iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Melissa Murray @melissamurray.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

Love this ocean-based world map! A different point of view to look at our planet from for Earth Day tomorrow.

Melissa Murray @melissamurray.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

Happy to see my entry to #50PreciousWords got an honorable mention in the Family category! Thank to @viviankirkfield.bsky.social for hosting this contest every year! It’s always a great way to practice my brevity when telling a story.

Honorable Mention badge for the 50 Precious Words 2026 writing competition. Image shows a trophy and a yellow ribbon on a pink background with white/grey polka dots.

Screenshot of the 50 Precious Words honorable mention results from Vivian Kirkfield’s blog. Shows the “Family” category with my entry: The Height Chart by Melissa Murray circled in blue ink.

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Melissa Murray @melissamurray.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

I had to think about this one, but does procrastination count as a warm-up ritual? I feel like I get my best writing (at least for 1st drafts) done in the middle of the night after avoiding sitting down to focus on it during the day. 🌙🦉 #kidlitchat

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Melissa Murray @melissamurray.bsky.social · 18/03/2026

I haven’t been very good at keeping up with social media lately, but I have been busy working on #kidlit and #kidlitart. This month I applied to #pbparty #pbrisingstars and #50preciouswords. They’re all great challenges to work on polishing storytelling skills. Good luck to all the entrants!

Illustrated participant badge for PBParty competition. Art shows a giraffe, puffin, hippo, and elephant celebrating and wearing party hats on a light blue background. Text says: “PBParty Participant”.

Illustrated “I Applied” badge for PB Rising Stars mentorship. Art shows an illustrated astronaut behind a red book on an orange background. Text says: “I Applied to be a 2026 Mentee”, because why not me?”

Illustrated participant badge for 50 Precious Words writing competition. Art shows a gold trophy photo and an illustrated purple participant ribbon on a light green background with orange dots. Text says: “#50 Precious Words 2026 Participant”.

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Diana Delosh - illustrator @dtdelosh.bsky.social · 04/09/2025

Art Directors, Editors, Designers: Happy #KidLitArtPostcard Day! Portfolio: dianadelosh.com Represented by @lynnettenovak.bsky.social of The Seymour Agency. #kidlitartpostcard #kidlitart #illustrator #illustration #kidlit

My ink, watercolor, digital illustration of a family; mom, grandma, father, Elinor, grandpa and their dog walking though the crunchy leaves a on a beautiful fall day. Illustration is from the book, Elinor's Glad-To-Be-Together Family written by Susan Layne and illustrated by me, Diana Ting Delosh. Published by Mascot Kids.

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Jameela Wahlgren 🏳️‍🌈 🎨 @jameelawahlgren.bsky.social · 04/09/2025

Happy #KidLitArtPostcard day! Have a pony! 🦄 jwahlgren.com/children

A textured, painterly illustration of a little girl using a ladder to climb on a big horse

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MayumiSasage @mayumisasage.bsky.social · 04/09/2025

Hi, #KidLitArtPostcard Day! I'm Mayumi, a Japanese #kidlit illustrator. Excited to take on new projects! Picture books, board books, and book covers are my favorite things to work on✨ #kidlitart Rep'd by lovely @essiewhite.bsky.social at @stormliterary.bsky.social 🌐 mayumi-sasage.com

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Angela Matteson @angelamatteson.bsky.social · 04/09/2025

Hello! #KidLitArtPostcard! A snippet from my archives to welcome the autumnal vibes, although I'm still enjoying late summer blooms and garden tomatoes! angelamatteson.com I’m represented by @jmcgowanbks.bsky.social @bookendsliterary.bsky.social #kidlitart #kidlit #illustration #ChildrensBooks

An illustration by Angela Matteson of a chipmunk setting a fresh baked pie on a shelf from inside her pumpkin house.

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Melissa Murray @melissamurray.bsky.social · 29/08/2025

Some sketchbooking. A mix of kidlit characters, a photo study, and some still life objects. #sketchbook #watercolor #mixedmedia #nature #kidlitart #portraitpainting

Sketchbook paintings made with watercolor, Caran D’ache Neocolor II crayons, and colored pencil. On the left, 2 green, cartoony tortoises, each eating a large seed. On the right, still lifes studies of acorns and a blue jay feather and a loosely painted portrait of a woman.

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Melissa Murray @melissamurray.bsky.social · 25/07/2025

Starting a new sketchbook today. It’s always tough to decide what to draw on that first page—I went with a quick graphite still life of a few objects I picked up on a recent walk. #sketchbook #nature #still-life #drawing #graphite #seeds #sketching

Photo of an open sketchbook surrounded by a pencil, eraser and the objects sketched. Graphite drawing on the page is a still life of a maple tree seed pod, an acorn, and a butternut shell.

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Melissa Murray @melissamurray.bsky.social · 16/07/2025

I think the GN This Was Our Pact by Ryan Andrews would make an amazing movie. I don’t really cast my own books, but I think of them cinematically while writing. I could see a GN I’m writing as a movie—but it’d probably need to be animated—the main characters are birds and dinosaurs. 😂 #kidlitchat

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Melissa Murray @melissamurray.bsky.social · 06/06/2025

Happy #kidlitartpostcard day! Here’s a video compilation @patriciakeeler.bsky.social put together of the annual @cbignyc.bsky.social illustrator directory. You can take a closer look and/or download on the cbig website: www.cbig-nyc.com/directory.

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Melissa Murray @melissamurray.bsky.social · 27/04/2025

Scanned in some of my favorites from one of my recent watercolor sketchbooks. #sketchbook #watercolor #gouache #kidlitart #botanicalart

Digitally-collaged sketchbook paintings. Pastel palette of largely nature-inspired sketches in watercolor, gouache and colored pencil. Some of the subjects include flowers, leaves, moths, and clouds.

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Melissa Murray @melissamurray.bsky.social · 09/04/2025

Hi #PortfolioDay! I’m Melissa, a children’s author/illustrator currently seeking representation. I also make nature-inspired and abstract paintings and am interested in art licensing. #kidlitart #kidlit #illustration #wallart

Watercolor, gouache and colored pencil illustration of a pink and blue-colored dodo bird painted on a green background with yellow flowers on the bottom and branches of lush green green leaves on top. A yellow speech bubble says: “Author & Illustrator, melissamurray.net”, email: melissajmurrayart@gmail.com and social media handles for Bluesky and Cara (both @melissamurray).

Loosely-painted watercolor in shades of green suggesting foliage with a dragonfly in the center.

Loosely-painted watercolor illustration of a teal toaster with two slices of toast springing out of it.

Black and white digital illustration of a woman meditating in front of an open window with flowing curtains blowing in the wind. “Tranquility” is written in script across the front.

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Melissa Murray @melissamurray.bsky.social · 26/03/2025

A funny PB I read recently is STRANDED: A Mostly True Story from Iceland (Aevar Por Benediktsson/Anne Wilson). It merges science with folklore to to exaggerate and play into the goofiness of the MC. Techniques I love to use along with unexpected page turns & using the art as a punchline. #kidlitchat

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Melissa Murray @melissamurray.bsky.social · 22/03/2025

Applied yesterday! Love that opportunities like this push me to polish my work and evaluate my process, strengths, weaknesses and goals. Good luck to all the applicants! #pbrisingstars #kidlit

“I Applied” badge for www.PBRising stars.com mentorship program. Yellow circle with a cute astronaut character surrounded by stars reading a stack of books. Text says: “I applied to be a 2025 mentee. Applications open March 7-21”.

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Melissa Murray @melissamurray.bsky.social · 28/02/2025

Enjoying working on some picture book illustrations with traditional media. This is watercolor and colored pencil plus a little graphite pencil. Still experimenting with it, so I may add some gouache and colored inks still. #kidlitart #kidlit #illustration

Photo of a painting setup on a desktop. On the left of an open sketchbook is a water jar and paint palettes with paint and brushes. On the right are a few colored pencils. The sketchbook pages have branches with lush green leaves painted in watercolor and colored pencil. On top of the sketchbook are 3 smaller paintings of an unhatched egg, a portrait of a dodo bird and another of a green dodo bird facing to the right. Each of the smaller pieces have a painted frame illustrated with a nameplate underneath.

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Melissa Murray @melissamurray.bsky.social · 19/02/2025

Most of my ideas need to marinate for a while. I write a bit here and there—eventually I have a sense of the characters, plot, setting, themes, etc. Once I reach that point, I have to write a solid outline to actually finish writing it. I rarely write the scenes in order though. #kidlitchat

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Brian Kirby @boringstorybook.com · 12/02/2025

Hey a heads up that #pbchat book club is discussing a classic tomorrow. #kidlitchat briankirbystudio.com/658-2/

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Dr. Laci Brock 🪐 @stellerarts.com · 11/02/2025

Happy International Day of Women and Girls in Science! You can try to silence or erase us, but we aren’t going anywhere. We will keep fighting and being awesome 😤

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Katharine Gails @katharinegails.art · 30/01/2025

Has anyone else fell in love with one of their characters?? This crab brings so much joy to my story! #art #illustrator #collage #kidlitart #kidlit #picturebook #paintedpapers

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Melissa Murray @melissamurray.bsky.social · 15/01/2025

Most helpful is probably my critique group, we meet monthly via zoom and it's great to have that deadline and accountability to keep motivated to revise and make new work to share. We also keep each other up to date on kidlit opportunities and books we've read. #kidlitchat

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Jenny Bien-Aimé @jennybienaim.bsky.social · 13/01/2025

HUMAN ARTISTS, use only one piece to convince people to follow you!

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pbchat.bsky.social @pbchat.bsky.social · 08/01/2025

#pbchat tomorrow at 9pm eastern - we’ll be discussing MR. S - which Monica Arnaldo was nice enough to read to everyone here: youtu.be/-eXRZPTQ_nE?...

youtu.be

Mr. S Storytime Read Aloud | A First Day of School Book

YouTube video by HarperKids

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Melissa Murray @melissamurray.bsky.social · 04/01/2025

A little work-in-progress trying to use more traditional media for my illustrations this year. #kidlitart #kidlit #dodo #WIP #watercolor

Watercolor illustration of a pink and blue-colored dodo bird on a pale green background.

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Gina Perry @ginaperry.bsky.social · 27/12/2024

Psspt…. Next Thursday, January 2nd is indeed the first #KidLitArtPostcard Day of 2025. Pass it on #kidlit !

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Melissa Murray @melissamurray.bsky.social · 12/12/2024

I love how this whole book is a perfect interactive experience. Grover’s dramatic poses are intricately tied to all the expressive hand lettering as he begs you to stop reading. But the reader (& Grover) can’t help but defy his plea’s to stop reading before you get to the monster at the end. #pbchat

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Melissa Murray @melissamurray.bsky.social · 11/12/2024

I was thinking a bigger, more comfortable workspace (my current corner is pretty cramped) especially for the illustration side of things...but all these writing retreat ideas look pretty fun. #kidlitchat

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Melissa Murray @melissamurray.bsky.social · 04/12/2024

Didn’t get as much done as I was hoping (always overly optimistic about goals😆) but I made more progress on my MG novel and almost done with 3 picture book dummies I’ve been polishing up to query with. Next quarter’s goals: Finish that 1st draft + sample art for my GN + send out queries. #kidlitchat

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Melissa Murray @melissamurray.bsky.social · 28/11/2024

Happy Thanksgiving!🍁🦃 Here’s a turkey I saw waiting to cross the road a few years ago.

Photo of a wild turkey leaning forward with its leg raised standing near the side of a road.

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Melissa Murray @melissamurray.bsky.social · 26/11/2024

Authors! Let's start a chain of posts of your FIRST published book. "Quote post" the cover, a link, and three words about it. I don’t have a published book yet, but here’s my first published illustration. In a children’s literary magazine when I was in the 2nd grade.

Children’s pencil illustration of a stylized giraffe in front of some also stylized trees. The chapter title above is: 2. Beasts, Bugs and Bacteria.

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KidLitArt @kidlitart.bsky.social · 16/11/2024

November's topic for #KidLitArt chat will be - Food in Books! Join @tiffanyharveyart.bsky.social & @charlenedraws.bsky.social on Nov 21, 9pm EST/6pm PST for an hour-long chat about fooooooddddd (in books... and everywhere)! Banner art by @charlenedraws.bsky.social

Art of a book with various foods in its page. Other food and fruit surround it. Text reads Food in Books, #kidlitart

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Yu Kito Lee “Yuey” @studio-yuey.bsky.social · 18/11/2024

Folktale Week 2024 1: Mist "Kitsune no yomeiri," which means "the fox’s wedding," is a Japanese phrase used to describe a sun shower. It’s also a common motif in Japanese folklore. *Please check the comments for notes! #folktaleweekmist #folktaleweek2024 #folktaleweek #kidlitart #japanesefolklore

Illustration of a fox's wedding from Japanese folklore.

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Amelie Ahern-Williams @artfuldoodling.bsky.social · 18/11/2024

#FolktaleWeek Day 1: Mist! ☁️ Thought I'd try a comic interpretation of the prompt, involving my characters Blodwen and Twm. #kidlitart #folktaleweek2024 #comics

Comic (blue and yellow colours):
-A misty figure in the forest.
-A close-up as the figure reaches out and calls; "Blodwen"
-Blodwen looks up in confusion; "Who-?" She squints, and the mist covers her eyes.
-"Wait!", she calls, and runs after the misty figure, disappearing into the woods.

Comic continued:
-A cat claw scratches Blodwen's leg, with a SKLIT!
-Blodwen yells in pain, then looks down.
-Twm, a black cat, looks up and says; "Following voices into the mist now?"
-Blodwen sits down nursing her leg. "I thought I heard..."
-Twm's face looks severe. "So did they."

Comic final panel:
-Twm places their paw on a skull in the undergrowth, with plants growing in and around it.

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Melissa Murray @melissamurray.bsky.social · 16/11/2024

This one is just a sketch, but I couldn’t resist this prompt because green is my favorite color. If you see this, quote repost with something green. 💚 #kidlitart #illustration

Heavily textured, digital sketch of a cute ghost wearing a pirate hat and reading a treasure map as he sits in a rowboat.

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Davis Bickford @davis.social · 14/11/2024

ARTISTS! Let’s do an art share! There are now nearly 16 MILLION Bluesky accounts! Let’s find each other! Spread the post to reach the most! 💙

a digital illustration with a traditional appearance on yellowed paper, of a reimagined banjo-kazooie. kazooie has a speech bubble saying "art share!"

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Melissa Murray @melissamurray.bsky.social · 13/11/2024

Hi #kidlitchat! I’m an author/illustrator making mostly picture books and working on a MG novel and a graphic novel. I studied marine biology in school and find that background often works its way into my stories. I found my way to these weekly chats when I joined Bluesky earlier this year.

Digital illustration of a red-orange anglerfish breathing out bubbles under a rock in the deep, dark sea. Text says: Author + Illustrator; melissamurray.net.

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Kate Messner @katemessner.com · 12/11/2024

It's been fun seeing familiar faces pop up here this week! If you're just arriving & are an author, illustrator, educator, or librarian, here's a list of like-minded folks to follow: docs.google.com/spreadsheets... And here's how to add yourself to the list: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

docs.google.com

Kidlit Community on Bluesky Social (Responses)

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Melissa Murray @melissamurray.bsky.social · 07/11/2024

It’s #kidlitartpostcard day! I’m an #authorillustrator interested in PB, BB, MG & illustrating/lettering for book covers & chapter books. A lot of my inspiration comes from my biology background and I love making STEM topics fun and accessible for kids. Currently seeking representation. #kidlitart

Illustrated postcard of giraffes on a yellow and brown-spotted, giraffe-patterned background. On the left is a portrait of a giraffe with closed eyes and big eyelashes wearing a flower crown. In the middle is a spot illustration on a pink oval background of a giraffe wearing a green baseball cap and holding a bat in her mouth as she hits a baseball with the hand-lettered sound effect, “THWACK!”. In the bottom right is another small portrait of a giraffe wearing a gold crown with green accents. The postcard says: Author + Illustrator; melissamurray.net, melissajmurrayart@gmail.com

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Melissa Murray @melissamurray.bsky.social · 31/10/2024

Some late night painting. Happy Halloween everyone! 🎃 👻 🐈‍⬛

Digital illustration of an orange jack-o-lantern pumpkin on a dark blue background with a tan ground. Lots of textured scribbling and patterning. The jack-o-lantern’s smile/teeth spell out: “Happy Halloween”.

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Melissa Murray @melissamurray.bsky.social · 30/10/2024

I love to incorporate the endpaper illustrations of a picture book into the story. Either to set the mood (funny, spooky, etc.) or having different opening and ending ones that reflect a change in the story (especially if there’s a twist). #kidlitchat

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Melissa Murray @melissamurray.bsky.social · 27/10/2024

Sketches of a few of my favorite traditional art supplies (but painted digitally on my iPad). #kidlitart #still-life

Digital sketch of art supplies. A tube of green gouache paint, a sharpened graphite pencil, a flower-shaped porcelain paint palette and an angle-shaped bristle paintbrush. On a purple background with layers of fuschia and green on the edges.

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Melissa Murray @melissamurray.bsky.social · 24/10/2024

Ella loves dressing up in hats. They let her transform into a baseball player, a chef, a glamorous movie star and more! But, how can she choose what to be …😫? If ELLA WEARS MANY HATS…🤔—maybe she doesn’t have to choose? 🎩 🧢 👒 +🦒 #PB #skypitch

Digital illustration of a giraffe wearing a baseball cap and holding a baseball bat in her mouth on a pink and green background. The giraffe stands on home plate and has just hit a baseball. Sound effect says: “ Thwack!”

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Melissa Murray @melissamurray.bsky.social · 23/10/2024

Bea lived with her flock on an island. When her favorite tambalacoque fruit finally ripened, this distracted dodo ate up! Meanwhile—her whole flock disappeared…Oh no! DODO? OH NO! (A COUNTDOWN TO EXTINCTION) shows how invasive species—including humans—led to the extinction of the dodo. #skypitch

In-progress digital illustration of a sad dodo bird sitting on a colorful tropical island staring at a board of portrait paintings. The portraits are of other dodo birds and have X’s crossing them out. On the right the dodo looks up through foliage at a flock of parakeets flying overhead.

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Melissa Murray @melissamurray.bsky.social · 23/10/2024

Deep in the dark, Blip (a lightless anglerfish) feels a lot of pressure—sometimes cozy—sometimes crushing. When a submarine shines a light, she wonders if life in the ocean isn’t as dark as she thought? Can she swim past her fears on a bioluminescent journey in BLIP IN THE DEEP, DARK SEA? #skypitch

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Melissa Murray @melissamurray.bsky.social · 23/10/2024

Feeds & starter packs like #kidlit mega feed & #kidlitart. I’ve also discovered artists through prompts where someone posts art and the next person will quote post with their own illustration of the same subject. I wish it had a hashtag so I could find these easier though. #kidlitchat

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