Hello, I’m Antonieta Muñoz Estrada, a children’s book illustrator and visual storyteller based in Querétaro, where I grew up after being born in Mexico City. I’m proudly Mexican, and my work is shaped by warm storytelling, color, community, and lived experiences of grief, healing, and change. I create colorful, expressive illustrations with soft palettes, heartfelt characters, and everyday moments full of vulnerability, humor, and joy.
For the past five years, I’ve worked across picture books, board books, and educational publishing, illustrating titles like God is Just Like Me with Beaming Books and Manny Matches the Weather with Charlesbridge, as well as classroom materials for Richmond, Santillana, and Edelvives. I hold a Visual Arts degree with a specialization in Graphic Design from the Faculty of Fine Arts at the Autonomous University of Querétaro (UAQ), and my training at INAH (National Institute of Anthropology and History) strengthened my observational drawing and patience. I work digitally in Photoshop, building projects through research, hand sketches, character development, and clear page composition. Clients value my reliability, communication, and the fact that I often deliver ahead of schedule.
For the past five years, I’ve worked across picture books, board books, and educational publishing, illustrating titles like God is Just Like Me with Beaming Books and Manny Matches the Weather with Charlesbridge, as well as classroom materials for Richmond, Santillana, and Edelvives. I hold a Visual Arts degree with a specialization in Graphic Design from the Faculty of Fine Arts at the Autonomous University of Querétaro (UAQ), and my training at INAH (National Institute of Anthropology and History) strengthened my observational drawing and patience. I work digitally in Photoshop, building projects through research, hand sketches, character development, and clear page composition. Clients value my reliability, communication, and the fact that I often deliver ahead of schedule.
As a child, drawing was my refuge, especially during years when health issues kept me from many usual activities. I taught myself by observing everything I could, from my sisters’ drawing exercises to anime details, and I was the kid who was fascinated by illustrations in school textbooks. These days, inspiration still comes from my little world: my family, my cat Coffee, movies, Formula 1 weekends with my dad, and the small emotional details of everyday life. More than anything, I hope my art feels like an apapacho, a warm hug for the soul.
This is where magic happens: my studio and, of course, the boss: my cat Coffee!