About — Taryn Knight Illustration

Hello! My name’s Taryn.

I’m an illustrator working in children’s literature from my home in the windswept fields of Colorado. I grew up homeschooled, playing pretend between the chokecherry trees and drawing tirelessly from the moment I could hold a crayon. I later began my professional career as a digital designer, dabbling in digital illustration until finally returning home to dear old paint and paper. Since then, I’ve made my children’s book illustration debut in 2020 with the US edition of Embassy of the Dead (published by Walker US), manage an online shop, and follow my creative path wherever it takes me.

Inspired by nature and life’s simple joys, I aim to create a sense of wildness and childish freedom in my work. It’s a magical realm where girls fly away on wild birds, field mice cook tasty soups, and bears eat blueberry pancakes for breakfast.

I work from my small studio at home, where you’ll find me sat at a desk littered with old cheeseboxes filled with paint tubes, mismatched mugs of pencils and brushes, treasures collected on walks, and a half-drank cup of tea that’s probably gone a bit cold by now.