Malia Pila
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maliapila.bsky.social
Malia Pila
@maliapila.bsky.social
500 followers 630 following 62 posts
📮✨rep'd by James McGowan @ BookEnds
half hawaiian children's book illustrator based in Austin, TX.
maliapila.com

#kidlit
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maliapila.bsky.social
Happy #kidlitartpostcard day and 2nd day of Halloween!

I'm Malia, a hapa Hawaiian illustrator who loves stories that are a little unusual and playing with seasonal color palettes.

Rep'd by James McGowan of Bookends Literary
✨ maliapila.com for more of my work!
October 2, 2025 at 1:53 PM
maliapila.bsky.social
Hi Brian!
This sounds like an absolute dream project of mine as I have done pieces related to different mythos in Pacific Islander and Greek cultures and would LOVE to do more!
maliapila.com
September 20, 2025 at 10:56 AM
maliapila.bsky.social
Happy #kidlitartpostcard day! Always a sneaky one.

Hi! I'm Malia, a Hawaiian illustrator that loves colorful, whimsy filled stories whether they involve dancing around a summer bonfire or peculiar pets.

Rep'd by James McGowan of BookEnds Lit.
✨ Portfolio at maliapila.com
September 4, 2025 at 2:08 PM
maliapila.bsky.social
Happy #kidlitartpostcard day!

I am Malia, an illustrator who loves to play with different styles in my art as well as using it answer fun questions like what if an alligator had the same personality as my mischievous puppy?

Rep'd by James McGowan of @bookendsliterary.bsky.social

💻 maliapila.com
A young girl with curly hair scolds her mischievous pet alligator who has gotten into the trash and made a tremendous mess.
August 7, 2025 at 5:00 PM
maliapila.bsky.social
Happy #kidlitartpostcard day!

I'm Malia, a native Hawaiian illustrator that enjoys whimsical and goofy stories. Available to work and open to all #kidlit inquires!

Rep'd by James McGowan at @bookendsliterary.bsky.social

More of my art can be found at maliapila.com

#kidlitart #illustration
A kidlit postcard of a young girl with a fluffy green dress walking a fat alligator on a pink leash. Malia Pila, Illustrator. Maliapila.com, Rep'd by James McGowan of BookEnds Literary
June 5, 2025 at 5:49 PM
maliapila.bsky.social
Happy AAPI month! Warmer weather and the fast approach of summer always makes me miss the ocean intensely and I thought the best way to cope was to paint it.

#kidlitart #aapi #illustration #art
A painting of a top down view of a girl in an outrigger canoe. She had stopped paddling to look down at manta rays passing beneath her boat in the clear, blue ocean. There are pink petals blowing out of the basket in her canoe and three white birds fly swiftly past.
May 8, 2025 at 3:03 PM
maliapila.bsky.social
shout out to the funky lil quick color study tucked into the corner of every piece I do that helps me stay strong during the ugly phases of painting 🥲
A close up image of a small, roughly painted color study for a larger piece. It shows a girl in an outrigger canoe from top down, she is surrounded by the ocean and fish swimming underneath.
May 6, 2025 at 1:25 PM
maliapila.bsky.social
I really loved the non-AI version of this trend over on IG. It's a fun sort of "meet the artist" riff.

#illustration #starterpacknoai #art #kidlitartist
An illustration envisioning the creator as a doll contained in a colorful blister pack. Alongside the main doll are pieces that make up her "starter pack", including a small iPad and pen, her favorite water bottle, her schnauzer puppy, a black parasol, and an ice pack. Proudly displayed in the top right corner is an anti-AI sign.
April 12, 2025 at 7:48 PM
maliapila.bsky.social
Happy #KidLitArtPostcard day! I'm Malia Pila and I love creating interesting story-filled scenes and toying around with negative space. I'm currently available for new projects!

💻 maliapila.com
✨ Rep'd by James McGowan of BookEnds Lit.

#kidlitart #childrensbook
A kidlitart postcard depicting a scene of litter and trash clean up in the woods. Two young children help a forest ranger by picking up litter while forest animals like squirrels and birds watch on. Both kids are wearing high visibility vests as they pick up empty bottles and discarded plastic.
April 3, 2025 at 4:32 PM
maliapila.bsky.social
now that my wedding and recent projects are wrapped, I can get back to enjoying some personal art 😮‍💨
March 18, 2025 at 8:47 PM
maliapila.bsky.social
Happy #kidlitartpostcard day! Anyone else an on-call plushie doctor for their dog?

Anyway, when I'm not stitching up dog toys I also illustrated children's books! Currently available for any kidlit projects.

