Greta Hummingbird
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Greta Hummingbird
@gretahummingbird.com
190 followers 520 following 150 posts
✦ Children's book illustrator & Designer for animation 🎨
✦ she/her
✦ Open for new projects:
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Old (L) versus new (R):
During this redraw, I focused on making the character younger and bringing more vibrant colours and textures into the illustration. I'm pretty happy with the result! :)

#kidlitart #kidlitillustration #illustrator
In soft autumn colours of orange, brown an grey, a hurt bird is sitting on the ground in the rain. The bird's wing is broken and wrapped by a little bandage that has handpainted drawings of a pumpkin, hearts and butterflies on it. Hugging the sad bird is a young girl with white skin and brown hair falling onto her shoulders with curls. She wears an orange beret hat that matches her long brown cardigan. Her face shows comfort to cheer the bird up. They are surrounded by some bushes and puddles. This old version of the picture is drawn in soft greys with a few brown and orange touches. In soft autumn colours of orange, brown an grey, a hurt bird is sitting on the ground in the rain. The bird's wing is broken and wrapped by a little bandage that has handpainted drawings of a pumpkin, hearts and butterflies on it. Hugging the sad bird is a young girl with white skin and brown hair falling onto her shoulders with curls. She wears an orange beret hat that matches her long brown cardigan. Her face shows comfort to cheer the bird up. They are surrounded by some bushes and puddles. This new version of the picture is drawn in vibrant reds and oranges with hints of pink and purple.
October 26, 2025 at 1:09 PM
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Before (L) and after (R): I've been re-discovering my style and redrew a few of my old pieces in the process! :)

#kidlitillustrator #kidlit #artist
A bird with a broken wing is gliding in a parachute constructed from autumn leaves and sticks. Next to the bird, a tiny magical girl with curly brown hair and white skin is flying along in her own autumn leaf glider. Both of them are enjoying soaring through the sky! This version of the image was painted in orange, red and brown colours. A bird with a broken wing is gliding in a parachute constructed from autumn leaves and sticks. Next to the bird, a tiny magical girl with curly brown hair and white skin is flying along in her own autumn leaf glider. Both of them are enjoying soaring through the sky! This version of the image is painted in soft red, pinks and purple accents.
October 24, 2025 at 6:15 PM
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The last few weeks I sat down to develop a style to tie my kidlit illustrations together more cohesively.
This was one of the test doodles I made for older children! I ended up going a slightly different direction, but this was so fun to play with :)
#kidlitillustrator #kidlit
Coloured pencil illustration of an ice faiy looking over the shoulder, smiling at you. Her hair is icy blue with hints of pink, her dress is sparkling silver like frost. From her shoulders are growing shimmering blue wings with a hint of pink. A sparkling ice ornament is crowning her head.
October 24, 2025 at 6:11 PM
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The constant state of agony that plagues artists. Are you still trying to explain portfolio struggles to non-art people or have you given up?

Tag someone who's eternally working on their portfolio, maybe offer them some tissues and a coffee too 🤣
#artiststruggles
Two women are sitting in a coffee shop. The left woman asks "So how are things?" and the right woman happily responds Ppretty good, I'm working on my potfolio!". In the second image, the left woman skeptically asks: "Didn't you say the same thing last time? And the time before that. And the time before that, too." The right woman is now halfway hiding under the table, saying "Well...". In the background, two staff members are gossiping. One staff member says "It's true, she's been saying this since I started working here." and the other one responds "Ha ha, what a loser." The last panel shows the left woman asking "So, when will it be done?". The right woman is now completely under the table crying out dramatically in agony: NEVERRRR.
October 24, 2025 at 6:07 PM
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Another inspiring picture book: The Fire Fox!
Written by Alexandra Page, illustrated by Stef Murphy

