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Contact me at m.kelbl@email.cz

or call me +420 731 015 303.

I am an illustrator specializing in children’s book and non-fiction illustration, comics, and, more recently, writing. I graduated from the Atelier of Non-fiction Illustration at the Ladislav Sutnar Faculty of Design and Art in Pilsen. During my studies, my projects were selected as finalists in prestigious Czech competitions. I gained practical experience abroad through an internship in Porto, work at a Czech school in Chicago, collaboration in Gérard Lo Monaco’s studio in Paris, and experience at a children’s bookstore in Rome.

foto: Nikola Uhle

The picture book Neither Girl nor Boy presenting diverse gender stories from all around the world caught the attention of the Paseka publishing house and was published in an expanded version at the end of 2023. The book received significant acclaim from both professionals and the public. It also provided me with the opportunity to participate in discussions, readings, festivals, and workshops, where I engaged with readers—especially children—about the topic of gender identity. The book brought joy and support to the Czech LGBTQIA community, which I consider particularly meaningful.

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I am deeply committed to education and enjoy organizing art workshops. For children, I create sessions inspired by books I have illustrated, while for adults, I offer intensive courses focusing on techniques and approaches to illustration. In 2024, I led workshops at ArtCamp in Pilsen, as well as in Tbilisi and Catalonia. I also contributed a comic piece to the Czech edition of the Latvian anthology Kuš, linked to the LUSTR festival, where I exhibited in 2024.

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Exhibition at LUSTR festival

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Neither Girl nor Boy (2023) more pictures

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I frequently collaborate with Meander publishing, where I published the collection of Czech palindromes There and Back Again and illustrated poetry collections by various authors. Another significant project was illustrating the book The Beginning and the End with text by Michal Štěpánek for Lux publishing.

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There and Back Again more

The Beginning and the End more

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Kuš! comics more

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Workshop for children

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© 2025 Marto Kelbl - ilustrace

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