This one hour creative workshop will focus on learning how to illustrate trees, plants and the nature found in the Parks of the UC Area.
We will find inspiration in Eric Carle, Beatrice Alemagna, Kitty Crowther, and other inspiring children's books illustrators.
For ages 15-120.
Monica Andino is an Honduras-born, Illinois-based Illustrator, Graphic Designer and Art Educator. She has worked independently for more than ten years on many wonderful projects with clients from all over the world. The selected client list includes Airbnb (US), Amnesty International (MX), Babbel (DE), Dutch Uncle (UK) Mondadori (IT), Quarto Group(UK), Scholastic Inc (US), United Nations (CH), and Unicef (CH). In 2019 she was awarded a Fund For The Arts Grant by The National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures based in San Antonio, TX, US. Monica is an Illustrators Exhibition Finalist at The Bologna Children's Book Fair in 2023 and twice a selection at The Ibero-American Catalog of Illustration 2018 and 2022. In 2024 and 2025 she was consecutively awarded a visual arts grant from the Urbana Arts and Culture Program at her hometown city Urbana.
Her art exhibit "Parks, Seasons, and Us" is on display at the library in July. This project involves creating a series of illustrations depicting activities children can enjoy throughout the four seasons in the diverse and beautiful parks of Urbana-Champaign. For many children, these will serve as a cherished memory of their birthplace and the joy of growing up in C-U.
The illustrations come from memory, imagination, and observation of the beautiful nature of the parks. The artist is interested in the contrasts and challenges of the nature in the prairie and how its people, in this case the children, have found ways to reconcile with it.
Conveniently located at the corner of Race and Green in downtown Urbana.
