I created these drawings for personal use. When I visit schools or attend book fairs, I always talk about the importance of illustrations in books. These drawings represent a child's imagination when reading a picture book. Next to them are friends who are characters from all the books they've read.

Hi everyone, I want to share with you an illustration I made for a private commission. The guy who commissioned it wanted me to draw him and his girlfriend as their favorite animals—a fox for him and an otter for her—traveling together in a fantasy world. The drawing will then be printed and placed above the front door of their house so they can see it everytime they go out. I think the idea is very sweet and cute, and I loved drawing it!

I’m Martynas, an illustrator who can work in a wide range of styles — adapting to fit the story, the mood, and the author’s vision. I’ve always been drawing, but my path into books wasn’t straightforward. For years I worked in animation — hundreds of projects where I learned how to give characters movement, timing, and personality. That experience shaped the way I draw today: I don’t just make images, I try to make them feel alive. The real turning point came when I walked up to Andy. At that time, I had no book illustrations in my portfolio — not a single one. Still, BearWithUs decided to trust me, and that trust became my doorway into illustrating books. It was a reminder that sometimes you don’t need a perfect portfolio; you just need someone to believe in you. Since then, books have become my favorite playground. I love getting lost in characters, quirks, and details that give each story its own heartbeat. And because I’m a bit of a free spirit, I usually work on the move — art supplies stuffed in my backpack, riding my motorcycle from place to place, sketching whenever inspiration hits. At the core, I just love creating illustrations that connect with people — that spark something human, something alive. Oh, and in this video, it’s me going to create your books ;)

I experimented using watercolour brushes in Procreate. The feel when drawing is quite similar to gouache, except that watercolours are more transparent.

Some time ago, Procreate released a major update. One of the coolest updates, in my opinion, is the increasingly varied brush options... This time, I tried experimenting with the Gouache brush. It still needs some getting used to, but it feels great to work with.