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melissamurray.bsky.social
Melissa Murray
@melissamurray.bsky.social
1.1K followers 1.2K following 430 posts
Author + Illustrator + Artist
SCBWI | CBIG | 12x12
PBParty 2024 Illustration Showcase HM

https://melissamurray.net

#kidlitart #kidlit
Posts Replies Media Videos
melissamurray.bsky.social
Some sketchbooking. A mix of kidlit characters, a photo study, and some still life objects.

#sketchbook #watercolor #mixedmedia #nature #kidlitart #portraitpainting
Sketchbook paintings made with watercolor, Caran D’ache Neocolor II crayons, and colored pencil. On the left, 2 green, cartoony tortoises, each eating a large seed. On the right, still lifes studies of acorns and a blue jay feather and a loosely painted portrait of a woman.
August 29, 2025 at 7:19 PM
melissamurray.bsky.social
Starting a new sketchbook today. It’s always tough to decide what to draw on that first page—I went with a quick graphite still life of a few objects I picked up on a recent walk.

#sketchbook #nature #still-life #drawing #graphite #seeds #sketching
Photo of an open sketchbook surrounded by a pencil, eraser and the objects sketched. Graphite drawing on the page is a still life of a maple tree seed pod, an acorn, and a butternut shell.
July 25, 2025 at 7:46 PM
melissamurray.bsky.social
Happy #kidlitartpostcard day! Here’s a video compilation @patriciakeeler.bsky.social put together of the annual @cbignyc.bsky.social illustrator directory. You can take a closer look and/or download on the cbig website: www.cbig-nyc.com/directory.
June 6, 2025 at 1:34 AM
melissamurray.bsky.social
Scanned in some of my favorites from one of my recent watercolor sketchbooks.

#sketchbook #watercolor #gouache #kidlitart #botanicalart
Digitally-collaged sketchbook paintings. Pastel palette of largely nature-inspired sketches in watercolor, gouache and colored pencil. Some of the subjects include flowers, leaves, moths, and clouds.
April 27, 2025 at 8:34 PM
melissamurray.bsky.social
Hi #PortfolioDay! I’m Melissa, a children’s author/illustrator currently seeking representation. I also make nature-inspired and abstract paintings and am interested in art licensing.

#kidlitart #kidlit #illustration #wallart
Watercolor, gouache and colored pencil illustration of a pink and blue-colored dodo bird painted on a green background with yellow flowers on the bottom and branches of lush green green leaves on top. A yellow speech bubble says: “Author & Illustrator, melissamurray.net”, email: melissajmurrayart@gmail.com and social media handles for Bluesky and Cara (both @melissamurray). Loosely-painted watercolor in shades of green suggesting foliage with a dragonfly in the center. Loosely-painted watercolor illustration of a teal toaster with two slices of toast springing out of it. Black and white digital illustration of a woman meditating in front of an open window with flowing curtains blowing in the wind. “Tranquility” is written in script across the front.
April 9, 2025 at 2:31 AM
melissamurray.bsky.social
A springtime-inspired abstracted watercolor painting.

#spring #dragonfly #painting #abstract #art #watercolor #wallart #botanical #green
Watercolor painting on paper in shades of green suggesting leaves and greenery. In the center top third is a very loosely painted dragonfly.
April 4, 2025 at 8:18 PM
melissamurray.bsky.social
Applied yesterday! Love that opportunities like this push me to polish my work and evaluate my process, strengths, weaknesses and goals. Good luck to all the applicants!

