Jacob Souva

@jacobsouva

Hello 👋… my name is Jacob Souva and I’m an illustrator and author of books for kids. I’m rep’d by Jen Rofé of Andrea Brown Literary Agency. ✨ www.twofishillustration.com/links ✏️

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Jacob Souva@jacobsouva· Jun 19

New 5 #kidlit #kidliart things from the studio this week: 1. Working on a book dummy 2. Biz mind vs creating mind in times of financial stress 3. AI poem that made me tear up 4. A book and a zine worth 👀 5. Kidlit biz resources open.substack.com/pub/jacobsou...

Jacob Souva@jacobsouva· Jun 10

New for paid subscribers: ⚡️Standing Out in the Age of Slop (How I’m thinking about AI as a picturebook maker) (Featuring my Mom’s fiber art — she rocks) Link: open.substack.com/pub/jacobsou... #kidlit #kidlitart

Jacob Souva@jacobsouva· Jun 4

It's #kidLitArtPostcard day! Keeping with today's theme of illustrating yourself as a kid - here's me enjoying a roll in the dirt (and yes, it's hard to work without hands). ➡️ My work is here: www.twofishillustration.com/my-work 💪 I'm rep'd by @jenrofe.bsky.social of @andreabrownlit.bsky.social

a worm emerges happy from the earth for Spring.

Jacob Souva@jacobsouva· May 28

Wrote about my optimistic plan for #kidlitart #kidlit when the industry is jittery and moving slow: substack.com/@jacobsouva/... (Also made some brand new art which was super-nice and felt very good to work out!)

A bug stands on a flower wondering what’s next

Jacob Souva@jacobsouva· May 7

It’s #kidlitartpostcard day! I’m an author-illustrator who loves texture and color and quirky stories with heart. ⚡️my portfolio: www.twofishillustration.com/my-work ⭐️ my agent is @jenrofe.bsky.social #kidlit #kidlitart

A pig looks lovingly at a messy canvas and declares “this is real mess!”

Jacob Souva@jacobsouva· Apr 22

Wrote a bit about what my #kidlit #kidlitart newsletter is about and why I think it's continuing to grow. I like it 😜 open.substack.com/pub/jacobsou... (Free and paid options. I promise honesty and authenticity and post on a schedule) Subscribe ➜ jacobsouva.substack.com/welcome

Jacob Souva@jacobsouva· Apr 10

Thinking about adding this automatically to the bottom of all of my newsletters. #kidlit #kidlitart

Jacob Souva@jacobsouva· Apr 2

Hey! It's #kidlitartpostcard day! These illos are from the forthcoming book #4 in the Big Big series The Boy with Big, Big Energy (by Britney Winn Lee, @beamingbooksmn.bsky.social) I'm rep'd by @jenrofe.bsky.social of @andreabrownlit.bsky.social ⚡️http://www.twofishillustration.com/my-work

A boy jumps from rock to rock with energy flowing with every leap!

A boy hits a stick on a log, like kids do.

Jacob Souva@jacobsouva· Mar 5

Hey! It's #kidlitartpostcard day. I'm an author and illustrator of picture books. I love smart, quirky stories with memorable characters and rewarding page turns. I'm rep'd by @jenrofe.bsky.social of @andreabrownlit.bsky.social. 🌟 Portfolio: www.twofishillustration.com/my-work #kidlit #kidlitart

A crab looks around obviously lost. He's playing a trumpet in the ocean, alone. The text reads "Crab wasn't lost."

Jacob Souva@jacobsouva· Feb 21

Post a monster! 😉

A monster blowing bubbles. Text reads “Doing monster things”

Jacob Souva@jacobsouva· Feb 17

It's Whirby's book birthday! I'm so proud of this book. I took a lot of chances and am really proud of the final collaboration with author @mollyharris.bsky.social and the @harperkids.bsky.social team! ⚡️🤖 www.harpercollins.com/products/whi... #kidlit #kidlitart

New Book! Available wherever good books are sold!

Jacob Souva@jacobsouva· Feb 5

It's #kidlitartpostcard day! I'm an author and illustrator of books for kids. I'm keen to illustrate smart, quirky stories (and have a few of my own). ★ Here's more of my work: www.twofishillustration.com/my-work ➽ I'm rep'd by @jenrofe.bsky.social of @andreabrownlit.bsky.social.

A pig is painting a messy picture smiling. The text reads "This is a real mess!" thought pig.

Jacob Souva@jacobsouva· Jan 27

I sometimes create a special landing page version of my website to celebrate a new book. I created this for Whirby (written by @mollyharris.bsky.social and illustrated by me). ✨Check it out: www.twofishillustration.com 🤖 Preorder: bookshop.org/a/78983/9780...

New landing page featuring Whirby, a robot and some art from the forthcoming book.

Jacob Souva@jacobsouva· Jan 23

"This is a real mess!" thought pig. #kidlit #kidlitart

A pig is happily making a mess of an art project.

Jacob Souva@jacobsouva· Jan 16

Doing monster things. #kidlit #kidlitart

A teenage monster blowing bubbles, flying above the sky.

Jacob Souva@jacobsouva· Jan 8

It's #kidlitartpostcard day! I'm an author and illustrator who loves texture and color and quirky stories with whimsy. I'm open to new projects! My agent is @jenrofe.bsky.social of @andreabrownlit.bsky.social. ★ More work here: www.andreabrownlit.com/illustrator/... #kidlit #kidlitart

A mouse is over-prepared for a journey. He's got all his stuff strapped to his back.

Jacob Souva@jacobsouva· Jan 2

I decided to finish out my #folktaleweek 2025 for the New Year. Seemed apropos. Joy to you in 2026! #kidlit #kidlitart

Jacob Souva@jacobsouva· Dec 5

Hey, is it still #folktaleweek 2025? No. Sigh. I'm still going to work through the remaining prompts because I'm learning a ton and enjoying the process very much. This image is for CHARM. (Included the 2nd to show how it repeats on the horizontal.) 1-4 here: open.substack.com/pub/jacobsou...

A charmed snake winds itself around a mystical setting. The charmer is playing a flute/horn.

Jacob Souva@jacobsouva· Dec 4

Happy #KidLitArtPostcard day to all who celebrate. I'm an author and illustrator rep'd by @jenrofe.bsky.social of @andreabrownlit.bsky.social. ✨ My Work: www.twofishillustration.com This image is from the forthcoming Whirby (by @mollyharris.bsky.social, HarperCollins Feb '26). Proud!

A teacher robot is in conversation with a small yellow robot named Whirby, who has just woken up and is on a medical bed.

Jacob Souva@jacobsouva· Nov 20

Day 4 of #folktaleweek2025: BOOK Had a lot of fun thinking through what I wanted to say with this as a story. I like where it landed. (Books make a new home, lift us up) #kidlit #kidlitart #folktaleweek

A man is carried along by the power of a book to a new home. Hands are reaching for the book.

Jacob Souva@jacobsouva· Nov 20

It's #folktaleweek2025 day 3: RAIN Having fun with this format conceptually. Had this thought at Milkwood this year. Does the sun recognize rains importance? Are they equals? Is the earth just thankful for their dance? #kidlitart #kidlit #folktaleweek

A burning tree, rain, a growing tree - a sun.

Jacob Souva@jacobsouva· Nov 19

It's day 2 of #folktaleweek2025 #folktaleweek: ECHO I'm enjoying working under these constraints: 1. a triptych format (check it out on IG to see it broken up) 2. flat folk-inspired style 3. same color palette 4. tell a weird story Having fun per usual! #kidlit #kidlitart

A weird bat character is using echo location on a gem that may or may not be magnifying it and calling to an old lady at the mouth of a cave.

Jacob Souva@jacobsouva· Nov 18

I'm participating in #folktaleweek2025. Prompt 1: NIGHT To see this in triptych form, check it out over on IG. The challenge this week was to: 1. Make a triptych. 2. Use a flat folk-inspired style. 3. Tell a story. 4. Same color palette all week. #folktaleweek #kidlit #kidlitart

A bird, a magician and a wind of string in the night.

Jacob Souva@jacobsouva· Nov 7

Busy week in the studio! Here’s a bird I made goofing around instead of working and some things that caught my attention: ✨ open.substack.com/pub/jacobsou... #kidlit #kidlitart

Jacob Souva@jacobsouva· Nov 6

Hey! It's #KidLitArtPostcard day. I'm an author/illustrator of books for kids. I try to work texture and color into everything I do. I love manuscripts that are quirky, funny, and have a load of heart. I'm rep'd by @jenrofe.bsky.social of @andreabrownlit.bsky.social. ✨ www.twofishillustration.com

A girl in black and white climbs a ladder and uses a bullhorn to make a creative proclamation. Lots of colored items and movement are coming out of the bullhorn.

Jacob Souva@jacobsouva· Oct 31

Happy Halloween, you ghouls. (Final prompt for #ABLArt "Trunk or Treat" @jenrofe.bsky.social @andreabrownlit.bsky.social) #kidlit #kidlitart

A creepy chest sits in a jungle at night. Weird flowers look on. A tiny voice emanates from within ... "help?"

Jacob Souva@jacobsouva· Oct 23

This week's prompt for #ABLArt was "Chats by the Cauldron" ... Had fun thinking outside of the first idea and pushing into something more creative. I also really enjoy illustrating spiders lol #kidlit #kidlitart @jenrofe.bsky.social @andreabrownlit.bsky.social

A busy spider is toiling over a makeshift cauldron that also happens to be a frankenmonsters head.

Jacob Souva@jacobsouva· Oct 16

"Ghostly Encounters" - The 3rd prompt for #ABLArt and @andreabrownlit.bsky.social. Had fun with this conceptually. It started to be something when I made the boy annoyed rather than scared. #kidlit #kidlitart I'm rep'd by @jenrofe.bsky.social

Jacob Souva@jacobsouva· Oct 16

Didn’t see this until now. Sadly I’m working on drinking my coffee and sitting in my chair. 15 hours ago I *was* working on this:

A boy ponders a flower that has grown a planet that resembles Saturn. The text reads “Living in discovery is at all times preferable to living through assumptions.” - Rick Rubin

Jacob Souva@jacobsouva· Oct 14

A wee bit late - BUT - here's my #ABLArtfest entry for "The Crystal Ball Reveals..." A bit of a departure style-wise, but had fun going where it wanted to. Also the familiars and fish made me smile. @andreabrownlit.bsky.social @jenrofe.bsky.social