Christina Michalos is an award-winning children’s book illustrator who specialises in the enchanting world of watercolour and mixed media. Throughout her career, she has collaborated with over 15 traditional publishing houses and 100 self-published authors worldwide.
The majority of books she has illustrated have achieved international retail distribution, including but not limited to Waterstones, Barnes & Noble, Foyles UK, Saxo Denmark, First Book Canada, and Strand Bookstores in Broadway, NY.
Christina was born in Harrogate, UK, and now splits her time between England and Greece. She has two children and a tuxedo cat.
🏆 Featured by Reedsy as one of the 20 Best Book Covers of 2025
🏆 1st Place - Pan-European Design and Innovation Award by the European Commission Representation and the European Association of Teachers (AEDE)
🏆 1st Place - Best Illustrated Book National Award by Patakis Publications
🏆 1st Place - National Literature & Illustration Award by Kid's Fun Magazine, in collaboration with the National Book Centre of Greece (EKEBI)
🏆 Featured on Living 757, YurView Virginia TV (2023) for her illustrations in Courtney Booth's book Healthcare Heroes ABCs!
Read her interview below:
Who or what made you want to become an illustrator?
I fell in love with drawing when I was very young, but I never imaged it would one day be my career. I studied English Literature and Special Education, and for a while I experimented with journalism too. Nothing gave me the joy I felt when my first illustrated book was published. You see, all my life, there was this forceful energy inside me that needed to be expelled—and, quite accidentally, I discovered that the best way to expel it was by drawing.
Almost fifteen years later, I can proudly say that my full-time job is to learn from children every day, and to illustrate the worlds that live in their imagination.
Who or what have been some of your major artistic influences?
The authors who trust me with their stories are my greatest influence. Through my work, I've had the honour to meed amazing people, who've written amazing books. Many of them had never written a book before, and were only inspired to do so because of something deeply personal to them, like their affection for a loved one, or a cherished childhood memory. Some tell me, "Hey, I've written this story, but I don't know what to do with it. Where do I start? I know nothing about publishing."
And we work through it together, and slowly but surely they come to realise that this little story they've written matters a lot, and that it can have a positive impact on the lives of many children.
What could possibly matter more?
How and why did you decide to pursue illustration as your career?
To quote the great late actor Alan Rickman: "I'm not really sure I'm good at anything else."
Where do you currently live and where did you grow up?
I was born in Harrogate, where I spent most of my childhood. I now split my time between Greece and England. But life is an adventure, right? So ask me again in a year!
What was your first commission as a professional illustrator?
Oh gosh haha! My first commission was in high school. I was asked to make 15 illustrations for the astonishing price of £10 total. I didn't know how to price myself, and I was a people-pleaser. I was so excited I finished the project in three days.
(I learned my lesson, I swear!)
What is your favourite medium to work with and why?
I love working with charcoal pencils, watercolours and gouache. I also like to scan my handmade textures and collage them together digitally, to create new illustrations out of doodles and discarded sketches.
How many times do you tend to draw a character until you are happy with it?
Either once or a thousand. I enjoy the balance.
Talk us through the process of creating one of your latest illustrations or books.
It's quite hard to describe my artistic process as it's almost never linear! There were almost ten drafts before this illustration became what it is, some of them digital, some on paper, and one on a coffee-stained napkin on the train to Doncaster.
What is your favourite children’s book and why?
I particularly enjoy audacious books. Very often, authors ask me questions like: "Am I allowed to have a character die in a children's book?" or "Would it be cliché to include a bad wolf or an old-school princess in my story?" My advice is this: be audacious. Be daring. It's your story, you can do whatever you want.
In Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, a flying elevator breaks through the roof, and three bedbound grandparents are wheeled into it. Then the elevator takes off and visits a space hotel, where everyone is attacked by aliens. Soon after, the grandparents are given a youth potion that makes one of them —2 years old.
It's so absurd it's audacious. Nothing makes sense. That's why it's good.
My favourite children's series is most likely the Series of Unfortunate Events by Daniel Handler (and not Lemony Snicket, hehe) for that same reason.
What advice would you offer someone just starting out as a children’s illustrator?
Keep reaching out to publishers and keep drawing! You will be disappointed many times before you find your way, which is part of the journey. If you're determined, you will get there!
Read as many children's books as you can, especially vintage, discontinued books. Don't worry about finding your style.
It will find you!
Have you visited any schools to speak or hold workshops?
My books have travelled all over the world, and have visited over 300 schools, nurseries, libraries and churches.
This year alone, Healthcare Heroes ABCs visited over 50 schools in Virginia, like Grassfield Elementary, Preston Park Elementary, North Cross School, Sandusky Elementary School, and Botetourt YMCA Spring Camp. The Boreg Meets The Bird travelled to the Saint Sarkis Armenian Apostolic Church of Douglaston, and a storytime was held for Hatice Moves to Korea at Humphreys MWR, in South Korea. Two additional book presentations took place in Australia for the book One Hand On The Car, one at Kids College Childcare and one at Boundless Books in Leederville.
Healthcare Heroes ABCs appeared on TV on Living 757, YurView Virginia.
Since 2024, I hold annual workshops at Greece's largest Book Festival in Athens.
