About

A little about Lisa….

For as long as she can remember, Lisa Johnston Hancock has been an artist. The child artist – who spent most of her time documenting her adventures in the forest near her home in many sketchbooks – grew up to expand her talent into art education, children’s book illustration and, more recently, writing.

Lisa continues to be inspired by exploration of nature – birdwatching, hiking parks, stargazing – now with her two children by her side. Her stories often feature STEM themes, like the evocative tale of friendship and sliver-linings, Santiago and Great Bear (currently on submission), wherein she uses a limited, lyrical palette full of blues and oranges that perfectly matches the sparse text.

With an M.F.A. from the Savannah College of Art and Design, Lisa has a thorough knowledge of traditional and digital painting techniques. She uses iPad and Photoshop to blend these elements to create mood-perfect scenes that are both sophisticated and commercially appealing.

When she’s not drawing, you can find Lisa reading, tinkering with her guitar or relaxing outside with her two cats, watching the hummingbirds and bees pollinate her garden. Lisa calls the Los Angeles area home, where she lives with her family.

You can find some of Lisa’s products for sale through her Shop.

See Lisa’s sketches & illustrations on Instagram.

Watch Lisa’s art videos on You Tube.

Thanks for stopping by!

For children’s publishing inquiries, please contact Ana Crespo at East West Literary Agency

For other inquires, contact Lisa at ljhancock.artist@gmail.com

Ask Lisa:

What are your favorite picture books?

  • Ten Beautiful Things by Molly Beth Griffin
  • The Naked Mole Rat, by Mo Willems
  • Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey
  • The Night Gardener by The Fan Brothers.

What are books you would like to illustrate?

I would love to illustrate books about kids exploring nature that also include STEM and/or SEL themes or nonfiction nature books highlighting national or state parks.

What are some interesting facts about yourself?

  • My heritage includes Mexican, Italian, French, Lebanese and Scottish.
  • I can give myself goosebumps.
  • I love to play guitar and sing.
  • I had a pet flying squirrel as a kid. His name was Rocky.