A heartwarming story wrapped in a gorgeous colour palette.
I really love the use of cold and warm tones for the storytelling, and of course the gorgeous depictions of the northern lights.
Magical!
Photo of the picture book "The fire fox", written by Alexandra Page, illustrated by Stef Murphy. The cover shows an icy landscape with a little girl pulling a sleigh, looking at a glowing white fox on a snowy hill. In the background, the northern lights are sparkling.
July 14, 2025 at 9:23 AM
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What is your go-to karaoke song? 👀

#digitalart #artist
Black and white illustration of a handheld microphone with shimmering sparkles around it. The tip of the microphone is a big sphere.
July 12, 2025 at 9:40 AM
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What song are they groovin out to in your mind? 👀

#kidlitart #digitalart #artist
A black 9-year old girl in a sparkling princess dress is singing on a stage from the top of her lungs. The crowd is cheering for her.
July 8, 2025 at 12:39 PM
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You mess with the honk, you get the bonk 🦆🦢

#kidlit #digitalart #artist
A white goose is tearing the shirt of a little girl with its beak. The little girl is about 5 years old and screaming in terror. Her face is framed by ginger hair of puffy curls.
July 7, 2025 at 1:56 PM
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Always love a sparkly accessory like this seashell box with a mirror ♥

What would you store in it?

#kidlit #illustration #digitalart
Black and white drawing of two hands of a child holding a seashell mirror. Two halves of the shell are connected so it can swing open, the upper part has a mirror in it. The wrists of the hands are decorated with pearl bracelets and sparkles are surrounding the mirror.
July 3, 2025 at 9:53 AM
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Mermazing besties 🧜‍♀️🌟

#kidlitart #kidlit #digitalart #artist
Black and white illustration of two mermaid best friends doing a high five. They are about 10 years old and both smiling. The left mermaid has long curly hair floating around her tail, round eyes and freckles. The right mermaid has black straight hair with little curls at the end and two small buns. She has almond-shaped eyes and a wide smile, her mermaid outfit is cute with a collar and puffy sleeves. Both mermaids have shimmering tails and little hearts and sparkles are floating around their high five.
July 2, 2025 at 11:40 AM
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If I could grow a beard, I'd grow a curly swirly mustache like the dad on the right 👨
If you could grow a beard (or have one), what would your beard's vibe be?

Also happy Pride!

#digitalart #kidlitart
Black and white illustration of a family. The left father has a rounded face and short beard with fluffy hair and a cozy sweater in sandals. The right father has a stylish curly mustache over his longer beard and has messy curls, wearing an elegant vest and fancy shoes. Both of them are smiling down with pride on their son, who is grinning happily and holding a ball. He is wearing a teddy bear on his shirt and has a knee patch on his pants.
June 29, 2025 at 6:15 PM
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Are there any drinks you hated as a kid but now love as an adult?

I hated both tea and coffee, even though it looked so delicious in my grandma's cup and I was convinced I'd like it if I took a sip... Well! ☕

#kidlitart #kidlit #kidlitillustration #digitalart
Black and white line art illustrations of a pre-teen boy with curly hair and a cap. In the first image, he is elegantly sipping tea from a cup with his pinkie finger poking out. In the second image, the boy's face has turned red and sweaty, waves are coming off his head and he is shocked. In the third image, he is spitting out all of the tea in a big splash.
June 23, 2025 at 10:46 AM
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One of my favourite #picturebooks is "The Midnight Fair", written by Gideon Sterer and illustrated by Mariachiara Di Giorgio.

I had never experienced a text-less book before and was absolutely enchanted by how powerful the storytelling is, without a single sentence written in it! 🧵⤵️
Photo of the book "the midnight fair", written by Gideon Sterer and illustrated by Mariachiara Di Giorgio. The cover shows a night time scene with shining lights of a merry-go-round populated by wild forest animals.
June 21, 2025 at 1:34 PM
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The fairy god mother is granting you one wish... What are you wishing for? 👀

A) Never get a call while on the toilet
B) Pillow is always cold on both sides
C) Always find a seat on the bus
D) Something else? Comment!

#kidlit #kidlitillustration
Black and white illustration of a fairy godmother confidently waving her star-shaped wand. The style is cartoony and uses thick, curvy lineart. Her dress is sparkly and she wears curly high heels and a pointy hat with a little fabric waving down from the top.
June 21, 2025 at 11:09 AM
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They see me rollin', they hatin' 🚲

#kidlitart #kidlit #artist
Illustration of a very cool toddler sitting on her pink tricycle, rocking flower-shaped sunglasses with a very confident, slightly grumpy attitude. Her helmet is green and has stripes like a watermelon. At the back of the tricycle, a cat is mimicking the same pose sitting in a basket, also wearing a helmet and sunglasses.
June 6, 2025 at 11:17 AM
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Good morning #KidLitArtPostcard!

I'm Greta, a Dublin-based artist for animation and children's books 📚✏️

Whimsy-loving, glitter-throwing, coffee-sipping and treasure hunting for new projects ✨

Portfolio & Contact:
www.gretahummingbird.com
Greta Hummingbird, kidlit illustrator and animation designer. www.gretahummingbird.com. A soft pastel illustration with noisy textures shows a whimsical castle softly glowing in blue and pink, lit by a golden arch going across the purple sky.
June 5, 2025 at 1:54 PM
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Hooray, two shows I worked on are nominated for the Irish Animation Awards 2025!

Particularly delighted about the Best Design & Art Direction nomination on Eva The Owlet! 🦉🌙

#visdev #irishanimationawards
Irish Animation Awards nominees 2025. Excited to see that 2 shows I designed for got nominations! First: Eva the owlet, AppleTV+. Nominated for Best Design and Art Direction, and Best Editing. Second: Wonder Pets in the city, AppleTV+. Nominated for best script, direction, original song, editing, innovation and voice acting. Congrats to all nominees!
April 28, 2025 at 11:22 AM
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Did I call you out? 👀
Relax those face muscles to help this little fairy break free!

I hope to make this a series of self-care fairies ✨ Just little wholesome illustrated moments for your feed, as reminders to practice small acts of mindfulness!

#kidlitart #kidlit #digitalart
A digital coloured pencil illustration in sunny green and yellow tones. An arrow is pointing from the text to a tiny fairy girl with green curly hair in buns. She is squishing her face in exhaustion, trying to push apart the two sides of a venus fly trap she is stuck in. The text reads "help this fairy! Swipe and find out how". The same fairy with the exhausted face and green curly hair is now shown closer up. She is wearing a sparkling pink top and green shoulder pads that resemble the two halves of a venus fly trap. The text says "unclench your jaw!" The venus trap fairy is happily smiling at the camera, successfully pushing apart the two halves of the venus trap with her arms and legs. She's free! The text says "Yay! Thank you!"
April 10, 2025 at 12:07 PM
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Hello #portfolioday!

I'm Greta, a whimsical artist working in animation & children's books ☀️🦋
Fairies and anything magical/cosy are my favourites!

www.gretahummingbird.com
A cosy cityscape showing a fachwerk neighbourhood and a flower shop in front. The scene is lit in warm sunlight and framed by a tree with orange foliage. The flower shop has a variety of bouquets and flower pots outside and the entry door is green. Many of the windows on the houses have plants in front of them. Multiple poses of a fairy illustrated with her hummingbird friend. She has white skin with blush and a round nose, her ginger hair is braided into two thin pigtails poking out of her pink and purple flower hat. Her rounded glasses make her look friendly but a little clumsy, as she tries to carry a water basket but spills the water inside. Another pose shows the same fairy pointing towards the camera with an angry face, as if she was stopping you in your tracks for scrolling social media too long. The third pose shows a hummingbird licking the fairy's face, which she is clearly a little grossed out by, but in a funny way. The last pose shows the fairy bending down a flower stalk to become a hat for her hummingbird friend. A warmly autumn-coloured illustration of a tiny boy falling off a tree branch, desperately trying to avoid being hit by the acorns falling with him. With a chubby red nose and his big round eyes, the boy is a friendly character wearing an acorn hat, matching his brown shorts and a little belted bag closed by a leaf. He also has a wrist wrapping accessory with a tiny leaf on his left hand, which is very close to the camera, as if grabbing it for safety. His plain white shirt is stitched together at the sides as if self-made, matching his simple white boots. The background is distorted with a motion blur, but we can make out the bottom of the tree far in the distance and some foliage around it, gently framing the character in a soft orange. Picture book illustration of two young witches outside at night in the forest. The younger witch in a blue outfit and with ginger hair is standing on a floating broomstick, while pointing into the other witch's face. The other witch has a dark purple ponytail and purple clothes and is bending backwards a bit to avoid being poked by the finger. She has a guilty expression on her face, clearly she is in trouble.
April 8, 2025 at 1:33 PM
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Sparkly pegasus for your timeline to burn all your troubles away! 🎇

