As a young girl, Sarah Walsh was equally thrilled with both drawing and animals. Growing up she found a clever way to transform her early passions into a full-time job by illustrating animals. Describing her work as “quirky, happy and thoughtful,” Walsh uses anything from pencils and pens to gouache and cut paper to create varied illustrations that adorn anything from coloring books and toys to home decor and apparel.
Based in Kansas City, she shares a home and studio with her fellow illustrator husband Colin Walsh, their son, a scrappy pup, and a chubby cat. “I like a lot of color and fun things around me — fave books, artwork, toys, my happy stuff, etc,” she told Jama’s Alphabet Soup. “A big paper mache unicorn head is on the wall, drawings my daughter did when she was little.”
After working some time as house designer and illustrator of Hallmark Cards, she decided to branch off on her own and joined the Lilla Rogers agency. Amongst her collaborations are publications like Penguin Random House, Chronicle Books, and The Guardian. And with more than 60k followers on Instagram, it’s clear that people are taking note.
Check out some of her delightful illustrations in the gallery below: