About Tessa Blackham

Portrait of Tessa Blackham, children's book author and illustrator

Tessa Blackham is a writer and illustrator of picture books.

Her use of gouache, relief-printing with plants, charcoal, and collage make her illustrations delicate and dynamic. Dry media is her favorite because she loves having direct contact with the paper, giving her more control and the ability to erase :)

No, she was never a ballerina, but her 5-year-old self believes she is. And yes, a whale befriended her while she was on a kayak in Hawaii.

About me

Tessa received her BFA in Illustration in Utah where she grew up. She now resides in Washington State on a Pacific Northwest island in the woods with her family.

Select Clients:

  • Atheneum Books for Young Readers
  • Christy Ottaviano Books
  • Ripple Grove Press
  • The Friend Magazine
  • Minted