#digitalart #art #kidlitart #kidlit
Illustration of a magical pegasus pony with hooves and wings gloving in golden. The main and tail are flowing in orange with glowing swirly lights and sparkles in them. The horse is calmly running in a dark setting with magical golden swirl patterns on the ground.
April 8, 2025 at 1:12 PM
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Hiya #KidLitArtPostcard!

I'm Greta, your local fairy fan & hummingbird enthusiast!

Illustrator/Author for children's books, Designer in Animation✨

Currently open to new projects!

🎨Portfolio: www.gretahummingbird.com

#art #digitalart #kidlit
A colourful illustration of a young fairy aged around 5 with her hummingbird friend. She has white skin with blush and a round nose, her ginger hair is braided into two thin pigtails poking out of her pink and purple flower hat which matches her skirt. The top is shimmering in blue and cyan like the head of the hummingbird. Her rounded glasses make her look friendly but a little clumsy. The fairy is happily bending down a flower stalk to become a hat for her hummingbird friend. The hummingbird is looking up to the flower hat in anticipation and flaps his wings. His plumage is shining in green with a shimmering pink throat and some pink accents in the wings. Surrounding them is a sea of colourful flowers in purple, pink, blue and yellow. The text says "Greta Hummingbird - KidLit illustrator and animation designer. www.gretahummingbird.com"
April 3, 2025 at 5:37 PM
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The #cottagecore cat fairy vibes are strong with this DTIYS hosted by Roché Woodworth on Instagram!

My drawing on the left, original illustration on the right :)

#illustration #artist #digitalart
Illustration of a brown haired fairy holding a white cat in her arm. She has brown eyes with sparkles reflecting in them and she is wearing a yellow knit sweater. Her brown hair has a fringe in front and is tied into a messy bun. Around her are yellow and red flowers and some sparkles. She is also wearing a shiny necklace and the chubby white cat is happily looking up. This illustration shows the same motive as the first image of a brown haired woman, but this one is the original drawn by Roche Woodworth. In this version, the woman is not holding a cat, but she still smiles in her yellow knit jumper surrounded by flowers.
April 1, 2025 at 4:10 PM
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Stuck on what to draw?
Here are 3 more ideas to give you inspiration for your next illustration!

#kidlit #kidlitart #digitalart
3 portfolio ideas for picture book illustrators. 1, Stepping in dog poop. 2, an embarrassing event like showing up to school in PJs. 3, taking care of a class pet. Not sure what to draw? Give them a try! gretahummingbird.com, @gretasvb
March 31, 2025 at 5:58 PM
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In this week's visdev/concept art sesh I designed some Art Deco inspired foliage!

What architectural style should I do next? 🥰
#kidlitart #conceptart #digitalart
Illustrated foliage designs inspired by art deco architecture. They are golden and blue colors in fan patterns and straight and circular lines, similar to the patterns and shapes used in art deco furniture and patterns. They are glowing on a dark blue background.
March 27, 2025 at 1:32 PM
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I've hit the 5k word mark on my chapter book, hooray!

The lucky 5000th word is "Moonboogie" 🌙🎵

#kidlit #writer
Screenshot of word count box showing 5000 words
March 25, 2025 at 9:57 PM