Raissa Figueroa (pronounced Rice-uh Fig-eh-row-ah), also known as Rizzyfig, was born on the San Diego Naval Base to Puerto Rican-Colombian parents. A lifelong doodler she eventually went on to earn a B.S. in Communication Design at CSU Monterey Bay after leaving her nursing studies behind at UC Irvine. She never left her love of art behind though, and went on a self-taught illustration journey while working full-time as a graphic designer. She now gets to illustrate books for a living.

Her vibrant, textured art appears in books such as the Oona series, We Wait for the Sun, which won her a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor, Real To Me, Like So, and many more! Her work has been featured twice in the Society of Illustrators Original Art Show.

Raissa blends digital and traditional media to create inclusive, imaginative worlds. She still feels like a kid at heart, loves hiking Southern California’s trails, boba, and hanging with her cat, Phoebe.