Step inside Greta Mantooth’s studio, and you'll find shelves lined with vintage picture books, stacks of sketchbooks, and the inspiration behind an illustration style that feels both nostalgic and refreshingly original. For Mantooth, the past isn’t something to recreate—it’s something to reinterpret, blending the warmth and charm of vintage illustration with stories inspired by her life today.
“I was raised on books,” she shares. “I was obsessed with picture books as a kid and was always drawn to books that had loosely drawn, fun characters.”
That childhood fascination never faded. Today, Mantooth is a creative director whose work has helped shape campaigns for nationally recognized brands including Target and Indeed. As a freelancer, she led projects for brands such as Google and CreatorIQ, specializing in brand identity, packaging, and advertising design.
Alongside client work, she's pursuing a lifelong dream: becoming a published children’s book author and illustrator.
Each of Mantooth’s illustrations begins with hand-drawn pencil sketches before moving into digital color. She also hand-paints textures and color washes, scans them into her computer, and layers them into each piece, creating artwork that feels tactile, timeless, and distinctly her own.
While studying fine arts, she fell in love with printmaking and the craftsmanship behind vintage printing techniques. The thoughtfully limited color palettes and layered textures of older picture books continue to influence her work today.
“I always want my work to feel like me,” Mantooth says. “My illustrations are shorthand for who I am—the colors I love and what I like to make.”
Her collection of vintage picture books serves as both inspiration and research, reminding her that physical books still hold a special kind of magic.
"My love of vintage stems from paper books," she says. "I love to hold the physical book."
That appreciation for books led Mantooth back to illustration during the coronavirus pandemic.
“In the winter of 2021, I thought, ‘It’s time to draw again.’”
She dusted off an idea inspired by her lovable rescue dog, Brody, and began creating Brody Dreams of Pizza, a whimsical picture book about a sweet pup who, in her words, “is not the brightest crayon in the box.”
Today, Mantooth is actively pursuing publication as both the author and illustrator, working with critique groups around the world and through the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators to refine her manuscript and artwork.
Her years in advertising prepared her well for the publishing process.
“The creative world is a rejection-filled process,” she says.
Accustomed to presenting creative work and receiving feedback, she views critique as an essential part of making the work stronger.
“It’s a vulnerable process,” she says. “A creative team I worked with introduced me to a guiding principle that still shapes how I work: Be hard on the work and kind to each other.”
Her stories are inspired by the people, pets, and places she loves most. Her children, rescue dogs, and everyday experiences often spark ideas, helping her process the world through storytelling.
Her next picture book follows an unlikely hero—a little rattlesnake who's terrified of humans, a story inspired by Mantooth’s own longtime fear of rattlesnakes. Set against the backdrop of Texas wildflower season, the book became an unexpected way for her to confront that fear while celebrating everything she loves about the Hill Country, from its vibrant blooms to the wildlife that calls it home.
“One of the ways to make art feel really personal and create connection is to be extremely specific,” she says.
Even outside of deadlines, Mantooth keeps a sketchbook close by, filling its pages with gratitude drawings made simply for the joy of creating.
For Mantooth, illustration has never been just about making beautiful pictures. It’s about creating stories that stay with readers long after the final page.
“When you read a book as a child, it becomes part of who you are and shapes you,” she says. “If one of my books can become that kind of lasting memory for a child, I’ll feel like I’ve accomplished something truly meaningful.”
Like the vintage books that first captured her imagination, Mantooth hopes her stories become well-loved companions for the next generation—proof that thoughtful illustrations and heartfelt storytelling never go out of style.
LadyToothDraws.com | @theladytooth_draws