My name is Violeta Zamora- Agg, I’m an illustrator living in Surrey.
I began my illustration journey by creating patterns for textile design, focusing on the kids' market. My designs all had a narrative element in common, I aimed to tell little stories through my patterns, like a group of bears preparing for winter or raccoons sneaking food from sleepy campers in the middle of the night.
Over time, I realized I wanted to create longer narratives, and picture book illustration became the perfect medium to nurture and expand my storytelling abilities
In December 2024, I graduated from the 2023–2024 Pathways into Children’s Publishing program, a two-year specialization in Picture Book Publishing.
My style is inspired by midcentury picture books, fashion, cartoons, and stop-motion animation. I’m particularly fond of the character design from Hanna-Barbera, Peanuts, and the Rankin/Bass specials.
I love blending digital techniques with analog textures and am currently diving deeper into traditional methods, experimenting with gouache, pencil, and charcoal. I’m also exploring screen printing as a way to expand my creative expression.
I take great joy in bringing my characters to life and helping them find a story to tell.
Additionally, I’ve received training from publishers such as Quarto, Bloomsbury, Nosy Crow, and Walker Books.
Mentored by: - Maisie Paradise-Sherridan “Orange Beak”
Joe Todd-Stanton
Sarah Horne
I also trained with character designer Nate Wragg to enhance my character design skills and expand my offerings as a character designer for animation and toys.
Thank you for visiting my site and please don’t forget to check my portfolio.
EDUCATION
-Bachelor's Degree in Journalism: Graduated with Honors, Universidad Latina de Costa Rica (2014)
-Postgraduate Degree in Media Production: Graduated with Honors, Universidad Latina de Costa Rica (2015)
-Photography courses Universidad Veritas
-Fashion Design courses Universidad Creativa de Costa Rica
-Performing Arts courses Universidad de Costa Rica
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Pathways into Children’s Publishing: 2023-2024
Creating an Illustrated album- Laboratorio Emilia de Madrid
Illustrating Picture Books- Curtis Brown
Art of Illustration: Bournemouth Arts University
Character Design for Production: CGMASTER Academy
Character Design for Freelancers: CGMASTER Academy,
Character Design for Animation: CGMASTER Academy
Surface Pattern Design: Make it in Design
Creative Writing: Bournemouth Arts University
Writing the Satire: Online Second City Toronto
Fundamentals of Graphic Design: California Institute of the Arts.
“Courage is like a muscle. We strengthen it with use.”