In January I got amazing news - I’ve been selected as a finalist of the Bologna Children’s Book Fair Illustrators Exhibition 2026. I wasn’t expecting that at all, because it was the first time I’d ever submitted an entry. So in April, I jumped on a plane and headed to Bologna.
The whole fair was at the same time fascinating and overwhelming. The crowds, rush and noise was too much for me personally. But at the same time I don’t think that I ever got so inspired and motivated to work afterwards. I’ve seen so many beautiful books (and brought a few of them home), discovered new illustrators and stories. It reassured me as well, that this is what I want to do professionally. I want to write my own stories, create artworks that take you to another places and let your imagination be free. Beside that I was able to have many portfolio reviews with amazing agents and publishers who allowed me to look at my illustrations from a different perspective. It was really an eye-opening experience! Since then my head is full of ideas for stories and I’ve been working on few book proposals at a time. I hope they’ll be ready to send to the publishers soon.
When the fair has ended, we (my husband and I) took some time off from work and visited Modena, Ferrara, Venice and Triest before coming back home. It was a perfect ending to this adventure. What a beautiful trip it was - full of art, delicious food and picturesque sceneries!
That’s it for today. See you tomorrow for a quick update about illustrations I painted over the past months!
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