Ulrike Mieke | Childrens book Illustrator

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Children's book Illustrator Ulrike Mieke drawing on location, Brighton and Hove.

Children's book illustrator
& author

Hi - I'm Ulrike Mieke, a South African Children's book Illustrator who loves drawing little humans, and capturing moments of childhood.

Let's work together!

A class of swimmers by Children's Book Illustrator Ulrike Mieke

Bus Scene copy 2.jpg

View my Portfolio

I absolutely love autumn! It's my favourite time of the year, the sky is usually blue, it's crisp and fresh but not freezing, and the trees - all the best colours! So join me for a Walk and Draw before the grey of winter.

I'll be hosting a Walk and Draw at Stanmer Park on the 24th October at 11am. Link in Bio!

A little promotional 'discount' code if you're interested: StanmerParkWalk, this will run till the 24th September.

Really hope to see you there, I absolutely love hosting these Walk and Draws, small meaningful connections plus drawing = fun fun fun!🍁🍂🍄

I absolutely love autumn! It's my favourite time of the year, the sky is usually blue, it's crisp and fresh but not freezing, and the trees - all the best colours! So join me for a Walk and Draw before the grey of winter.

I'll be hosting a Walk and Draw at Stanmer Park on the 24th October at 11am. Link in Bio!

A little promotional 'discount' code if you're interested: StanmerParkWalk, this will run till the 24th September.

Really hope to see you there, I absolutely love hosting these Walk and Draws, small meaningful connections plus drawing = fun fun fun!🍁🍂🍄

Some of my sketchbooks pages from the last month,

Watching a lot of cricket ( rolling out the pitch and all that), spending time watching these naughty monkeys 🐒, catching up on art club @ellamorella and using random materials, playing padel - I’m addicted and love it! Exploring beautiful places back home 🇿🇦 and soaking up all my time as Aunt to the cutest little one, with fat chubby hands! Too cute!

Some of my sketchbooks pages from the last month,

Watching a lot of cricket ( rolling out the pitch and all that), spending time watching these naughty monkeys 🐒, catching up on art club @ellamorella and using random materials, playing padel - I’m addicted and love it! Exploring beautiful places back home 🇿🇦 and soaking up all my time as Aunt to the cutest little one, with fat chubby hands! Too cute!

Day 4 of waiting in interesting places and strange horse sculptures.

Drawing materials were super limited - black pen, art graf and one little blue colouring pencil.

#threematerialsdrawingchallenge hosted by @naomitippingillustrator @kathryn_boyt and @charlotte durance

Day 4 of waiting in interesting places and strange horse sculptures.

Drawing materials were super limited - black pen, art graf and one little blue colouring pencil.

#threematerialsdrawingchallenge hosted by @naomitippingillustrator @kathryn_boyt and @charlotte durance

Day 3( for me at least but we keep going!) of the #3materialsdrawingchallenge

Materials: oil pastels & two neo crayons, with a little help from a brush pen.

#threematerialsdrawingchallenge hosted by @naomitippingillustrator @kathryn_boyt and @charlotte durance

Day 3( for me at least but we keep going!) of the #3materialsdrawingchallenge

Materials: oil pastels & two neo crayons, with a little help from a brush pen.

#threematerialsdrawingchallenge hosted by @naomitippingillustrator @kathryn_boyt and @charlotte durance

Quick drawings at spots along the way.

#3materialsdrawingchallenge #threematerialsdrawingchallenge hosted by @naomitippingillustrator @kathryn_boyt and @charlotte durance

Quick drawings at spots along the way.

#3materialsdrawingchallenge #threematerialsdrawingchallenge hosted by @naomitippingillustrator @kathryn_boyt and @charlotte durance

As usual I am late to the party but after a bit of a break, spending time with family at home and getting some much needed rest, I thought I’d join the #3materialsdrawingchallenge2026

This afternoon, I got to draw my favourite gentle giants along a river - how incredibly beautiful and relaxing🐘 filling my cup and sketchbook. Here goes, day 1.

