When did you first feel like, “This is it. This is the work I want to be known for”?

I felt that clarity the first time I saw my illustrations printed in a children's book. Until then, my work had lived entirely on a screen, tied to software and digital tools. Holding it in my hands was a turning point. Suddenly, my art existed in the real world. That moment made everything click for me and confirmed that children's books were the work I wanted to focus on and be known for.

What’s been helping you level up lately?

Lately, I’ve been embracing the Pixel Studio in Affinity and creating my own textured assets. This has allowed me to expand my portfolio beyond flat vectors into illustrations with more texture, depth, and detail. It’s also opened up more opportunities with clients looking for rich, tactile book illustrations that clearly show a human touch.

Which part of the creative process is your favorite, and why?

I’m drawn to designing with the end product in mind, imagining how an illustration will live as a board book, a puzzle, or a T-shirt. My favorite part of the process is the moment when an idea truly clicks and I realize it can exist in the real world, not just inside my software. That translation from digital sketch to physical object is the most rewarding part for me. Thanks to Affinity, I know I can meet all the technical requirements along the way, which gives me the freedom to focus on designing.

Name the unsung hero in your Affinity workflow.

The unsung hero in my workflow is definitely vector assets and the Assets Library. Having a personal library of reusable shapes, motifs, and textures saves me hours of repetitive work and lets me experiment quickly without starting from scratch.

Is there an Affinity trick you always end up sharing?

One Affinity trick I always end up sharing is the grayscale option in View Modes. With a single click, you can view your artwork in black and white, which is incredibly useful for checking contrast, composition, and readability, especially for children’s books or print designs.

Weronika Salach

Illustrator

•

Pattern designer

•

Educator

•

Germany

•

Pro Panel

Weronika Salach is a children's book illustrator, pattern designer, and teacher. Working across picture books, board books, and licensed surface patterns, she creates bright, playful illustrations filled with character, warmth, and visual storytelling. Her style is defined by bold shapes, vibrant color palettes, and carefully layered textures, making her work especially engaging for young audiences.Alongside her illustration practice, Weronika teaches digital illustration and pattern design, helping thousands of artists develop their creative skills through online courses and tutorials.

Start of section: Creative work

Skip to end of “Creative work” section

Creative work

Genetic engineer illustration created for the children's book 50 Fantastic Science Jobs→

Illustration

Children's illustration

A vibrant search and find underwater illustration combining rich texture with a fully vector base→

Illustration

Children's illustration

A textured children's illustration blending vector precision with grainy raster brushes→

Illustration

Children's illustration

Botanical repeat pattern created for Weronika's self-published journal series→

Illustration

Repeat pattern

"Cherche et trouve: The Farm" is a colorful search-and-find book illustrated for Deux Coqs D'Or→

Illustration

Children's illustration

Skip to start of “Creative work” section

End of section: Creative work

"Affinity is the tool I rely on for my professional illustration work because it lets me combine clean vector shapes with rich raster textures in one intuitive, seamless workflow. It gives me everything I need to create finished, print-ready artwork with ease and confidence."

Q&A

I felt that clarity the first time I saw my illustrations printed in a children's book. Until then, my work had lived entirely on a screen, tied to software and digital tools. Holding it in my hands was a turning point. Suddenly, my art existed in the real world. That moment made everything click for me and confirmed that children's books were the work I wanted to focus on and be known for.
Lately, I’ve been embracing the Pixel Studio in Affinity and creating my own textured assets. This has allowed me to expand my portfolio beyond flat vectors into illustrations with more texture, depth, and detail. It’s also opened up more opportunities with clients looking for rich, tactile book illustrations that clearly show a human touch.
I’m drawn to designing with the end product in mind, imagining how an illustration will live as a board book, a puzzle, or a T-shirt. My favorite part of the process is the moment when an idea truly clicks and I realize it can exist in the real world, not just inside my software. That translation from digital sketch to physical object is the most rewarding part for me. Thanks to Affinity, I know I can meet all the technical requirements along the way, which gives me the freedom to focus on designing.
The unsung hero in my workflow is definitely vector assets and the Assets Library. Having a personal library of reusable shapes, motifs, and textures saves me hours of repetitive work and lets me experiment quickly without starting from scratch.
One Affinity trick I always end up sharing is the grayscale option in View Modes. With a single click, you can view your artwork in black and white, which is incredibly useful for checking contrast, composition, and readability, especially for children’s books or print designs.

Stylized botanical illustration featuring colorful flowers and leafy plants arranged in a textured ceramic vase against a soft pastel background.