alive. The magical sprinkles jumped off the page as if real, and the beauty of the natural scenes took our breath away. Aleksandra had exceeded our expectations. Now you don’t have to take our word for this . . . one look through her portfolio and you will see her talent. That’s obvious. But what makes Aleksandra most special in our eyes, is Aleksandra herself. What a wonderful person she is! Kind, friendly, helpful, and accommodating . . . she made this process extraordinarily easy and overwhelmingly fun. If you are looking for an illustrator, we wholeheartedly recommend Aleksandra for the job, and we personally hope to work with her again in the future."
Kim
“Aleksandra Szmidt was an absolute delight to work with as the illustrator on my children’s book project, The Sweet Dreams Express. She brought my vision to life and blew my expectations away! Her immaculate attention to detail, amazing artistic talent, and disciplined nature brought this project to life on time in the midst of a global pandemic. If that doesn’t speak volumes about her talent, mindset, and diligence, then I don’t know what will! Aleksandra is personable, communicative, kind-hearted, and a pleasure to work with. I am so pleased with how the book turned out. Thank you, Aleksandra, for sharing your gifts with me and this book.”
Kristin Pierce,
Award-Winning Author & Founder
of Inner Compass Books
"Aleksandra Szmidt is a very talented and professional illustrator. She offers creative ideas based on her imagination.
Her illustrations are eye-catching and engaging, and the characters she made are lively and adorable.
Even the tight deadline, Aleksandra was open to suggestions and communicative.
She fully understands what I am looking for and always gives me more than I expect.
I had the pleasure to work with her on picture books. I look forward to working with her in the near future.
Best regards,
Joohyun Lee"
Joohyun Lee, Book H
“Aleksandra’s art brings the text to life while also adding layers to the story, her attention to detail and time management has been great. It has been excellent working with her.”
Alison Shucksmith | Product and Publishing Manager | Hachette NZ
It was wonderful to work with Aleksandra on our personalized book “Our Family’s Night Before Christmas”. The textures and colors she used brought a new life to the classic story. Her attention to detail with everything from the file set up to the small characters appearing and adding humor throughout the book, has really made the final product special. Aleksandra was very easy to work with and was quick to turnaround every part of the illustration process. We are very happy with how the final illustrations turned out and are excited for the launch of this book! We would love to work with her again in the future.
Sarah Ziegler
Graphic Designer
I See Me! Personalized Children's Books
Chanh-Thu, author of „Confident Coco”
"Words cannot express how grateful we are to have Aleksandra illustrate our book Confident Coco.
As authors, the most important part of developing a children's picture book is seeing the story translate visually onto paper. We wanted the illustrations to be an immersive experience for our young readers as well as have the ability to capture the wave of emotions and important events that make the story special. Aleksandra did just that! Her ability to understand our vision and bring it to life, gave us instant confidence that we had found the right illustrator for our book. She was able to take on feedback effectively while providing alterations in a speedy manner. Working with Aleksandra was easy, simple and efficient. Her choice of colours, her ability to draw diversely and overall her work ethic exceeded our expectations. Thank you so much again Aleksandra! “
"I came across Aleksandra's work whilst looking for an illustrator to assist us in creating some fun characters for a children's dental device. Her work was exactly what i was after. She was prompt with replying and completing the illustrations. I cannot fault her work and really appreciated her excellent communication. Thanks so much Aleksandra! I would not hesitate to reccommend you!"
-Ineka www.myomunchee.com