hello, my name's keika, and I'm an illustrator and an educator.
As a child who just came from Japan, picture books were essential tool to help me read in English. In the library, I looked for books with illustrations that I could get lost in. Picture books have left a strong impression on me, and I hope to create books that can be treasured by kids like my young self.
Keika majored in Visual Storytelling for Animation at Pasadena Art Center College Design and graduated with honors in 2010. A few weeks before she graduated, she was given an opportunity to illustrate a children’s book from an iPhone and iPad app company. The experience helped her re-discover her passion and her personal relationship to childrens’ books. She illustrated Sick of Being Sick by Justin Sullivan. It meant the world to her to see a child reading it with a mother, giggling at the illustrations that she painted, just as she had with her mother. She knew then that she wanted to have a career illustrating books for children.
Recognitions
& exhibitions
Center for the Arts Escondido: Writing with Pictures Exhibition 2015
Southern California Independent Booksellers Association - Book Award Nomination 2014
Society of Illustrators : The Original Art Show 2014
SCBWI LA : Winter Kite Tales 2012 - Illustrator’s Gallery
SCBWI LA : Illustrator’s Day - Judge’s Portfolio Award 2012
Pasadena Art Center College of Design : Art Center Gallery Spring 2008
Pasadena Art Center College of Design : Art Center Deans List Spring 2007, Summer and Fall 2009, Spring 2010
Clients
Titmouse Inc.
Warner Brothers Animation
DreamWorksTV
Sterling Publishing
Simon & Schuster
Disney Publishing Worldwide
Walt Disney Imagineering
Teach And Sing Inc. DBA Heidisongs
3dal LLC
PepperMelon (Sony)
Qpop
Press
2021
HBO Max and Warner Bros. Animation: Looney Tunes Cartoons | Comic-Con Panel Watch here
2016
Teeny Tiny Toady listed as one of The Best Picture Books of 2016 on Kirkus Reviews Click here
Kirkus Star Review on Teeny TIny Toady Read here
2015
Kirkus Reveiw on What About Moose? Read here