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# Lessons from Elizabeth Lilly
- URL: https://www.antoinebuteau.com/lessons-from-elizabeth-lilly/
- Published: 2026-07-01T20:45:35.000Z
- Updated: 2026-07-18T21:36:47.000Z
- Description: Elizabeth Lilly, an author, illustrator, and animator, draws Geraldine and Let Me Fix You a Plate from her biracial Latina heritage and mobile childhood, showing how character design, pacing, and personal history can work together in visual storytelling.
- Author: Antoine Buteau
- Tags: Profile, Media & Communication Profiles

![Visual summary of operating lessons from Elizabeth Lilly.](https://www.antoinebuteau.com/content/images/2026/07/lessons-from-elizabeth-lilly-profile-infographic.webp)

## Lessons from Elizabeth Lilly

Baltimore-based author, illustrator, and animator Elizabeth Lilly grounds her best-known picture books, *Geraldine* and *Let Me Fix You a Plate*, in her biracial Latina heritage and a childhood spent constantly moving. This collection breaks down her practical methods for character design and pacing, alongside the exact ways she translates personal history into visual storytelling.

### Part 1: Identity and Belonging

1. **On the isolation of moving:** "She frequently changed schools as a child, an experience that heavily influenced her debut book about an awkward giraffe trying to fit in." — [*Source: \[Deborah Kalb Q&A*](https://deborahkalbbooks.blogspot.com/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
2. **On finding comfort:** "During lonely periods as the new kid, she relied on books and fictional characters for companionship and stability." — [*Source: \[Cynthia Leitich Smith’s Blog*](https://cynthialeitichsmith.com/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
3. **On standing out:** "Her work addresses the intense discomfort of being the only one of a certain kind in a new environment, a feeling she experienced firsthand." — [*Source: \[The Children’s Book Podcast*](https://matthewcwinner.com/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
4. **On biracial identity:** "As a Colombian Latina who grew up in the United States, she uses picture books to explore the duality of her heritage and the tension of existing between cultures." — [*Source: \[Las Musas Books*](https://www.lasmusasbooks.com/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
5. **On LGBTQ representation:** "She identifies as a lesbian and aims to create stories where individuality and diverse identities are celebrated rather than hidden." — [*Source: \[Elizabeth Lilly Official Site*](https://www.elizabeth-lilly.com/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
6. **On making space:** "A recurring theme in her writing is the importance of communities deliberately making room for outsiders and latecomers." — [*Source: \[The Children’s Book Podcast*](https://matthewcwinner.com/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
7. **On the immigrant experience:** "She modeled the personality of Geraldine, her giraffe protagonist, directly on the feelings of alienation common to immigrant children." — [*Source: \[Deborah Kalb Q&A*](https://deborahkalbbooks.blogspot.com/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
8. **On authenticity:** "Her narratives suggest that trying to blend in is less effective than simply finding friends who appreciate genuine oddities." — [*Source: \[Play On Words*](https://playonwords.com/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
9. **On self-discovery:** "She views the process of growing up as a continuous struggle to understand and ultimately love the weirdest parts of oneself." — [*Source: \[Elizabeth Lilly Official Site*](https://www.elizabeth-lilly.com/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
10. **On vulnerability:** "She believes that children relate most strongly to characters who openly display their insecurities and fears." — [*Source: \[Baltimore's Child*](https://www.baltimoreschild.com/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*

### Part 2: The Creative Process

1. **On early drafts:** "She begins most of her projects by doodling loose, unstructured sketches of people and animals in her notebook before writing any words." — [*Source: \[Baltimore's Child*](https://www.baltimoreschild.com/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
2. **On finding the emotional core:** "Before outlining a plot, she relies heavily on journaling and talking with family to pin down the specific feeling she wants a book to convey." — [*Source: \[Baltimore's Child*](https://www.baltimoreschild.com/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
3. **On the grueling nature of revision:** "She has spoken openly at universities about the intense, repetitive revision cycles required to get a picture book ready for publication." — [*Source: \[JHU Newsletter*](https://www.jhunewsletter.com/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
4. **On writing dialogue:** "Despite being an author-illustrator, she typically leaves the specific lines of dialogue and narration as the very last step in her process." — [*Source: \[Baltimore's Child*](https://www.baltimoreschild.com/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
5. **On simultaneous development:** "She develops the text and the visual storyboard at the same time, treating them as dependent halves of a single narrative mechanism." — [*Source: \[Baltimore's Child*](https://www.baltimoreschild.com/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
6. **On observation:** "A key part of her idea-generation phase involves sitting in public spaces and drawing strangers, looking for quirks in posture or expression." — [*Source: \[Baltimore's Child*](https://www.baltimoreschild.com/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
7. **On pacing a draft:** "She emphasizes the need to understand how a story feels mechanically before committing to a rigid narrative arc." — [*Source: \[Baltimore's Child*](https://www.baltimoreschild.com/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
8. **On creative block:** "She views periods of stagnation as necessary downtime for the subconscious to sort out complex story problems." — [*Source: \[The Illustration Conference*](https://theillustrationconference.org/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
9. **On knowing when to stop:** "She relies on feedback from trusted peers and loved ones to tell her when a manuscript has reached its final form." — [*Source: \[Baltimore's Child*](https://www.baltimoreschild.com/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*

