Heidi Marie Smith is a character designer and illustrator who is widely known for her contributions as the character and conceptual designer for ParaNorman, a critically acclaimed animated feature film that won numerous awards. In 2013, Heidi received an Annie Award for her exceptional designs in the movie, and in 2017, Heidi illustrated her very first picture book, Lovely Beasts: The Surprising Truth, which won the Bull-Bransom Award in 2019 for excellence in the field of children’s book illustration with a focus on nature and wildlife. It’s safe to say Heidi is an accomplished and profoundly talented artist, but you didn’t need to know all of the above to know that. A single glance at her portfolio would be enough, with subject matter ranging from animals to superheroes we know and love, Heidi has truly mastered her craft.
The first thing we noticed when we came across Heidi’s artwork on Instagram was the overall softness of each piece. While intricately detailed and incredibly precise, it’s also remarkably delicate. There’s so much feeling and texture throughout her art, it’s hard not to get lost in the details, however, her subject matter is also something that speaks to us. We love looking at the wild animals with varying facial expressions or the random characters Heidi dreams up, and even though the majority of her work is monochromatic and done with a charcoal pencil, they’re all completely different and uniquely compelling. It’s hard to not get a pang of good feelings while viewing her art, especially when you can see just how many others adore her style and talent.
Check out a few of our favorites below, follow Heidi on Instagram here, and check out her full portfolio here.
