Artist Feature - Alessandra Fusi Jan 17 2023

We are starting this year off strong by highlighting the award-winning illustrator Alessandra Fusi. Her whimsical, painterly work brings any project to life!

Alessandra was born and raised in Rome where she eventually attended the IED institute of Art and Design, graduating in illustration and multimedia animation in 2006. She has been working as an illustrator in publishing and licensing since. She has also had paintings exhibited in various solo and collective art shows across Italy, Europe, and the United States. 

Her painterly style really captures a viewer's attention. She even developed her own technique to have her watercolor painting fit the more digital world of publishing:

"During the process I also developed a new technique that lets me incorporate watercolor splashes into my digital paintings, allowing me to give a certain texture that I liked and suited the illustrations too."

This technique was perfected for her illustrations for the award-winning title Dragon World published by DK in 2021. Alessandra talks about how this is her favorite project she has worked on so far:

"I loved working on Dragon World, exploring the lore of these mythical creatures in all the different cultures of the world. It's been a long process, but a beautiful one for me. Since the beginning of my career, I have always loved myth and fantasy creatures, so having the opportunity to delve so deep into all the folklore that revolves around Dragons was a great experience for me."

Being a big fan of fantasy, this project was perfect! She loves working on all sorts of magical stories and fairy tales. In the future, Alessandra hopes to continue working on more fairytales, folk, and mythological narratives. 

"I love to portray both classic and modern subjects and characters through my work, but the Golden Age of illustration and traditional fairytale mannerisms have a very special place in my heart. I have a huge passion for [it]."

She also plans to work on more book covers this year, particularly for Young Adult novels. She has been working with agent Erin on some samples which will be ready soon!

Helping illustrators follow their passions and work in areas they’re interested in is part of the job for us agents at Advocate. Alessandra said:

"I love how the agency is very attentive and focused on what I would like to work on and the direction I wish to take my portfolio and my career. Also, and this is very important, they have been an invaluable help when work-related difficulties ensued."

We look forward to continuing our support and seeing all the great things Alessandra creates in 2023!

Interested in seeing more? Click HERE to see Alessandra's full portfolio!

Awards:

2021 Northern Lights Book Awards Winners

Winner of the Religious/Spiritual Category

I Wonder: Exploring God’s Grand Story

Author: Glenys Nellist

Illustrator: Alessandra Fusi

Publisher: Zonderkids

Outreach resources for the year 2022

I Wonder: Exploring God’s Grand Story

Nonfiction Title for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Dragon World

by Tamara Macfarlane.

illus. by Alessandra Fusi.

DK. Mar. 2021. ISBN 9780744027655. 

Advocate Art illustration agency specializes in art licensing and children’s book illustrations. Based in London, Seville, New York, L.A., and Singapore, we represent leading illustrators who produce children's and decorative work to commission or license.