### Part 3: Visual Storytelling and Illustration

1. **On line work:** "Her signature style relies on loose, concise pen-and-ink lines that prioritize energy and movement over strict anatomical accuracy." — [*Source: \[Elizabeth Lilly Official Site*](https://www.elizabeth-lilly.com/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
2. **On avoiding vagueness:** "Reviewers praise her art for its droll realism, noting that her characters wear their emotions plainly rather than hiding behind ambiguous expressions." — [*Source: \[Penguin Random House*](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
3. **On Quentin Blake's influence:** "Her gestural illustration style is frequently compared to Quentin Blake, sharing a similar focus on rapid, expressive character work." — [*Source: \[Play On Words*](https://playonwords.com/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
4. **On color palettes:** "She uses specific color choices to communicate temperature and atmosphere, distinguishing different locations in her books through distinct palettes." — [*Source: \[JHU Newsletter*](https://www.jhunewsletter.com/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
5. **On drafting the visual arc:** "She uses thumbnails and storyboards heavily to map out the visual rhythm before moving to final artwork." — [*Source: \[Baltimore's Child*](https://www.baltimoreschild.com/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
6. **On mixed media:** "In addition to ink, she frequently incorporates painted watercolor backgrounds to give her settings a warm, lived-in texture." — [*Source: \[Elizabeth Lilly Official Site*](https://www.elizabeth-lilly.com/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
7. **On conveying emotion:** "She believes that a single well-placed gestural line can communicate more about a character's internal state than paragraphs of descriptive text." — [*Source: \[Picture Book Builders*](https://picturebookbuilders.com/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
8. **On page turns:** "She structures her illustrations carefully around the physical act of turning the page, using the gutter to build tension or reveal punchlines." — [*Source: \[The Illustration Conference*](https://theillustrationconference.org/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
9. **On character consistency:** "Keeping a loose drawing style visually consistent across thirty-two pages requires maintaining the exact same emotional headspace throughout the drawing process." — [*Source: \[Baltimore's Child*](https://www.baltimoreschild.com/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*

### Part 4: Heritage and Family History

1. **On the concept of two kitchens:** "Her book Let Me Fix You a Plate contrasts her mother's Colombian kitchen with her father's Appalachian kitchen, using food to explore dual heritage." — [*Source: \[JHU Newsletter*](https://www.jhunewsletter.com/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
2. **On site-specific research:** "To ensure authenticity, she physically traveled back to her family's homes in West Virginia and Florida to study the exact lighting and layout of their kitchens." — [*Source: \[JHU Newsletter*](https://www.jhunewsletter.com/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
3. **On sensory memories:** "She focuses on capturing the specific temperature and ambient noise of family gatherings to ground her stories in reality." — [*Source: \[Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast*](http://blaine.org/sevenimpossiblethings/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
4. **On food as a unifier:** "She views the act of preparing and serving meals as a universal language that bridges cultural divides within families." — [*Source: \[Elizabeth Lilly Official Site*](https://www.elizabeth-lilly.com/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
5. **On capturing atmosphere:** "She altered her artistic techniques between the two halves of Let Me Fix You a Plate to visually separate the snowy mountains of Appalachia from the humid warmth of Florida." — [*Source: \[JHU Newsletter*](https://www.jhunewsletter.com/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
6. **On honoring grandparents:** "Her work serves as a tangible record of her grandparents' habits, routines, and specific ways of showing affection." — [*Source: \[Elizabeth Lilly Official Site*](https://www.elizabeth-lilly.com/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
7. **On multicultural households:** "She aims to validate the experiences of children who grow up navigating wildly different cultural norms depending on which side of the family they are visiting." — [*Source: \[Las Musas Books*](https://www.lasmusasbooks.com/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
8. **On linguistic differences:** "She subtly weaves regional slang and Spanish phrases into her text to reflect the natural cadence of her family's conversations." — [*Source: \[JHU Newsletter*](https://www.jhunewsletter.com/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
9. **On the permanence of tradition:** "She illustrates family recipes not simply as food, but as inherited artifacts that survive geographic displacement." — [*Source: \[Elizabeth Lilly Official Site*](https://www.elizabeth-lilly.com/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*

