I try to keep in mind that there will always be a gap between the ideal art I'd like to create and what I actually create, and to make peace with that. It's probably also a good thing: that feeling motivates me to keep learning & improving.

So true. One of my main motivations for for teaching classes at my local writers convention is because it forces me out of my comfort zone & it also gets easier and less stressful every time I do it.

The nicest thing about the book event at Honey Locust Farms last weekend is that if any conversation got too awkward, I could Homer Simpson myself into the foliage.

if i have any advice to aspiring comic artists, it's that unless you actively really enjoy the process of drawing detailed backgrounds, you will save yourself a lot of time and energy developing a style that does not require you to always include them

The twitchy witch #sketchbook

At the DFW Writers' Workshop's Author Crawl last weekend at Dallas's Half Price flagship store. 💕📚

Happy #caturday ! #watercolor #cats #kidlitart

Time to meet some of the characters in Kindred Dragons, my debut middle grade graphic novel, coming out from Abrams Books on October 14th. :) First up is Brim! #Kidlit #KidsGN #KidlitIllustration #graphicnovels

Hello #PortfolioDay I'm Kim, an Illustrator who ADs in games. I love wavy lines and magical looking stuff. www.kimherbst.com for more ❤️ I love creating work for book covers and editorials.

Hey Canadian friends! Kindred Dragons is part of Indigo's "Most Anticipated Canadian Books" online deal! Hurray!!! 30% off Kindred Dragon preorders from today until July 6th! www.indigo.ca/en-ca/kindre...

#KidLitArt chat is this Thursday! Set your reminders!

I had a great time in Portland at #CI2025, the American Booksellers Association's kid lit conference! Thank you Abrams Books for inviting me! #graphicnovels

My new phone has the fanciest zoom! No more "what's that tiny smudge in the distance" photos for me. :)

Inks. Next I’ll start working on the highlights with gouache. After more touches with ink I’ll scan it and colour it.

Delighted to be on the Middle Grade Graphic panel at the School Library Journal's Day of Dialogue, a free virtual event this May 22nd! I really enjoyed reading the other panelists' books. Such a fun selection! #SLJDOD

Happy #mermay2025! Delighted that I found a few minutes to draw/paint/digitally-conjure a merm this year. 💚

I often miss Ontario, where I grew up, but one cool thing about Texas is that fossils are EVERYWHERE. My son found this while walking home from the bus. Tooth? Claw? Tiny unicorn horn?

I dreamed I visited a Severance-themed restaurant with my parents and sisters. They ate together, but I ate in an isolated room. When I tried to find them, I couldn't. I'm the only member of my family who lives in the US, while the rest live in Canada, so my subconscious is getting very dramatic.

The Kindred Dragons ARCs arrived!!! Excuse me as I run outside and press them into the hands of strangers, while whispering, "It's happening!" Can't wait for everyone to meet Alice and Brim on October 14th! 💚 #GraphicNovels #KidsGN

#addKidLitArt Thanks in advance, @kellienicely.com! :)

It was a scarf day. Vera loved scarf days. #pencildrawing #sketch #sketchbook

Finally made a profile here. :) I'll be sure to post more soon. For now, here is a peek at a baby dragon from my upcoming graphic novel, Kindred Dragons!