Melissa Crowton

Melissa Crowton is a Utah-based illustrator who brings vibrant color and bold shapes to life through a playful mix of collage and digital art. She starts her process with detailed collages, which she then scans and layers with digital touches, creating richly textured pieces that critics love for their energy and charm.

Known for her stylistic adaptability, Melissa gravitates toward stories rooted in everyday moments, often showcasing intimate personality and social dynamics. And her very favorite thing to draw is anthropomorphized animals. 

Some of Melissa’s recent project highlights were working on Jill Essbaum’s It’s Corn Picking Time! and Pat Zietlow Miller’s In Our Garden, the latter chosen for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library—an exciting and meaningful milestone. Looking ahead, Melissa is eager to dive further into humor, write her own stories, and try her hand at new formats such as easy readers.

When she is not illustrating, Melissa fuels her creative spark by wandering gardens, hunting vintage treasures, exploring interior design, and collecting old photos.