50 Books for Summer | Editorial Illustration for The Guardian

I created the cover and two spot illustrations for The Guardian’s Saturday Culture section, bringing their 50 Books for Summer feature to life. This was a wonderful opportunity to work with one of the UK’s leading newspapers on editorial content that celebrates reading and literary discovery.

Summer reading: the 50 hottest new books for a great escape by Monsie Monika Jurczyk. An editorial illustration for The Guardian featuring a dark-skinned woman reading in a sunny garden. She is holding an open book that resembles a fan while sitting under a lemon tree. The scene captures a tranquil outdoor reading moment.
Summer reading: the 50 hottest new books for a great escape by Monsie Monika Jurczyk
Summer reading: the 50 hottest new books for a great escape by Monsie Monika Jurczyk
Summer reading: the 50 hottest new books for a great escape by Monsie Monika Jurczyk
Summer reading: the 50 hottest new books for a great escape by Monsie Monika Jurczyk
Summer reading: the 50 hottest new books for a great escape by Monsie Monika Jurczyk
Summer reading: the 50 hottest new books for a great escape by Monsie Monika Jurczyk

The brief called for a visual approach that felt fresh and inviting – capturing the energy of summer reading through bold colors, playful characters, and fun compositions. My goal was to create a cohesive visual story across the series that worked for both the main cover and the supporting spots, evoking the simple pleasure of slowing down with a good book on a warm day.

Summer reading: the 50 hottest new books for a great escape by Monsie Monika Jurczyk
Summer reading: the 50 hottest new books for a great escape by Monsie Monika Jurczyk
Summer reading: the 50 hottest new books for a great escape by Monsie Monika Jurczyk

If you need editorial or publishing illustrations that bring summer stories and literary worlds to life, reach out. Let’s collaborate! 

Starting the Week Like: empowerment-themed illustration of a confident woman with dark hair standing in front of large abstract blue leaves, created by artist Monika Jurczyk (Monsie)
Monday Motivation. A woman performing a handstand while holding a gymnastic ribbon in her left hand, with a colorful geometric background.
A portrait of a dark skinned woman with off white teardrop shaped earrings. The image consists of colorful shapes. The illustration was done during live drawing session during Adobe Live livestream