### Part 5: Developing Characters

1. **On spontaneous ideas:** "The character of Geraldine arrived fully formed in her head as a depressed, awkward giraffe while she was studying at art college." — [*Source: \[Deborah Kalb Q&A*](https://deborahkalbbooks.blogspot.com/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
2. **On animal avatars:** "She frequently uses animal characters as stand-ins for human children, allowing readers to project their own insecurities onto the protagonist." — [*Source: \[Baltimore's Child*](https://www.baltimoreschild.com/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
3. **On character flaws:** "She refuses to write perfect protagonists, preferring characters who make embarrassing mistakes and struggle with social cues." — [*Source: \[Deborah Kalb Q&A*](https://deborahkalbbooks.blogspot.com/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
4. **On body language:** "She designs her characters' postures to reflect their emotional state, drawing them hunched over when sad and expansive when confident." — [*Source: \[Picture Book Builders*](https://picturebookbuilders.com/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
5. **On finding the voice:** "She experiments with different narrative points of view until a character's internal monologue feels distinct and lived-in." — [*Source: \[Baltimore's Child*](https://www.baltimoreschild.com/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
6. **On visual evolution:** "The final design of a character is usually the result of dozens of iterations, slowly stripping away unnecessary details to focus on expressiveness." — [*Source: \[Baltimore's Child*](https://www.baltimoreschild.com/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
7. **On vulnerability in design:** "She intentionally leaves her character sketches looking slightly unpolished to make them feel more accessible and human to young readers." — [*Source: \[The Illustration Conference*](https://theillustrationconference.org/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
8. **On supporting casts:** "She believes that side characters must have their own implied backstories and motivations, even if they only appear on a single page." — [*Source: \[Baltimore's Child*](https://www.baltimoreschild.com/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
9. **On naming characters:** "She selects character names that sound slightly out of place or old-fashioned to emphasize their feelings of isolation." — [*Source: \[Deborah Kalb Q&A*](https://deborahkalbbooks.blogspot.com/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
10. **On emotional arcs:** "She structures her stories so that the character's internal emotional shift is visually mirrored by a change in the book's color palette." — [*Source: \[Baltimore's Child*](https://www.baltimoreschild.com/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*

### Part 6: Animation and Movement

1. **On 2D animation:** "She has a background in frame-by-frame animation, a discipline that heavily informs her understanding of momentum in picture books." — [*Source: \[Las Musas Books*](https://www.lasmusasbooks.com/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
2. **On software tools:** "For her short film projects, such as Takeoff and Landing, she relies on software like TVPaint to manage complex animation sequences." — [*Source: \[Elizabeth Lilly Official Site*](https://www.elizabeth-lilly.com/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
3. **On the illusion of motion:** "She applies animation principles, like squash and stretch, to her static illustrations to make characters feel alive and kinetic on the page." — [*Source: \[The Illustration Conference*](https://theillustrationconference.org/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
4. **On rhythm:** "She views a picture book as a time-based medium, where the reader controls the frame rate through the speed of their page turns." — [*Source: \[Las Musas Books*](https://www.lasmusasbooks.com/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
5. **On visual continuity:** "Her training as an animator taught her the rigorous discipline required to keep a character's volume and proportions consistent from every angle." — [*Source: \[The Illustration Conference*](https://theillustrationconference.org/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
6. **On storyboarding:** "She utilizes standard animation storyboarding techniques to plot out the camera angles and extreme close-ups for her books." — [*Source: \[Baltimore's Child*](https://www.baltimoreschild.com/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
7. **On directing the eye:** "She uses the implied motion of her characters to physically guide the reader's eye toward the text or the edge of the page." — [*Source: \[Picture Book Builders*](https://picturebookbuilders.com/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
8. **On short films:** "She views independent animation as a parallel avenue for storytelling, allowing her to explore narratives that rely more on sound and timing than text." — [*Source: \[Elizabeth Lilly Official Site*](https://www.elizabeth-lilly.com/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
9. **On cross-pollination:** "She frequently imports techniques developed during her animation projects into her book illustration process, such as layering digital textures over traditional ink." — [*Source: \[Elizabeth Lilly Official Site*](https://www.elizabeth-lilly.com/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*

