Japanese American Illustrator | Storyteller & children’s book maker |Dreaming about owing a cat & a dog - represented by Red Fox Literary
United States
Joined July 2016
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My name is Junco, and I'd love to connect with you.
As a Children's book author and illustrator, I'm thrilled to be part of #Portfolioday!
✉️ [email protected]
🥮 juncostudio.com
A few colored-pencil portrait studies from the archive.
Faces, hands, and small shifts in expression—things I keep returning to in both editorial and narrative work.
#ColoredPencil #PortraitStudies #IllustrationProcess #EditorialIllustration #KidLitArt
A few colorful food studies from the archive. I love how familiar ingredients can become a collection of shapes, textures, and unexpected color combinations.
#illustration #foodillustration #coloredpencil #illustratorsoninstagram #editorialillustration
Early narrative studies for Olga. Before color, I like to work through the quieter parts of a scene—the gesture, the distance between characters, and the small details that begin to suggest a story.
A blue botanical study from my studio archive. Working with a limited palette let me focus on shape, rhythm, and the spaces between leaves and flowers.
#botanicalillustration #illustration #artistprocess
October #kidlitartpostcard 🍱
I'm Junco, a Japanese American illustrator working on picture books and visual storytelling.
🌐 juncostudio.com
✉️ :[email protected]
I love drawing the small details around everyday life — food, objects, and the feeling of home.
A studio companion becomes part of the sketchbook. Sumi in real life, then in pencil—first the eyes, then the beginnings of a story.
#sketchbook #illustration #childrensbookillustration
A little peek at my Botanical Lettering licensing portfolio 🌿
Hand-painted letters, paper goods, personalized gifts, and the very real behind-the-scenes work of figuring out where artwork can live next.
A little character for September’s #kidlitartpostcard 💛
I'm Junco, a Japanese American illustrator working on picture books and visual storytelling.
🌐 juncostudio.com
✉️ :[email protected]
Hand-painted pieces for *MIZU: Beneath the Waves* are in their messy, beautiful phase. I’m gathering characters, boats, and quiet moments before they transform into a cohesive picture book.
A tiny peek beneath the waves 🌊
Working on final art for MIZU: Beneath the Waves — slowly building the world one spread at a time.
A little work-in-progress from MIZU: Beneath the Waves 🌊
I’m gathering small pieces of the world as I go — Ama, shells, tools, quiet rooms, ocean views, and the everyday details that help the story feel lived in.
Still in progress, slowly coming together one spread at a time.
Junco retweeted
混乱しがちな「オフセット印刷」と「デジタルオフセット印刷」と「デジタル印刷」などについて、整理してみましたよ。
オフセット印刷とデジタルオフセット印刷とデジタル印刷とオンデマンド印刷と。｜デザインのひきだし 津田淳子 note.com/design_hikidashi/n/…
I'm Junco, a Japanese American illustrator working on picture books and visual storytelling.
A summer postcard for August’s #kidlitartpostcard ☀️⛱️ 🍉 👙
🌐 juncostudio.com
✉️ :[email protected]
Revisiting an old favorite! 🌿 Over ten years ago, I created my Botanical Lettering collection—one illustration for each letter. Now, I’m exploring new ways to bring these hand-painted designs to life through stationery and gifts. Here’s a sneak peek of a mockup!
I'm Junco, a Japanese American illustrator working on picture books and visual storytelling. #kidlitartpostcard
🌐 juncostudio.com
✉️ :[email protected]
A watermelon 🍉 pool for the tiny swimmers. I made something that feels like summer right in the middle of it
I've been filling my sketchbook, exploring layers of color and texture that hint at the editorial style I aspire to. Not complete illustrations, but a path to my vision.
I'm Junco, a Japanese American illustrator working on picture books and visual storytelling.
🌐 juncostudio.com
✉️ :[email protected]
A little character development piece for this month’s #kidlitartpostcard.
Character development for a new picture book sample.
Pencil on paper first, then scanned and finished in Procreate.
This may not become the final sample art, but it’s helping me find the characters — their posture, warmth, mood, and a little bit of cat chaos.
Junco retweeted
\ work /
ニューヨークタイムズ（The New York Times）の「Inside the Times」の記事にてイラスト描きました。
カラー版はWebサイトにモノクロ版は5月22日(金)の新聞紙面に掲載いただきました。
ニューヨークタイムズの旅行担当記者たちには無料旅行のオファーが山ほど届きます。
しかし彼らは一切それらを受け入れません。その理由とその厳格な姿勢こそが報道の信頼性を高めるということを記した記事になります。
イラストでは豪華な旅へのお誘いと、一般の旅行客の現実的な旅行を対比させた構図を、要素を整理し描きました。
ここからは自分の話。
二十歳の頃、３ヶ月間ニューヨークに滞在したことがあります。
その時間は自分がイラストレーターを志すきっかけとなった貴重な時間でした。
もしあの時、ニューヨークに行っていなければ自分は今イラストレーターになっていなかったかもしれません。
そんな思い入れのあるニューヨークで今回大手紙のニューヨークタイムズに自分がイラストを描くことになるなんて
二十歳の自分は想像だにしていませんでした。
人生って面白い！そうつくづく感じました。