#pbrisingstars #kidlit
“I Applied” badge for www.PBRising stars.com mentorship program. Yellow circle with a cute astronaut character surrounded by stars reading a stack of books. Text says: “I applied to be a 2025 mentee. Applications open March 7-21”.
March 22, 2025 at 1:11 PM
melissamurray.bsky.social
Enjoying working on some picture book illustrations with traditional media. This is watercolor and colored pencil plus a little graphite pencil. Still experimenting with it, so I may add some gouache and colored inks still. #kidlitart #kidlit #illustration
Photo of a painting setup on a desktop. On the left of an open sketchbook is a water jar and paint palettes with paint and brushes. On the right are a few colored pencils. The sketchbook pages have branches with lush green leaves painted in watercolor and colored pencil. On top of the sketchbook are 3 smaller paintings of an unhatched egg, a portrait of a dodo bird and another of a green dodo bird facing to the right. Each of the smaller pieces have a painted frame illustrated with a nameplate underneath.
February 28, 2025 at 12:51 AM
melissamurray.bsky.social
Little watercolor cardinal based on one of my photos.

#painting #watercolor #sketchbook #watercolorpainting #birds #birdart #watercolorbirds #cardinal
Overhead photo of a watercolor painting in a small sketchbook next to a paintbrush stacked on top of other sketch/notebooks. Painting is of a red cardinal bird perched on a thin branch in front of loose green suggestions of foliage.
January 31, 2025 at 6:50 PM
melissamurray.bsky.social
A little work-in-progress trying to use more traditional media for my illustrations this year.

#kidlitart #kidlit #dodo #WIP #watercolor
Watercolor illustration of a pink and blue-colored dodo bird on a pale green background.
January 4, 2025 at 11:42 PM
melissamurray.bsky.social
Happy Thanksgiving!🍁🦃 Here’s a turkey I saw waiting to cross the road a few years ago.
Photo of a wild turkey leaning forward with its leg raised standing near the side of a road.
November 28, 2024 at 3:59 PM
melissamurray.bsky.social
Authors! Let's start a chain of posts of your FIRST published book. "Quote post" the cover, a link, and three words about it.

I don’t have a published book yet, but here’s my first published illustration. In a children’s literary magazine when I was in the 2nd grade.
Children’s pencil illustration of a stylized giraffe in front of some also stylized trees. The chapter title above is: 2. Beasts, Bugs and Bacteria.
November 26, 2024 at 2:29 AM
melissamurray.bsky.social
This one is just a sketch, but I couldn’t resist this prompt because green is my favorite color.

If you see this, quote repost with something green. 💚

#kidlitart #illustration
Heavily textured, digital sketch of a cute ghost wearing a pirate hat and reading a treasure map as he sits in a rowboat.
November 16, 2024 at 9:14 PM
melissamurray.bsky.social
Hi #kidlitchat! I’m an author/illustrator making mostly picture books and working on a MG novel and a graphic novel. I studied marine biology in school and find that background often works its way into my stories. I found my way to these weekly chats when I joined Bluesky earlier this year.
Digital illustration of a red-orange anglerfish breathing out bubbles under a rock in the deep, dark sea. Text says: Author + Illustrator; melissamurray.net.
November 13, 2024 at 2:29 AM
melissamurray.bsky.social
It’s #kidlitartpostcard day! I’m an #authorillustrator interested in PB, BB, MG & illustrating/lettering for book covers & chapter books.

A lot of my inspiration comes from my biology background and I love making STEM topics fun and accessible for kids.

Currently seeking representation. #kidlitart
Illustrated postcard of giraffes on a yellow and brown-spotted, giraffe-patterned background. On the left is a portrait of a giraffe with closed eyes and big eyelashes wearing a flower crown. In the middle is a spot illustration on a pink oval background of a giraffe wearing a green baseball cap and holding a bat in her mouth as she hits a baseball with the hand-lettered sound effect, “THWACK!”. In the bottom right is another small portrait of a giraffe wearing a gold crown with green accents. The postcard says: Author + Illustrator; melissamurray.net, melissajmurrayart@gmail.com
November 7, 2024 at 10:08 AM
melissamurray.bsky.social
Some late night painting. Happy Halloween everyone! 🎃 👻 🐈‍⬛
Digital illustration of an orange jack-o-lantern pumpkin on a dark blue background with a tan ground. Lots of textured scribbling and patterning. The jack-o-lantern’s smile/teeth spell out: “Happy Halloween”.
October 31, 2024 at 6:50 AM
melissamurray.bsky.social
Sketches of a few of my favorite traditional art supplies (but painted digitally on my iPad). #kidlitart #still-life
Digital sketch of art supplies. A tube of green gouache paint, a sharpened graphite pencil, a flower-shaped porcelain paint palette and an angle-shaped bristle paintbrush. On a purple background with layers of fuschia and green on the edges.
October 27, 2024 at 6:42 PM
melissamurray.bsky.social
I saw some of the Orionids meteor shower the other night when I went out to look for the comet.
Silhouettes of leaves framing a meteor streaking across the sky at sunset.
October 25, 2024 at 9:44 PM
melissamurray.bsky.social
illustration of a ghost wearing a pirate hat in a rowboat with paddles.
October 25, 2024 at 1:42 AM
melissamurray.bsky.social
Ella loves dressing up in hats. They let her transform into a baseball player, a chef, a glamorous movie star and more! But, how can she choose what to be …😫?

