Jinhee Lee’s charmingly rustic illustrations pay homage to the natural world

Jinhee Lee’s illustrations have a calming quality; viewing them seems like it would induce a good night’s sleep. This is fitting when discovering that she primarily creates artwork for picture books, often inspired by her love of nature and animals. “I like forests and strolling about them, seeing all the furry animals and writing about small sparkling moments in my mind at quiet moments,” she says. With brilliant character studies, Jinhee’s pieces show owners and their pets getting ready for a walk or curled up together in bed, while others feature vast rolling hills and freshly picked flowers. All of these works come together to create a portfolio that perfectly captures the tranquil beauty of nature and the animal kingdom.

Currently based in Seoul, Jinhee studied fine arts at Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul and, in 2020, she was selected as an illustrator for Bologna Children’s Book Fair. Choosing to draw all of her pieces by hand, Jinhee’s pen work gives them a rough, organic quality which adds to their utterly charming and rustic feel.