Me, back when I came across country in a covered wagon.

Me, back when I came across country in a covered wagon.

CONTACT: 

email. melissa(at)melissagarden.com

phone. 510.594.7614

 

DOWNLOADS:

Click here to download my Questionnaire to request an RFP

Click here to download my Creative Process Document

 

Download my California Resists Postcard pdf's to print at home and write to your representatives. Free!

Download my California Resists Postcard pdf's to print at home and write to your representatives. Free!

Melissa Garden is an award winning freelance illustrator & designer specializing in intricate drawings of flora and charismatic mega fauna, playful watercolors of animals and food, and illustrated design. Her clients have ranged from large multinational corporations to local farmers. Projects have ranged from advertising, and editorial to surface & packaging design, branding, and cook book illustrations.

Originally from the Napa Valley, Melissa now lives and works in Oakland, CA. With 2 degrees in Illustration and over 20 years experience she has developed a diverse set of skills from branding and design to creative direction and is an adept creative problem solver.

She spends her tiny amounts of free time chasing her two young boys, gardening, poking dead things with sticks and singing old-timey jazz tunes.

Select Client List: Ideo, Eating Well Magazine, Frogs Leap Wines, Full Belly Farms, Blue Apron, Clif Bar, Baskin Robbins, Impact Justice, 18 Rabbits, Charbay Distillery, California Wine Institute, Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker, Hershey, California Cowboy, Edible East Bay, Olivina Napa Valley, Schrader Cellars, Baldacci Vineyards, Shafer Vineyards, Lilith Magazine, Perfect Puree, Wild Boar Farms, Hudson Valley Seed Library, The Public Library of Science (PLOS) and Oakville Ranch

Awards: 2026 James Beard Media Award Winner for “Eating Behind Bars | Ending The Hidden Punishment of Food in Prisons”

I got lost in the making of a map. This large scale, hand-drawn, graphite piece was commissioned by @dunstancreative for @hdv_wines . The map includes the Napa and Sonoma Valleys, Carneros and all the way up into Mendocino county. It was an incredible opportunity to study the Mayacamas mountains that raised me and create a useful storytelling and marketing tool for my client. I’m grateful to have clients who value the skill, time, craft and collaborative spirit of creating tangible pieces like this [ahem, no AI here]. #melissagardenillustration #map #hdvwines #alwayshanddrawn
Look at this Bay Area beauty. Acrylic painting on wood of California red-sided Garter Snake [Thamnophis sirtalis] inspired by the herp photography of @zacharge According to Zach, this coloration with the heightened blue is found here in the Bay Area just north of San Fransisco, proving that you don’t have to go far to find inspiration. #melissagardenillustration #bayareanatives #inspiration #nerdsrule
Illustrated maps can be a great way to describe and invite clients into your story. This piece, hand drawn for @promisewine was created after a visit to the vineyards. It gave the client a way to encapsulate the space and it's hope's for the future in a way photography couldn't. Raise a glass to folks who hire illustrators! Looking at you, @offsetcommerce #melissagardenillustration #illustratedmap #promisewine #alwayshanddraw #noaiart
Happy Spring! I’m sharing the work I did for the Fully Belly Farm & Kitchen cookbook, out now. The book is broken up by season and they asked me to help by illustrating a few crops, (of the hundreds) they offer. The recipes are incredible, the photographer, Molly DeCoudreaux captures everything with exquisite skill and everyone involved has been so amazing. Please support all the magic makers involved and purchase a copy at your local retailer. 📷 credit @mdecoudreaux @full_belly_farm @hardiegrantusa #melissagardenillustration #foodillustration #theydrawandcook