Yan Jiang

The book cover illustration is so lovely!!

Thank u Victoria!

Hello! My win for this month is that my gap year has officially ended and I just came back to risd! School has started, working on my illustration assignments and meeting new friends! Everything has been exciting for me 🤓🤓#kidlitart

Omg me too! I draw my dog all the time! #kidlitart

Lately, I’ve been finding so much inspiration just by wandering around. Every walk feels like a fresh start. I love scrolling through my camera roll when I get home and turning those little moments into sketches. Here’s my recent collection. ✨

#kidlit #kidlitillustration #kidlitillustrator

Setting up for my solo show @shop.loohoo this Thursday! 🎨✨ Here’s a little behind-the-scenes look at installation day.

Somewhere by Yan Jiang: A Solo Art Exhibition
🖼️ Opening Night: Feb 5, 6 PM
🗓️ Exhibition runs through Feb 28
📍 Loohoo: 1380 Queen St W Toronto

#kidlit #kidlitillustration

🥺🥺awww thank you for your kindness! I will definitely remember to hit you up if I need anything 🥰🥰

Thank you Charlene!

!!! Didn’t know this before! Thank you so much for sharing Larissa!

Thank you Victoria💗! It makes me realize I really need to jump into these discussions more once I'm back at school🥲 #kidlitart

(Also... just throwing this out there, but I'd love to find an author-illustrator or illustrator critique group to join! If anyone knows of any... let me know! 👉👈
#kidlitart

Giving good critiques is honestly so hard! Sometimes I look at a piece and just don't know what to say! I guess I just need more practice, but I’m really curious.. how people give such helpful feedback? I’ve met people who are so good at it, and I'm honestly a bit jealous of that skill! #kidlitart

Thank you Gina!

Thank you Michael!! #kidlitart

Thank you Larissa!!💗

I think the best critiques don't just praise. Everyone loved my colors, but a professor was the only one to point out the actual issues. This pushed me to really think about color logic before I paint! My work has grown so much because of it. So grateful for feedback that challenges me!

#kidlitart

I feel so lucky lately! My process has evolved so much—I used to spend a hundred hours on a single piece, but now I can finish one in just an hour or two. Plus, I just signed a book deal with a publisher! I'm also counting down the days until I graduate this June! ✨

To join the chat, you can:

1) Follow @kidlitart.bsky.social and manually check the Q's & A's here

2) Use the Search for Latest Results with #kidlitart

3) Use @deck.blue to make a column for #kidlitart and see the new replies in real time

Prepping for “Somewhere” —— a solo exhibition at Loohoo✂️!

From vintage frame hunts to manual resizing—we are officially finished framing🥂!

#kidlit #kidlitillustrator #kidlitillustration

Escape by Yan Jiang, gouache on paper, 2026

Spotted these sharp, triangular trees every day at my friend’s place in California. They felt like something out of a dark fairytale—equal parts scary and adorable. Here’s a little escape mission inspired by them. 🌲👹

#kidlit #kidlitillustration #kidlitillustrator

Instagram Exhibition details by Loohoo and myself

Exhibition info on Eventbrite

Exhibition poster

So excited to share that my solo exhibition, "Somewhere," is opening at Loohoo! 🎨

✨ Opening Night: Feb 5, 6 PM
📍 Loohoo: 1380 Queen St W, Toronto
📅 Runs through Feb 28

#kidlit #kidlitillustrator

My brother is submitting to this!!

So cute!

Photo of me in the centre with 8 other squares of illustrations from 2025

Happy new year! Here's some of my projects from 2025. Had lots of ups and downs but I am so grateful for the work I got to do ✨ Wishing everyone the best for 2026!

#illustration #kidlitart #childrensbooks

Yan’s picture book dummy based on O’Henry’s short story, The Last Leaf

Yan’s picture book dummy based on O’Henry’s short story, The Last Leaf

Yan’s picture book dummy based on O’Henry’s short story, The Last Leaf

Yan’s picture book dummy based on O’Henry’s short story, The Last Leaf

✨After a year of on-and-off revising, The Last Leaf is finally ready!

I love short literary works, so I tried turning this one into a picture book dummy 🎨📖

Huge thanks to Marina Miranda Fiuza, Bree Reyes, and the editors for their amazing feedback! 💗

#kidlitillustration #kidlit

Yan’s painting of Picasso

Picasso staring at the cliff view

Even Picasso would stop and stare at this view. 🪾🍂🐻‍❄️
My home sits right by the cliff—every day I feel countless tree trunks around me. You can’t really see them, only sense them, hidden behind rugged ground and tangled branches.

#kidlit #kidlitillustrator #kidlitillustration

Yan and her illustrations in 2025

Yan and her illustrations in 2025

Yan and her illustrations in 2025

2025 was my first gap year!
It’s only one year, but it feels like a lot changed.
My style kept shifting, and this month I started experimenting with new mediums again.
Also realized I really love drawing trees 🌳
They make me happy — I want to paint more of them.
#kidlit #kidlitillustrator

Yan’s painting of trees

Grimsby, Ontario Canada

living in the middle of nowhere. just trees. every day.

Yan’s painting of Picasso

Yan’s photo reference of Picasso

Picasso had a weird feeling today.

No idea why, but he absolutely will not walk with me 🐕‍

#kidlit #kidlitillustration #kidlitillustrator

So exciting!!!