Illustrator Spotlight: Maru Salem-Vargas

April 1, 2025

It's the first of the month, so we are pleased to feature illustrator Maru Vargas and her design of our website banner, and her book, Hazel's Teddy Bear Picnic. Enter to win a copy via the Rafflecopter below.

Tell us about yourself and how you came to illustrate for children.

Ever since I was a kid, I have loved creating comic strips. I love telling stories through illustrations and I enjoy sharing them with my friends. I love creating art but life is full of surprises! I graduated with a non-art related degree and became a Human Resource Manager. The job taught me a lot and I am really grateful to have experienced it but I felt empty and incomplete. Soon enough, after I finally had enough courage, I left my job and chased my dream. From then on, I’ve been illustrating picture books for children. It brought me a lot of joy in creating art for kids! I know how picture books impact children’s imagination and I love how I can be a part of it. I am also a mom now and watching my son enjoy and learn new things from books I illustrated is truly a dream come true!

Congrats on your website design for Kidlit411. How did you approach the project?

I just thought that books can bring us everywhere 😊 Just like how birds can fly freely from the sky – books also give us the freedom to explore the world and learn new things. With this idea in mind, I came up with kids riding their favorite books as they explore the world together, soaring up high in the sky reaching for their dreams.

Congrats on your book Hazel's Teddy Bear Picnic: Armor of God Series - Book 4 (The Armor of God)! Tell us about it.

Thank you very much! This is a book series and it is all about the Armor of God. In "Hazel's Teddy Bear Picnic," Hazel learns that Faith is more than just the name of her teddy bear. She learns about the Shield of Faith and how to trust God in hard times. This book is a great read for kids written by the amazing Barbara Seregi. This is such a fun book to illustrate and I am really grateful to have the chance to be a part of a Christian Story book as I am a Christian too and it is my dream to share the good news of God through my art.

What is your preferred medium and style?

I always love the feels and texture of gouache and crayons and so I recreate them digitally using Adobe Photoshop 😊

What projects are you working on now?

Right now I am illustrating another Christian Book and several books about kindness, family, friendship, and love. I believe that these books will be published this year, 2025.

What is one thing most people don't know about you?

I am not sure if most people don’t know about this but I also love fitness as much as I love art (and God!) I love strength training and I feel so accomplished every time I am hitting new PR! I also love to play RPG and MOBA games like League of Legends, Monster Hunter, and DOTA whenever I have free time. I guess I am still a kid at heart!

Where can people find you online?

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whenmarudraws

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whenmarudraws

Website: https://www.maruvargas.com

X: https://www.x.com/maruvargasdraws

Maru Salem-Vargas is a self-taught children’s illustrator from the Philippines. She loves to create her art digitally with lots of fun textures and bright colors. Maru illustrated books for self-publishing authors and traditional publishers. She is a member of SCBWI since 2021. She is also currently represented by Lane Clarke from Ultra Agency worldwide.

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