Anna Llenas author page

Anna Llenas biography

Anna Llenas is a Spanish author, illustrator and art therapist, born in Barcelona. She graduated in Advertising and Public Relations from the Autonomous University of Barcelona and earned a diploma in Graphic Design from Escola Llotja. She later completed postgraduate studies in Creative Illustration at Escola Eina and holds a master’s degree in Art Therapy from Universitat Pompeu Fabra.

Before entering children’s publishing, Llenas worked as a graphic designer and creative director for agencies including Bassat Ogilvy & Mather and Publicis. She later founded her own brand of home goods under her name.

Her picture book The Colour Monster was first published in 2015. It uses collage and mixed media to explore emotions, depicting a monster whose feelings are sorted and named through colour. The book has since become an international bestseller, expanded into a series and translated into multiple languages.

Following its success, she published sequels and spin-offs: The Colour Monster Goes to School, Dr. Colour Monster and the Emotions Toolkit, and activity titles like Mandalas.

Llenas designs her work for use in educational and therapeutic contexts, often addressing emotional literacy for early years audiences. She also delivers workshops and teaches creative illustration and emotional expression.

The most recent milestone in her career is the publication of the activity title Mandalas in 2024 as part of The Colour Monster series.