I'm Maribel Castells
an illustrator who writes based in Mallorca, Spain.
I grew up in a tiny village in Mallorca close to the mountains, surrounded by holm oak forests and open meadows.
When I was a child, I spent most of the time exploring the countryside, building things, drawing and reading all sorts of books.
Later, I attended Escola Massana in Barcelona and Escola Superior de Disseny in Palma, and graduated in Graphic Design and Illustration.
After 15+ years of working for others, I started freelancing in 2017.
You may not be a Picasso or Mozart but you don’t have to be. Just create to create. Create remind yourself you’re still alive. Make stuff to inspire others to make something too. Create to learn a bit more about yourself.
～ Frederick Terral.
I believe in the transformative power of reading, especially during childhood. We enter into stories to live fictional life experiences, and we leave them, with a new look towards our own reality.
I conceive Resonance as the biggest feature in visual stoytelling. Words and images are the mirrors of our own capabilities, and teach us there are as many ways to tell a story as individual creative visions.
And this is Why and How I create my stuff: To help children enjoy their journey of discovery through the world and letting them imagine, create and be whoever they want, straight out of their unique visions. Making them feel they’re inside the story, but even more important: Inspiring them to create theirs.
Joy, Nature, Simple Life, Identity and Sense of Belonging are themes I feel close to, and also the invisible dots connecting my ideas. My style is bold, mixed-media, with quirky color choices and geometric vibes, heavily influenced by folk imagery & cut paper aesthetic language.
A FEW things about me
I was born in the 80s! I am greatly inspired by past decades: music, movies, pop culture, food, history, places…
I’m a mother to a 4 year-old boy with a passion for chocolate, Jurassic Park and Vintage children’s books, just like me.
My Myers-Briggs Personality Type is INTJ, Architect: I’m introverted, intuitive, thinking and judging.
The book I re-read more often is The Invisible Cities, by Italo Calvino.
MEMBER OF:
- SCBWI – Society of Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators (2017-2019)
- Julie Hedlund’s 12×12 Picture Book Challenge (2017-2019)
- Women Who Draw