My name is Shannon Henley, and I am a freelance illustrator specializing in children’s books, narrative illustration, and concept design! I grew up in Ohio, and I earned my Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in Illustration from The Cleveland Institute of Art in 2023. I am proudly represented by Astound!

 Art, to me, is a way of holding on to that sense of child-like wonder. I want to inspire whimsy, and cultivate the style of unrestrained creativity a child has. I make art for little me, and all of the little kids like me. I make art for the kids who forage for potions, the kids who tell outlandish stories, and the kids who put worms in their pockets. And, of course, the adults who are right there with them. 

I love the warm and fuzzy feeling of a good autumnal color palette. My art is very textural. I like to incorporate the scritchy-scratchy look of colored pencil and crayon, even into my digital art. Some of my favorite things to draw are animals, mushrooms, bugs, foliage, and endearing little characters. I am very inspired by the cottagecore aesthetic, fantasy stories, and folk art. I love the process of discovering a character through the act of drawing them over and over. I think a lot of my characters tell me who they are, rather than the other way around.


 Clients:

  • Kolar Design

  • COLLiDE Sport

  • The Grog Shop

  • Warner Media

  • The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

  • The Cleveland Orchestra

  • American Greetings

  • LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland

Fun Facts:

  • My logo (the black cat) is named Moritz, which was inspired by a real cat in my neighborhood!

  • I design all of my own tattoos.

  • The first thing I ever tried to draw was a horse. I was SO MAD when I couldn’t draw a perfect horse on my first try. I drew hundreds of horses until I finally got it just right.

  • My favorite new hobby is puppet making!

Shannon’s Interests:

  • Children’s Book Illustration

  • LGBTQIA+ Representation

  • Autism and Neurodivergent Representation

  • Disability Advocacy

  • Nature (especially plants and Bugs)

  • Fantasy, Fiction, and Dungeons and Dragons!

  • Musical Theater

  • Aquariums and Marine Life

  • Black Cats (of course!)