Rafael López

Rafael López is a New York Times bestselling, award-winning illustrator and artist, born and raised in Mexico City to architect parents. He is known for bringing diverse characters to children’s books and has illustrated titles including Bravo!: Poems About Amazing Hispanics by Margarita Engle and The Year We Learned to Fly by Jacqueline Woodson. López studied illustration (BFA) and works between San Diego, California and San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, where he maintains studios.

López has received multiple major honors, including three Pura Belpré Medals, several Pura Belpré Honors, the Schneider Family Book Award, the Américas Book Awards, the Tomás Rivera Children’s Book Award, and the Society of Illustrators Original Art Silver Medal. His illustrations for books such as Drum Dream Girl, Book Fiesta!, Dancing Hands, Tito Puente: Mambo King, The Day You Begin, and Just Ask! have been widely recognized and have appeared in venues such as Communication Arts, American Illustration Annual, Graphic Design USA, and the Huffington Post. Beyond books, he is a founder of the Urban Art Trail movement in San Diego’s East Village, has created community murals, seven U.S. Postal Service