Instagram story viewer> @limlimillustration> Posts

Emily Calimlim

@limlimillustration

897

followers

895

following

picture book illustration
bird art 🦜
custom commissions
Seeking Representation
Available for Work

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

Hello! 👋🏽

I hope everyone had a lovely weekend. I've been spending a lot of time outdoors recently and the weather has been kind. Sunny, not too hot, but it's been awfully windy where I am currently.

I'm making a point to do some serious bird watching for the soon spring migration! I'm at Goose Island State Park in TX and the Gulf Coast is the best place to be! I've gotten two lifers in the form of a long billed thrasher and a great kiskadee ☺️ the kiskadee is a native South American species, so it felt extra special to meet them!

Also there are still whooping cranes and I am too short to see over the hill, so I only saw the tops of their heads 😭 being a short birder is a great disadvantage, hehe.

This illustration is neither thrashers or kiskadees but piping plovers, because I love all of the small shore birds. They're sooo tiny but can survive the thrashing of seas, hurricanes, and flying nearly 1,500 miles without stopping. Do they even know how amazing that is? 🤯🤯🤯
.
.
.
#plovers #shorebirdsofinstagram #birdartwork #smolbean #animalartist by @limlimillustration

25

1

8 months ago

Hi hi! 👋🏽 #portfolioday

Shout out to all art directors, editors, and artist rep agents! I am a traditional watercolor painter looking for work! I am fond of birds but am jazzed by other themes like conservation, ecology, and animal non fiction!

Hope to hear from all those super cool #nonfictionbooks publishers. #kidlitart #picturebookillustrator #childrensbookillustrator by @limlimillustration

35

2

6 months ago

Hey hey! 👋🏽

I hope you are able to find some peace amongst the chaos of the greater world. It totally sucks right now! I've been mostly offline doing art stuff and lots of portfolio building. Like this new illustration of oyster catchers 😊

For some reason, I really like shore birds and I think it's because some part of them is always long. Legs, beaks, necks! Long billed curlews are my favorite little weirdos. Though I've mostly seen them wandering in the grassy parts of the shore rather than the wrack line.

I was fairly pleased with this outcome. The green got a little bit away from me, but all I can do is to do better next time. It's really all any of us can do. ❤️
.
.
.
#shorebirds #greattexascoastalbirdingtrail #nonfictionillustration #animalillustration #naturekids by @limlimillustration

28

1

6 months ago

Hey hey! 👋

I'm still working on my Bords of Affirmation, but we're driving back home to TX and sitting in the car for so many hours is exhausting 😓 I've also been super worried about traveling with our senior cat, as he doesn't love car rides. He's such a champ though, you guys. 😭♥️

Here are two more gentle reminders for you. The words are my own and these are things that I have to tell myself from time to time. Especially recently, with how awful and terrible everything seems.

Give yourself grace, guys. I'm so proud of how far you've come, even when you feel like you haven't made much progress at all.

I read something along the lines of "it's hard to see how far you've gotten when you keep moving the goal posts." Honor the little achievements. The tiny wins that might not feel like much. Getting out of bed is hard. Creating is hard. Showing up here on social media is hard.

It's totally okay to acknowledge that things are hard. It means you overcame hard situations. You can do difficult things, even if slowly. Take care. ☺️
.
.
.
#positiveaffirmations #bordsofaffirmation #birdartist #animalartist #wordsofwisdom by @limlimillustration

23

0

3 days ago

Hi hi! 👋

Why is it perpetually summer in the state of TX? 😭 It feels so gross!

Drew a cute little witch and dryad but I wasn't happy with how the dryad worked out. Not sure if I'll try a different design but this little witch is cute! I'm a big fan of bouncy hair. Her outfit is Maxwell Parrish inspired.

I think I liked it before I added in the turquoise and made the red of the peplum darker. What do you think?
.
.
.
#kidlitart #cutewitch #witchystuff #coloredpencilart #kidillustration by @limlimillustration

11

0

5 days ago

Hey hey! 👋

In addition to working on my Bords of Affirmation project, I've been working in my sketchbook a lot. I don't usually finalize or paint stuff in it because I haven't found a surface that I like. These pages are so thick and so smooooooth!

Anyways, these are magical, mythical girls. Can you guess the monster or magical being these two are based on?

