Illustration Portfolio
Bea Kesch is the alias of Beatriz Keller, an Illustrator & Storyteller from Mexico City, based in Dresden, Germany.
My work showcases my love for stories, folklore, and the sense of mystery and whimsy found in nature. I remain on a constant quest for improvement and change.
Here you can browse through my latest/most prominent work in illustration.
The Wayward Witch
Printed Media | Magazine & Book
"The Wayward Witch" was a small magazine, born as a collaborative effort from a group of female artists. Its goal was to assemble a collection of articles, features, activities, and more based around folklore, mythology, and the history of witches and shamans. The magazine was conceptualized as a purely illustrated periodical, with a new issue each month. For the first issue, I designed the cover of the main article and a printable "Wheel of the Year", along with a small illustrated profile picture to go on the collaborators page.
Unfortunately, the magazine couldn't continue, but as I retained all rights to the images, I decided to expand upon the single concept of the little witch drawing. The three-eyed cat and the green hat adorned with skulls became the starting point of a new idea for a children's book. This book is being actively worked on, with the expansion of the story, as well as new conceptual art.
The Firebird
Concept Art | Animation & Picture Book
Inspired by a gender-swapped version of one of my favourite ballets, “The Firebird”, this is a project about an allegorical journey into the protagonist’s subconscious mind, using the framework of Carl Jung's archetypes and the feminine "Heroine's Journey".
Originally envisioned as a 30- to 40-minute episodic animated series, it is now an ongoing Picture Book project. You can read a more in-depth description of it on my Substack.
Moonlight Melodies
Concept Art | Animation & Picture Book
These are part of the concept art I did for an animation student and her graduation project. The story was about a porcelain ballerina coming to life during the night, the setting being an abandoned toy maker workshop.
While going through these old images, I found that my inspiration was once again sparked for the world I helped create; I wanted to go back and explore it further. So I made a few sketches of characters who would live in this abandoned toy workshop—unfinished toys, mostly carved from wood and only half-painted, inspired by Commedia dell’arte characters. You can find out more in this Substack article.
Celtic Mythology
Printed Media | Magazine Article
As part of a larger project, I wrote an article on Celtic mythology with a narrative angle that focused on the stories. I did a fair amount of research, not only on the myths, but I also wanted to create for the illustrations an accurate interpretation based on historical accounts of the time. However, I found very little that could help me truly recreate looks. For example, the oldest accounts of druids are from the Romans, and they don’t go into much detail about the meaning and purpose of their office or rituals, as well as probably only describing specific practices of larger festivities, not so much the everyday garb they would've used.
For the fairy folk, I took inspiration from several depictions of Titania from A Midsummer Night's Dream, particularly a mixture of Jiří Trnka's stop motion film and the 1999 film.
Single Concept
Digital Media | Miscellaneous
In this section, I'm gathering all images that are one-offs and don't belong to any larger projects or concepts, although that doesn't mean there isn't a story behind each one of them.
You can find more about the falling Alice on my Substack article about the original project that prompted this single concept image. The second image is a profile picture, with the little icons representing some of my favourite things.
Keep in touch!
I’d love to hear from you!
If you’re interested in commissions, workshops, or any other form of collaboration, don’t hesitate to reach out to:
Your ideas and creativity are always welcome, and I’m excited about the possibility of working together.
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