We sat down with Children’s Illustrator Brie Schmida spoke all about her passion for art, and her journey to becoming an illustrator.

Here’s what Brie’s Agent Anna Zieger has said about working with her: “Brie is truly one of a kind. Her professionalism and ease to work with are only surpassed by her visionary talent and unique creativity, consistently demonstrated time and again. Working with her has been an absolute joy. Keep an eye on Brie; she’s a rising star.”

What are your earliest memories of art/creating?

I become truly interested in real art in my early teens, the reason for which I’ll explain in the next question. I do recall having a few special edition VHS Disney movies that included a behind-the-scenes segment on the visual development of the films. I vividly remember being about 5 years old and watching the artists meticulously paint every leaf in the Sleeping Beauty backgrounds by hand!

I grew up in a wonderful family where my parents always placed special emphasis on creative pastimes. Our home was always full of music, literature, and outdoor play. Still, to this day, at any point in time, you will find someone in my family making soap, whittling, playing an instrument, quilting, or naturally dyeing cloth!

Images from Brie’s childhood

How did you get started in Illustration and what has your journey been like?

As mentioned above, my personal artistic endeavours didn’t really develop until I was in my early teens. Around the same time I started drawing, I fell from a horse which caused a serious and degenerative condition called a Cerebrospinal Fluid Leak. You can read more about the condition here. It’s an incredibly painful condition; so much so that after 8 years I could no longer sit upright without a lot of pain. Before I was injured I was extremely active so I really believe I began drawing out of sheer desperation for something to do! I remember propping up a sketchbook and drawing even while laying flat in bed. Thankfully, I was able to find a doctor to surgically repair the damage to my spine and am on the long road to complete recovery. The silver lining in the cloud is that now I get to draw every day!

What brought you to Bright?

I used to work full time in visual development for animated film. Initially I had only intended illustration to be a side gig. However, more recently there have been some big issues with hiring in the film industry; so what started out as a side gig has now become my full-time job! I love working with Bright agents and am really enjoying the freedom that freelance provides. Bright has welcomed me with open arms and has really surpassed all my expectations!

Who or what has been your key influences as an illustrator?

I can’t talk about influences without mentioning my incredible mentor Craig Elliott. He is my biggest inspiration and one of my best friends! I feel very fortunate to be one of the lucky ones that gets to learn under his tutelage. Classic literature is also a huge source of inspiration for me. Anne of Green Gables, Gone with the Wind, and Jane Eyre are a few of my favourites. I am also very much inspired by film. Villeneuve’s Dune, Francis Ford Coppola’s Black Stallion, Masterpiece Theatre’s Endeavour, and Tran Anh Hung’s The Taste of Things each exemplify the atmospheric otherworldly feeling I strive to capture in my work.

Where are you from and how does that affect your work?

I’m from a small family-run farm near the California coast. Strangely, I very rarely draw anything literally inspired by my life on the farm. The beauty of nature, however, is always there in the back of my mind and is probably what influences my love of painting scattered light through leaves, dust, dirt, and lots of clouds!

Images from Brie’s families farm

How do you approach a new project/brief?

All of my projects start with a good amount of Pinterest boarding, research, and shower thoughts. I will often mull over compositions in my head for a while before actually drawing them out. If I need specific pose reference I usually ask a family member, a friend, or if no one is to hand, I photograph myself — these especially will never EVER see the light of day! Many of my projects are history or non-fiction based and need a significant amount of research before I ever put pen to paper. It’s always best to be as accurate as possible!

What is your favourite part of the illustration process?

That’s a hard question! I love every step but I am especially fond of painting the textural details that bring a piece to life. A little colour variation here; a bit of dust and grime there—it really takes a painting to the next level when those details are added. I also really love the thumbnail process because it provides endless opportunities to find a unique way to depict a story.

How did it feel to see your work in the world for the first time?

It’s wonderful! The first book cover I ever had published was actually just last year so the feeling is still fresh. If I am honest, though, I am never 100% happy with any of my work (the curse of an artist!) and usually always see something I wish I could change later on. Usually, the image I have in my head is always 1000 times better! Seeing my work published on a real-life book gives me great joy, however, and I am always very excited when new copies land in my mailbox.

How do you continue to develop and refine your skills?

My problem is that I want to learn everything all at once! Usually, I end up going through frenzied phases of learning something I am extremely interested in at the time. Recently it’s been a lot of colour studies and costume design. If I see a film with beautiful cinematography I just have to paint it! I have also found that artists with specialties are very generous and will often answer questions and give helpful references and tips on how to improve. I love Loomis’ books for anatomy and James Gurney’s books for colour. I don’t get to draw traditionally as often as I would like but I love to practice heads and hands with blue Prismacolor pencil or a trusty 4B pencil.

Little Brie | Grown up Brie

What does a typical day in the studio look like for you?

After I do my morning chores (which includes milking our goat Clementine) I will have a quick walk before starting my work day. I usually start with responding to emails and making a list of projects I need to tackle. These I put in order according to deadline date. I nearly always turn on some music; oftentimes soundtracks. I am one of those that can’t listen to podcasts or audiobooks. I get so engrossed in my painting that I hear absolutely none of it! I have a Cintiq 16 that I do all of my painting on. I take lots of breaks throughout the day to keep from getting too stagnant. I take another longer walk with my dog Olive after work to get all of my jitters out so I can relax for the rest of the evening.

Do you have any dream clients or projects?

Absolutely! I have way too many! One that I’d rank above all is to work on some sort of retelling of The Secret Garden, whether it be a film or a storybook. A few other dream projects would be to design costumes for a live-action film, illustrate a graphic novel, and maybe even write a script that gets made into a movie! I would also love to work on projects that work to bring ancient history to life! Another dream project is actually in the works right now—and I’ll be working alongside my very talented sister! I’m keeping that one a secret for now, though.

For dream clients I’d say for development a dream would be to work with Sony or Dreamworks. They are both breaking the mold as far as what can be done with stylistic animation and I find that really exciting.

Do you have any exciting projects coming up?

November will see the release of my first children’s book written by Susan Jacobs Lipshaw! It’s about the Yellowstone Supervolcano. I am also working in conjunction with my talented sister to develop a children’s book we want to pitch. 2025 is also shaping up to be a big year for the release of multiple secret projects so stay tuned!

If you could give one piece of advice to aspiring artists, what would it be?

Remember: comparison is the thief of joy! If you really must compare, it’s much better to compare your new work to your old work. This way you’ll see how much progress you’ve actually made! Don’t compare your work to others; be inspired by the work of others. If you admire an artist, send them an email and ask them questions about their process. If you want to draw like them, then get inside their head! Asking questions is the number one way to increase your bank of knowledge. One tiny tip could change everything!

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To work with Brie, get in contact with her agent Anna Zieger here.