About
Leona is an author, illustrator, and graphic designer from Albuquerque, New Mexico. She works in a variety of traditional mediums, but her favorite is pen and ink combined with digital coloring. She also designs graphic tees for kids of all ages.
Inspiration for her characters come from her three kids and what they’ve learned together about emotional intelligence and resilience. A common theme in her stories is creative problem solving.
Leona eats Hatch green chile on practically everything. She lives in the foothills of mountains that turn pink at sunset with her husband, her very tall son, two black cats, and a feisty little dog who is the same size as the cats.
Inspired
As a child I loved these Encyclopedia Britannica Pre-School books. I poured over them for hours. I remember trying all the activities in The Magic of Everyday Things. It’s how I first learned to make shadow puppets. The Adventures With Color book was my first introduction to color theory. It had simple paintings of food, which probably explains why I describe colors as “tasty”. My goal in illustrating books is to inspire kids to flex their own creativity and discover the magic in everyday things.