#3materialsdrawingchallenge #threematerialsdrawingchallenge hosted by @naomitippingillustrator @kathryn_boyt and @charlotte durance

As usual I am late to the party but after a bit of a break, spending time with family at home and getting some much needed rest, I thought I’d join the #3materialsdrawingchallenge2026

This afternoon, I got to draw my favourite gentle giants along a river - how incredibly beautiful and relaxing🐘 filling my cup and sketchbook. Here goes, day 1.

#3materialsdrawingchallenge #threematerialsdrawingchallenge hosted by @naomitippingillustrator @kathryn_boyt and @charlotte durance

A little look around my studio space, I cleaned it on Saturday for the first time in 4 months and it already looks like a mess, but I kinda like it.

I make piles on the floor, lists on post it notes, take naps on my floor and frequently dip my brush into my tea. And it somehow works. I know that I’m incredibly lucky to have this space.
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#kidlitillustration #studio illustration #illustrator #drawing

A little look around my studio space, I cleaned it on Saturday for the first time in 4 months and it already looks like a mess, but I kinda like it.

I make piles on the floor, lists on post it notes, take naps on my floor and frequently dip my brush into my tea. And it somehow works. I know that I’m incredibly lucky to have this space.
.
.
.
#kidlitillustration #studio illustration #illustrator #drawing

Unpopular and perhaps risky opinion but I'm not a massive 'cat person'. I used to be, I had a cat called Koda, she was pretty wild and I would spend hours calling her name in the garden, something my sister loves to remind me of! To be fair, she only came to me so that was pretty cool!

But now, not so much - too much fur, too needy and you can't go run with them! So I think, I'll draw all my cats kinda miffed.

Can I?
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#childrensillustration
#childrensbookillustration
#childrensbooks
#picturebook
#picturebookillustration
#kidlitart
#kidlitillustration

Unpopular and perhaps risky opinion but I'm not a massive 'cat person'. I used to be, I had a cat called Koda, she was pretty wild and I would spend hours calling her name in the garden, something my sister loves to remind me of! To be fair, she only came to me so that was pretty cool!

But now, not so much - too much fur, too needy and you can't go run with them! So I think, I'll draw all my cats kinda miffed.

Can I?
.
.
.
#childrensillustration
#childrensbookillustration
#childrensbooks
#picturebook
#picturebookillustration
#kidlitart
#kidlitillustration

A moment for the toes - little chubby teeny toes.
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#childrensbook#childrensillustration#kidlit#kidlitartist#childrensbookpublishing

A moment for the toes - little chubby teeny toes.
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.
#childrensbook#childrensillustration#kidlit#kidlitartist#childrensbookpublishing

My morning desk, I’ve been trying to make room for playing around, been feeling very tight with my work at the moment so hopefully this loosens things up! I might join the #3materialsdrawingchallenge this year, I really enjoyed it last summer - a great way to document the summer and feed the creative tank.
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#kidlit#childtensbookillustration#children_illustration n

My morning desk, I’ve been trying to make room for playing around, been feeling very tight with my work at the moment so hopefully this loosens things up! I might join the #3materialsdrawingchallenge this year, I really enjoyed it last summer - a great way to document the summer and feed the creative tank.
.
.
.
#kidlit#childtensbookillustration#children_illustration n

I love a post-it note and when I hear something or read something or just need to give myself a bit of a lift- it goes onto a post-it note. So here are a couple that have kept me going of late.

Draw it to solve it - sometimes a drawing or idea just doesn’t fit, something doesn’t feel right and the only way to solve it, to figure it out is to draw it out. I tell myself this when I’m storyboarding…so many repetitions! So much solving.

Rejection is not no forever, just no for now. Rejections sucks, we have it all the time - projects, clients, ideas - I must say that I’m getting better at rejection, and I think a big part of that is that I’ve been doing the 100 rejection challenges, I even have a folder in my gmail for this, and telling myself “that’s fine, more time to work on my own stuff.” Plus having a part-time job saves me all the time.

You are good enough - I really struggle with comparing myself, the creative gap, the imposter syndrome etc etc…I have to tell myself this, I have spent time learning and developing my craft, and my work is good enough to be there.