More birds to come soon. We are heading back to TX from CO for the winter and I just really do not want to 😭
.
.
.
#magicalgirls #sketchbookpages #draweveryday✏️ #illustrationforkids #kidlitart by @limlimillustration

16

2

12 days ago

Hi hi! 👋

This is an experiment for my silly little personal project and what I'm doing with my silly little bird paintings. I'm calling them "Bords of Advice".

The world feels so mean, isolated, and unkind. A lot of the time, I find it so difficult to find some bit of humanity to believe in. Interactions feel disingenuous. Self interests are at the fore front of a lot of decision making.

So I want to spread kindness, softness, and affirmations. I want to hype you up and I will believe in you for you. I want you to feel special and seen. I am here for you when things feel heavy.

I think the best thing about this platform is seeing everyone out there being so proud of their crafts and wanting to show it to the class. Why did we stop being authentically curious about one another?

I'm working on a newsletter for Bords of Advice! You can sign up for my newsletters on my website and see more positive birds soon!
.
.
.
#kindnessisfree #bekind #birdart #animalartist #illustration by @limlimillustration

28

4

15 days ago

hi hi! 👋

Please humbly accept my offering for this month's #KidLitArtPostcard !

I am available for work for illustration for children's #picturebooks, fiction and non-fiction. I am also open to other formats!

Especially if you need a #birdartist or naturalist for interpretive signage, posters, and brochures.

#kidlitart #childrensillustrator by @limlimillustration

40

1

16 days ago

Hi hi! 👋

I've not experienced a real fall or autumnal transitioning of the weather in years. We've always traveled to where the weather was the most pleasant for the last four years and this year is the first time I've felt the temperatures drop and the leaves turning yellow. I see why people get excited about soup season and sweaters. 😂

Anyways. These are half-ish of my #avianaugust paintings I'm still doodling on. I changed painting techniques quite a bit as I went down the list. It happens. I always want to try new brush strokes or paint combinations or mediums when I do these challenges. It's also probably why I always think the final illustrations turn out terribly 🫪 😩🦜

But I'm editing a random bunch of my favorites to start an actual personal project. Not like a personal project for a submission or book or portfolio. Like, actually personal.

More vague details soonish! (ultra commitment mode.)
.
.
.
#birdart #wildlifeartist #animalartist #birbs by @limlimillustration

23

1

19 days ago

Fellow animal artists!!

Please consider donating some of your birb challenge, birdtober, avian august or any super cute animal art you have to @animalwondersmontana for their fundraising!!

(I know y'all got a ton of art. It's open for ALL skill levels!)

This organization is very near and dear to my heart as they are looking after my sweetest baby boy, light of life, soul bird, Simon. They graciously took him in when my living situation changed and could not provide him with all of the care and responsibilities required for exotic pets.

Jesse has been SO KIND in keeping me updated on Simon's life at Animal Wonders Montana. He found him a nice lady friend 🥹 they take amazing care of him while I cannot.

Her team works so hard throughout the year providing hands-on workshops, animal interactions at public events, and generally being excited to share and educate everyone about our wildlife.

Please check them out!
.
.
.
#animalartists #birdartist #wildlifeartist #avianaugust2026 #birdtober by @limlimillustration

9

0

22 days ago

Hey hey! 👋

I finally figured out what I want to do with all of my silly little bird paintings and I'm SO MAD that it didn't occur to me sooner or that I spent so much time and anxiety trying to come up with things that I thought other people would like.

I've really really really wanted to put together an artist's shop for soooo long but I've talked myself out of it hundreds of times. Told myself no one wanted anything I'd make or people could purchase art from other bird artists who are 1,000% better than me. And that I was kidding myself that I could even have the audacity to think of selling my silly little bits.

But I know what to do with them in a way that doesn't make my tummy hurt or gives me huge anxiety. 🫪

I haven't settled on all the details but I hope some people out there will stick with me!
.
.
.
#handmadeartist #birdartist #sillylittleguys #birdpainting #homemadeartwork by @limlimillustration

22

0

a month ago

Hi hi! 👋

This sequence of illustrations took me foreverrr to finish! I rarely spend more than maybe 12-16 hours on any one illustration since watercolor is easy to overwork. I also stop painting when I feel like I have a few more hours to go cause I have a tendency to over render 😩

🦜
.
.
.
#picturebookillustration #watercolorspainting #paintingdetails #childrensbookillustrator by @limlimillustration

12

0

2 months ago