Shaw Nielsen

I am a Fernie based illustrator and aspiring ski bum. I draw a lot of maps and also create illustrations for magazines, universities, advertising, food packaging, murals and books. My illustrations are usually silly and whimsical, but I also draw more serious conceptual illustrations for newspapers and business/trade publications.

I am endlessly inspired by the mountains and community found around Fernie and when I'm not drawing for work, I really enjoy creating landscape paintings. In my free time I can usually be found sneaking in a lap or two on Swine Flu in the summer or extolling the virtues of the old side while riding the Boom chair in the winter. My favourite thing to do in Fernie is to wander through the woods with my daughter, wife and a friendly dog or two. 

My latest children’s book is titled Folding to the Moon and is due out in the summer 2027. It was written by Jennifer Zaffini Lowe and is being published by Norton Young Readers — it’s the story of a boy who learns about exponential growth when he sets out to see if he really can reach the moon by folding a piece of paper in half 42 times. I've also recently illustrated several STEM focused lift-the-flap books for Usborne publishing on topics ranging from computers and coding to chemistry and atoms and molecules that are great for curious young readers. 

You can stop by the Fernie Heritage Library to see more of my work in most issues of Highlights for Children and High Five magazine, or you can visit my website ShawNielsen.com or on Instagram at  @shaw_nielsen.

Shaw Nielsen is an award-winning illustrator who has worked with clients both big and small from across the globe to create illustrations, maps, conceptual illustrations, infographics, advertisements, packaging, animations and books for both adults and children that help bring a bit of sunshine into the world.