“Pretend to be the artist you want to be.” - Sydney Smith, shared this last year at Bologna, and it does help to sometimes pretend I’m this fancy artist living it up in my studio, it gives you a bit of confidence to push your work forward.

Anyway those are some of my post-it notes, do you have any?

I love a post-it note and when I hear something or read something or just need to give myself a bit of a lift- it goes onto a post-it note. So here are a couple that have kept me going of late.

Draw it to solve it - sometimes a drawing or idea just doesn’t fit, something doesn’t feel right and the only way to solve it, to figure it out is to draw it out. I tell myself this when I’m storyboarding…so many repetitions! So much solving.

Rejection is not no forever, just no for now. Rejections sucks, we have it all the time - projects, clients, ideas - I must say that I’m getting better at rejection, and I think a big part of that is that I’ve been doing the 100 rejection challenges, I even have a folder in my gmail for this, and telling myself “that’s fine, more time to work on my own stuff.” Plus having a part-time job saves me all the time.

You are good enough - I really struggle with comparing myself, the creative gap, the imposter syndrome etc etc…I have to tell myself this, I have spent time learning and developing my craft, and my work is good enough to be there.

“Pretend to be the artist you want to be.” - Sydney Smith, shared this last year at Bologna, and it does help to sometimes pretend I’m this fancy artist living it up in my studio, it gives you a bit of confidence to push your work forward.

Anyway those are some of my post-it notes, do you have any?

I'm turning 30! I've never been 'big' on birthdays and spent my 21st eating pizza and listening to rock music. But I have been reflecting a bit this week, and so I thought I would share some of my thoughts, maybe it resonates with someone.

1. A big lesson for me is...CONFIDENCE. All of this - doing life, being a Illustrator, a wife, a woman, an employee, lecturer and general human is about confidence. I wish little Mieke knew that!

2. I know what I like now...gardens over pubs always. Stripes over dots, big comfy jeans over skinny, full costume over bikini, sneakers always.

3. I've always been told 'you are too sensitive' and I hated it about myself, but I've realized - it's my superpower. It makes me a better storyteller. Embrace it.

4. I have never unpacked my boxes, or my version of a trousseau, because I've always felt like I live in two homes. Here and There. It's not a easy balance to juggle and I've always felt unsettled.

5. "I am old enough now." I taught my 65- year old Papa this in January, when he asked me to work out the diameter of a water pipe, providing all the numbers, the rate of pressure etc. - as if I can do that! I hate maths! I'm old enough now to say no thanks! And now he does it to me!

6. I am secretly ambitious - I do have 'dreams', plans - lists of things I would love to do. Top of the list: Buy a bike (with a cute basket!)

Everyone has been telling me that your thirties are the best years, and I think they might just be, let's see what they bring!

I'm turning 30! I've never been 'big' on birthdays and spent my 21st eating pizza and listening to rock music. But I have been reflecting a bit this week, and so I thought I would share some of my thoughts, maybe it resonates with someone.

1. A big lesson for me is...CONFIDENCE. All of this - doing life, being a Illustrator, a wife, a woman, an employee, lecturer and general human is about confidence. I wish little Mieke knew that!

2. I know what I like now...gardens over pubs always. Stripes over dots, big comfy jeans over skinny, full costume over bikini, sneakers always.

3. I've always been told 'you are too sensitive' and I hated it about myself, but I've realized - it's my superpower. It makes me a better storyteller. Embrace it.

4. I have never unpacked my boxes, or my version of a trousseau, because I've always felt like I live in two homes. Here and There. It's not a easy balance to juggle and I've always felt unsettled.

5. "I am old enough now." I taught my 65- year old Papa this in January, when he asked me to work out the diameter of a water pipe, providing all the numbers, the rate of pressure etc. - as if I can do that! I hate maths! I'm old enough now to say no thanks! And now he does it to me!

6. I am secretly ambitious - I do have 'dreams', plans - lists of things I would love to do. Top of the list: Buy a bike (with a cute basket!)

Everyone has been telling me that your thirties are the best years, and I think they might just be, let's see what they bring!

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Follow me on instagram @ulrike_mieke

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