💻 maliapila.com
✨ Rep'd by James McGowan of BookEnds Lit.
A young girl in a frilly night gown stitches up a torn up toy bunny. Her small dog watches with worry and anticipation.
February 6, 2025 at 2:43 PM
maliapila.bsky.social
sometimes you just see two cute felt crafted things on Pinterest and start smashing them together as a form of stress relief !!
January 25, 2025 at 9:27 PM
maliapila.bsky.social
my favorite stress reliever lately is little plushie blind boxes for kinda ugly toys
January 24, 2025 at 2:23 PM
maliapila.bsky.social
We got a bit of snow here last night so please enjoy some pictures of my pets enduring the cold snap
A black cat underneath a heating pad, peeking out from her warm space A schnauzer and a pug bundled up for the cold weather. Both are wearing little wraps around their heads to protect their ears A pug and a schnauzer curled up together in a lap, sleeping
January 21, 2025 at 5:31 PM
maliapila.bsky.social
Hey #portfolioday ! I'm Malia, a professional illustrator that enjoys fantasy, bucolic scenes, and historical fashion.

I specialize in character design, illustration for picture books, and book covers as well.

💌 [email protected]
✨ maliapila.com
January 14, 2025 at 7:13 PM
maliapila.bsky.social
Feeling homesick for Hawai'i this week but trying to embrace it! Been obsessed with mu'umu'us lately too.

#kidlit #kidlitart #illustration
A young girl sits next to a murky body of water. She is wearing a tan hat and a pink mu'umu'u style Hawaiian dress. She is tossing some seeds to a pair of ducks nearby in the water.
January 13, 2025 at 6:12 PM
maliapila.bsky.social
Happy first #kidlitartpostcard day of 2025!

I'm Malia and I'm currently available for any kidlit and illustration projects! I love experimenting with color and stories that include humor, heart, and whimsy.

✨ maliapila.com
✨ rep'd by James McGowan of Bookends Lit.
A girl with long braided hair is tucked into her colorful bed with three different snoozing cats all around her. Her bed canopy is covered in stars. Outside a window, fireworks celebrating the new year are set off. A small mouse sits on the windowsill and watches the fireworks alone.
January 2, 2025 at 6:17 PM
maliapila.bsky.social
#artvsartist 2024 ✨
December 31, 2024 at 9:55 PM
maliapila.bsky.social
Happy holidays! Hope rest and relaxation finds you all. ☺️🎄

#kidlit #kidlitart
A girl runs down a sidewalk in front of store fronts decorated for the holidays. She is running after a small Schnauzer puppy who has escaped its leash. Other people on the sidewalk stroll with presents tucked under their arms and snow covers the trees.
December 25, 2024 at 3:07 PM
maliapila.bsky.social
Happy #kidlitartpostcard day!

I'm Malia, a half-Hawaiian illustrator who enjoys working with tales that involve a bit of whimsy and fun. I also love experimenting with new styles and mediums whenever the opportunity strikes!

✨ maliapila.com
Rep. by James McGowan, BookEnds Lit

#kidlit #kidtlitart
A kidlit-style postcard depicts a mother walking with her young son, hand in hand. Both are dressed for cold weather and walk through the snow as they watch woodland creatures decorate a tree for the holidays.
December 5, 2024 at 3:56 PM
maliapila.bsky.social
What a wonderful opportunity! Thank you for offering this!
November 21, 2024 at 2:47 PM
maliapila.bsky.social
that time of the year where I binge watch ACNH speed builds for winter and autumn themed islands and am reminded of how desperately I want a new animal crossing game 😭
November 19, 2024 at 4:23 PM
maliapila.bsky.social
New Pinned Post! 📍
Hello! I'm Malia, a half Hawaiian children's book illustrator currently based in Austin. I love saturated colors, experimenting with shape and style, and whimsical concepts.

Check out more of my work here:
✨ www.maliapila.com
A brightly coloured illustration of three young girls in costume out trick or treating. One is dressed as a bat, one as a fluffy black bird, and the last is dressed as a wizard in starry robes. An illustration depicting the Hawaiian goddess Poli'ahu. She is surrounded by blue and lavender clouds and her hand maidens tend to her hair made of snow. An illustration of a young woman in 1920s style dress dancing. An illustration of a young girl in a park surrounded by autumnal foliage. She is holding a toy goose and smiling up at a collection of geese flying overhead.
November 16, 2024 at 11:59 PM
maliapila.bsky.social
My first time contributing to #kidlitartpostcard day!

Rep'd by James McGowan of BookEnds Literary
portfolio: maliapila.com
#kidlitart #kidlit
An illustration of an autumnal scene. A young girl in a yellow coat holds a stuffed toy goose as she looks up and watches real geese fly cross the sky.
November 7, 2024 at 9:03 PM
maliapila.bsky.social
testing some of the procreate brushes i don't usually use on a quick recreation of a favorite baby photo of myself 🙈

#kidlitart #art
An illustration of a toddler sitting in a puffy pink dress.
October 31, 2024 at 2:48 AM