Illustrator Shiri Cohen: "Art That Comes from the Heart Touches the Heart"

Like most successful illustrators, Shiri Cohen always loved to draw. Her mother was a painter who transitioned into consulting, and Shiri grew up in a home filled with her mother's oil paintings. Shiri inherited the talent for art, but she preferred a different style. "No one could teach me. Once, as a child, I was sent to an art class and came back frustrated because the teacher wanted me to draw her way, not mine." Without classes or special trainings, Shiri simply drew all the time. "I'm self-taught by nature. I learned mainly from observation and experimentation. A special thanks goes to Yoni Gerstein, who kindly let me sit in his studio and watch him draw."

Her first job came as an eighteen-year-old studying graphics at a religious seminary. "Author Ruthi Rappoport was looking for an illustrator for one of her books, and my sister-in-law, who knew her, recommended me. I remember climbing her stairs with a pencil drawing sample on a piece of paper... That was long before I started drawing on computers." Before you think this is a story from decades ago, it's worth noting that Shiri Cohen is only 26 years old...

After illustrating one children's book, Shiri's name began spreading among authors and publishers. She illustrated several more children's books alongside mural paintings and private illustrations. "I finally learned to draw with a digital pen, thanks to my graphics teacher who understood my direction was art. She brought a digital pen and taught me how to use it." To this day, Cohen prefers to use relatively simple equipment: drawing on a pad with results appearing on the computer screen. "I know most illustrators today draw directly on tablets that are also computers, but I just can't get used to it," she explains.

After finishing her studies at the seminary, Shiri's love for drawing was pushed aside. "I received an offer from an elementary school in Tel Aviv to function as a kind of personal tutor and emotional guide for girls needing help. I would take them out of classes and work with them one-on-one. My only use of drawing was in the illustrations I made for them..."

How did you return to drawing?

"It happened after my firstborn was born. I really wanted to be home with him, and I had the illusion that I could draw while he was with me... I had just received an offer to illustrate a comic book, so I decided to try being a full-time illustrator. Of course, it soon became clear that I absolutely couldn't work while he was with me—I was always waiting for him to wake up so I could play with him! At ten months old, I sent him to a caregiver, and I sent the next children much earlier. Still, there's no doubt they benefit from having a much more available mom due to the nature of my work. I work four hours in the morning and complete work when they sleep. Of course, there are especially crazy days before a book release, but they're interested too—sitting around me while I draw, making comments."

Cohen describes herself as a social person for whom working from home is a challenge. "I survive thanks to the good relationships within the community of religious female illustrators. We provide a lot of support, encouragement, and help to each other in real time." Perhaps due to her social nature, Cohen also doesn't complain about the challenges in collaborating with authors who create the comic plots. "I really love collaborations. It needs to be with the right person, who leaves room for my opinion, but when there's successful collaboration, it's truly enjoyable."

Besides her work as an illustrator, Shiri Cohen also thinks about the children hoping to grow into the next generation of comic illustrators: she publishes a popular column teaching how to draw comics in the children's newspaper 'Family'. "I recognized there's a huge demand for this. In the past, I taught several courses at my home but stopped due to the workload. Still, I constantly encounter a desire to learn how to illustrate comics. I get calls from embarrassed girls who want to ask questions on the subject, and there's no structured education for this. That's why I publish the column."

She vividly remembers the child she was who hated tutorials on how to draw: "I encourage independent drawing. Find your own line and your own way. There's no point in everyone drawing the same thing—the whole point is that everyone has their style. Ultimately, I always say: Art that comes from the heart touches the heart."

The religious literature scene has been enjoying a significant boom in the comic genre in recent years. However, Shiri says she strives to take on projects with value beyond just an engaging story. "Take for example the book 'He Brought Me Out of There' about the Exodus—when I read the story the author sent before I even started drawing, I literally cried from emotion.

"Or the book 'Avigdor's Brave Journey', which I wrote myself and teaches principles of healthy eating. It was important to me to convey this message to children, and in hindsight, it turned out that many adults read it and called to thank me for the book. A young couple trying to lose weight called to thank me: they said they tried to connect to adult healthy lifestyle books, but 'Avigdor' really helped them. It's immensely satisfying."

Give an example of something that wouldn't have happened if you weren't an illustrator.

"Once I was sitting in a giant queue to see a doctor. I saw things weren't progressing, so I pulled out a page and pen and drew a comic about my dire, hurried situation and what exactly I needed from the doctor. I sent the folded page with one of the patients who went in, and soon enough, I got the page back, along with the prescription I wanted..."