NOAH GRIGNI
freelance illustrator
they/them
I'm a big believer in books as tools of resistance and empowerment. Books have helped me feel safer and less alone throughout my life; I hope the books I illustrate will do the same for others! If you're interested in hiring me to illustrate your book or book cover, please contact my literary agent, Kelly Sonnack, at kelly@andreabrownlit.com.
It Feels Good To Be Yourself, Henry Holt, 2019
A straightforward and open-ended picture book about gender identity! Written by Theresa Thorn, a parenting advocate and proud mama bear to a young trans child; illustrated by me, using watercolor, gouache, and ink on cold press watercolor paper.
This book is so special to me. If I could go back in time and give any book to my past self, this would be the one. I illustrated It Feels Good To Be Yourself during my final year at art school, and it was my first real opportunity to put my art into the world the way I wanted it to be seen: in full color, accessible to the public, imagining a radically inclusive future. This book gave me an opportunity to paint the queer utopian cityscapes of my dreams. I have so many things to say about it, but I'll spare you the speech. If you're interested, here's a video of me talking about It Feels Good To Be Yourself and what it means to me.
art samples:
The Every Body Book, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2020
An inclusive sex education primer written by Rachel E. Simon, LCSW; illustrated by me using Procreate. Every kid starting puberty needs this book! The Every Body Book covers a wide range of topics including gender, sexuality, puberty, hormones, consent, and safety.
art samples:
art samples:
Cloudland, coming 2024 from Henry Holt
I am currently working on Cloudland, my debut graphic novel! Cloudland is a trans coming-of-age story set at a girls' summer camp in the Deep South, based on my lived experiences as a trans boy growing up in Georgia. It's a story about friendship, first crushes, fluidity, unlearning the binary, and learning to love yourself even when it's hard. It's also a story about the ways kids use art to survive trauma and define themselves, when language fails them. I have been working on Cloudland slowly since 2017, and it's taking me so long because it is so, so deeply personal and close to my heart. It's only one story about trans Southern childhood; we need more!
I cannot share finished pages before publication, but here are a few sketches:
Mama Moon, coming 2024 from Henry Holt
I am ALSO currently working on Mama Moon, my very first solo picture book! Mama Moon is a simple story about a child who muses that their mother, who has bipolar disorder, is like the moon. It's inspired by my relationship with my mother, who taught me to stargaze and observe lunar cycles as a child, which helped me understand her cycles of mania and depression. This book is a fictional story inspired by my family, my community, and my hopes for the world, looking towards a future where queer, trans, disabled parents are portrayed with the same depth and care as anyone else. There are very few stories that allow parents to experience lasting and disabling mental illness, while still being seen as loving, good parents and whole human beings. I want to see families like mine depicted with humanity and nuance, and I want to use the moon to teach kids that the cycles of bipolar are natural, because that's what the moon taught me as a child! That's all I can say for now, but I can't wait to share more about it when the time comes.
Here are two tiny sneak peaks from the book:
