Laura Mocelin
Illustrator
Brazil
Laura Mocelin has a degree in architecture and urban planning but has worked professionally as an illustrator and layout designer for more than seven years. Specializing in children's books, she has illustrated over 100 titles, taking each one from initial sketches and color development through lettering, page layout, and print-ready files. Today, Laura is represented internationally by Illo Agency and continues to draw on the principles of architecture, exploring perspective and the way light enters through windows to create imaginative worlds for young readers.
Creative work
Illustration
Children's illustration
Book layout
Illustration
Children's illustration
Book layout
Illustration
Children's illustration
Book layout
Illustration
Children's illustration
Book layout
Illustration
Children's illustration
Book layout
Q&A
When I was a child, I used to visit my aunt at the public library where she worked. I would spend entire afternoons looking through books, turning the pages and studying the illustrations. I couldn't understand how those illustrations were created or how the words found their place on the page. Looking back, I'm sure that's where the dream of becoming an illustrator began. It stayed quietly in my heart for years before finally becoming part of my life.
I recently worked on a book about my city in partnership with the city hall. We launched it at a book fair, where 10,000 copies were distributed free of charge. It was the most special moment of my career because I could meet readers and, above all, see children holding the book in their hands. That feeling is priceless, and it's why I illustrate: so readers can find both themselves and a part of me in my art.
My favorite part of illustrating a children's book is the planning stage. That's when I define the main lines, decide where the light and shadow will fall, and begin thinking about how the page layout and illustration will work together.
Affinity really feels like a creative companion whenever I'm working. It lets artists move seamlessly between illustration, vector art, and page layout, and anyone who creates books knows how much that simplifies the process. I can begin sketching while already thinking about the layout, allowing the illustration and the page to develop together. To me, that's a little bit magical.
Alongside the flexibility of customizing Affinity(opens in a new tab or window) to suit my workflow, I always recommend using non-destructive filters(opens in a new tab or window). They let me keep working on a layer while preserving the same filter effect, which is especially useful when I'm adding more elements to blurred areas without having to start over.
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