If ELLA WEARS MANY HATS…🤔—maybe she doesn’t have to choose? 🎩 🧢 👒 +🦒

#PB #skypitch
Digital illustration of a giraffe wearing a baseball cap and holding a baseball bat in her mouth on a pink and green background. The giraffe stands on home plate and has just hit a baseball. Sound effect says: “ Thwack!”
October 24, 2024 at 3:07 AM
melissamurray.bsky.social
Bea lived with her flock on an island. When her favorite tambalacoque fruit finally ripened, this distracted dodo ate up! Meanwhile—her whole flock disappeared…Oh no!

DODO? OH NO! (A COUNTDOWN TO EXTINCTION) shows how invasive species—including humans—led to the extinction of the dodo. #skypitch
In-progress digital illustration of a sad dodo bird sitting on a colorful tropical island staring at a board of portrait paintings. The portraits are of other dodo birds and have X’s crossing them out. On the right the dodo looks up through foliage at a flock of parakeets flying overhead.
October 23, 2024 at 7:18 PM
melissamurray.bsky.social
Deep in the dark, Blip (a lightless anglerfish) feels a lot of pressure—sometimes cozy—sometimes crushing.

When a submarine shines a light, she wonders if life in the ocean isn’t as dark as she thought? Can she swim past her fears on a bioluminescent journey in BLIP IN THE DEEP, DARK SEA? #skypitch
Montage of digital illustrations of a red-orange angler fish. One is a Polaroid-type profile photo with a post-it note labeled, anglerfish and another of the fish character blowing bubbles under a rock in a desolate looking, dark sea. On the right is Polaroid-style illustration of a spherical deep-ocean submarine that is shaped similarly to an anglerfish.
October 23, 2024 at 10:17 AM
melissamurray.bsky.social
Can’t decide if I want to finish this piece with a little window or a big window… 🤔

#WIP #kidlitart
Digital illustration of a little boy putting on neon green-framed glasses as he wakes up. He is sitting up in bed wearing red, green and light blue striped pajamas under a fluffy navy blue comforter. He is looking out a small window with the sun shining through open curtains. Digital illustration of a little boy putting on neon green-framed glasses as he wakes up. He is sitting up in bed wearing red, green and light blue striped pajamas under a fluffy navy blue comforter. He is looking out a very large window with the sun shining through open curtains.
October 18, 2024 at 12:44 AM
melissamurray.bsky.social
Another abstracted botanical-type drawing I made recently. Marker and pens on Copic paper; A4 size.

#painting #abstract #art #drawing #wallart #botanical
Organic, wavy, ribbon-like lines drawn in marker and pen with linear leaf shapes incorporated. Color palette is pale pink, yellow-orange, chartreuse and blues.
October 11, 2024 at 1:23 PM
melissamurray.bsky.social
Marker and pen drawing on paper; A4 size.

#painting #abstract #art #drawing #wallart #botanical
Marker and pen drawing of pink and lavender swooping lines and botanical elements including abstracted maranta plant leaves.
October 10, 2024 at 3:13 PM