Maria Ledneva is a children’s book and commercial illustrator working with watercolor and digital media, creating warm, expressive, and subtly humorous visual narratives.

Her work is driven by a strong focus on visual storytelling, character development, and composition. She illustrates children’s books with the aim of creating engaging, character-led imagery that supports the text while adding depth and emotional nuance to the story.

Alongside her illustration practice, Maria teaches drawing classes for children, giving her direct insight into how young audiences perceive images, respond to visual language, and connect with characters — an understanding she brings into her work.

Her experience includes illustrations for the children’s theatre “Mamut,” educational materials for bilingual children learning Russian, as well as independent and commercial projects.

Maria studied illustration at the Graphic Design Faculty of BBE School.

She is open to collaborations with publishers, literary agents, authors, and brands.