### Part 7: The Life of an Educator

1. **On teaching:** "She serves as an adjunct professor at the Maryland Institute College of Art, where she instructs students in illustration and storytelling." — [*Source: \[MICA Directory*](https://www.mica.edu/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
2. **On guiding students:** "She emphasizes the importance of helping young artists find their own specific voice rather than mimicking current industry trends." — [*Source: \[MICA Directory*](https://www.mica.edu/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
3. **On the value of critique:** "In her classrooms, she fosters environments where rigorous critique is used to strengthen a story's emotional center rather than its technical execution." — [*Source: \[The Illustration Conference*](https://theillustrationconference.org/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
4. **On balancing roles:** "She actively manages the dual demands of maintaining a freelance illustration career while fulfilling her responsibilities as an educator." — [*Source: \[Dream Gardens Podcast*](https://dreamgardens.podbean.com/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
5. **On pedagogical influence:** "Her experience breaking down narratives for her students has naturally made her own storytelling more structured and intentional." — [*Source: \[Las Musas Books*](https://www.lasmusasbooks.com/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
6. **On finding community:** "She stresses to her students that surviving in the arts requires building a strong network of peers for emotional and professional support." — [*Source: \[The Illustration Conference*](https://theillustrationconference.org/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
7. **On continuous learning:** "She views teaching as an opportunity to constantly re-evaluate her own artistic assumptions, rather than a one-way transfer of knowledge." — [*Source: \[MICA Directory*](https://www.mica.edu/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
8. **On practical skills:** "Beyond theory, she teaches her students the practical realities of storyboarding and pitching a book to publishers." — [*Source: \[The Illustration Conference*](https://theillustrationconference.org/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
9. **On artistic instincts:** "A primary goal of her teaching is to help students trust their initial, messy instincts before the pressure of perfectionism sets in." — [*Source: \[Dream Gardens Podcast*](https://dreamgardens.podbean.com/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*

### Part 8: Navigating the Publishing Industry

1. **On debuts:** "Her first book, Geraldine, received significant critical acclaim and taught her the sheer volume of promotion required for a successful launch." — [*Source: \[Publishers Weekly*](https://www.publishersweekly.com/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
2. **On collaboration:** "When illustrating texts written by other authors, such as Jonathan Stutzman's Soon, Your Hands, she focuses on finding a visual subtext that complements the author's words without repeating them." — [*Source: \[Elizabeth Lilly Official Site*](https://www.elizabeth-lilly.com/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
3. **On industry recognition:** "Her work has been honored by the Junior Library Guild and received starred reviews, validating her focus on highly personal, specific narratives." — [*Source: \[Elizabeth Lilly Official Site*](https://www.elizabeth-lilly.com/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
4. **On podcasts:** "She frequently co-hosts and guests on podcasts like Paintbrush In My Coffee Cup, using the medium to demystify the daily reality of being a working illustrator." — [*Source: \[Podcast Addict*](https://podcastaddict.com/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
5. **On author visits:** "She visits schools to speak directly with children, viewing these interactions as vital reality checks for whether her stories are actually connecting with their intended audience." — [*Source: \[The Children’s Book Podcast*](https://matthewcwinner.com/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
6. **On dealing with rejection:** "She openly discusses the rejections and false starts that precede any published book, aiming to normalize failure for aspiring creators." — [*Source: \[Cynthia Leitich Smith’s Blog*](https://cynthialeitichsmith.com/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
7. **On advocating for diversity:** "Through organizations like Las Musas, she actively works to amplify the voices of other Latinx creators in the children's literature space." — [*Source: \[Las Musas Books*](https://www.lasmusasbooks.com/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
8. **On the author-illustrator duality:** "She finds that having control over both the text and the art allows for a cohesive final product, though it increases the solitary workload." — [*Source: \[Dream Gardens Podcast*](https://dreamgardens.podbean.com/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
9. **On professional endurance:** "She describes a career in publishing as a marathon that requires patience and a high tolerance for ambiguity." — [*Source: \[The Illustration Conference*](https://theillustrationconference.org/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
10. **On defining success:** "Ultimately, she measures the success of a book by whether it accurately captures the specific, true feeling she set out to convey, rather than by its sales figures." — [*Source: \[Baltimore's Child*](https://www.baltimoreschild.com/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*