Teresa Alberini — Italian Children's Book Illustrator

Page through a children’s book illustrated by Teresa Alberini and you’ll meet creatures of field and forest, living their lives like tiny little people in the hidden places of the natural world. Rabbits hold parties, hedgehogs practice yoga and foxes frolic with butterflies, with gentle expressions to establish an emotional connection with the reader.

Teresa’s devotion to her art shines through in every image, with the underlying sketch drawn and shaded by hand either in pencil or using an iPad stylus in Procreate. Watching her meticulous technique is mesmerising – and so is Teresa’s artwork. Clients love the fact that she puts everything into each project she works on. Based in Tuscany, Teresa studied set design at the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence, and then illustration at the Nemo Academy. She’s inspired by the Impressionists and early 20th century illustrators, and there’s a little of that golden age elegance in her art.

Approach

Teresa’s process is grounded in traditional drawing with each image fully shaded by hand, often in graphite. Then she moves to digital to colour the work in Photoshop using soft, muted colour palettes.

Key Software

Photoshop

Style

Fairytale realism would be a good way to describe Teresa’s style. The animals she draws look as they should, with just enough anthropomorphism to give them character. Every image is rich, tactile and enticing, full of convincing detail.

Languages

Teresa is fluent in Italian with workable English.

Client list

Teresa’s clients include Amicus Publishing, Ballard & Tighe, Benchmark Education, Mascot Books, Dar Al Saqui, Emme Edizioni, Moon Publishing, Rizzoli Education and many more.