Maša P. Žmitek

Maša P. Žmitek is an illustrator, graphic designer, curator, and producer based in Slovenia. She holds a master’s degree from the Academy of Fine Arts and Design at the University of Ljubljana. In 2018, she took over the management of the Vodnik Homestead Gallery and later founded the Slovenian Centre for Illustration within the Divja Misel Institute, which she now manages.

Her work spans both fiction and non-fiction illustration, with a particular interest in scientific illustration and visual storytelling. In recent years, she has focused especially on depicting creatures from prehistoric eras. Her analogue interactive book Giants of the Cenozoic (Miš, 2021) brings illustrations to life through a pre-cinematic technique, followed by Jurassic Dinosaurs (Miš, 2023) and Cretaceous Dinosaurs (Miš, 2025).

Žmitek has illustrated several literary projects for Slovenian and international publishers, and her work has been presented at the Slovenian Biennial of Illustration as well as in numerous galleries in Slovenia and abroad. She has also collaborated with the Ellen Frank Illumination Arts Foundation as an illustrator, lecturer, and assistant to the artistic director in New York, Armenia, and Poland.

Her awards include the University Prešeren Award for her master’s thesis in scientific illustration, the Graphis Silver Award, the Brumen Award for Excellence in Slovenian Design, and the Golden Pear Award. She was included in the IBBY Honour List 2024 and currently teaches at the Illustration Department of the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Ljubljana and contributing to the establishment of the Centre for Illustration Nigeria.