Malory is a Colombian children’s book illustrator based in Seoul. Drawing has been a passion for Malory since she was 6 years old. Her earliest influences are mostly from Japanese anime and manga, and her more recent inspirations come from storytellers like Neil Gaiman and Dr. Seuss. Before committing to illustration as a full-time profession, she had the privilege of being a teacher for children aged 3 to 11. Being exposed to kids’ creativity and their way of interpreting the world inspired her to pursue a career in children's and middle-grade literature. Curiosity and play spark her illustration ideas and motivate her to create. As a teenager, she primarily used charcoal, oils, and watercolors. As an adult, she is more familiar with digital mediums and uses Photoshop and Procreate for illustrations and Clip Studio Paint for comics.
Malory was living in Asia when she decided to become an illustrator and so she struggled to find a community that understood her background and context. She created the community “Latinas en Ilustración” (Latinas in Illustration), which shares the art and voices of other Latin American women artists. The community has grown to 500 members and runs a podcast.
Malory loves to express herself through comics and published an autobiographical webtoon on the Webtoon platform to share what life in a faraway land is like with her husband and two cats. Her first and dearest project was illustrating a zine for the creator of “Belleza Absurda” (Absurd Beauty), in which she shares the seven steps to finding inner beauty she learned after recovering from an accident that left 65% of her body scarred.
When she’s not drawing, she loves playing video games, reading, and watching animated shows. She’s also a morning person who enjoys being outside, touching the grass, and feeling the sun.