Vlasta Baránková

Czech RepublicBIB

*1943, Mokrá u Brna†2026, Brno

Biography

Vlasta Baránková was born on the 4th of November 1943 in the village of Mokrá by Brno in the Czech Republic. She studied at the Secondary School of Applied Arts in Brno and then at the College of Applied Arts in Brno. Initially she worked as a toy designer, later in a puppet theatre in Brno and finally as a graphic designer at the art division of the House of Culture in Brno. Since 1969 she had been a freelancer. She was a member of the Children's Book Illustrators Club in Prague. She died on the 3rd of March 2026 in Brno.

Illustration Features

Vlasta Baránková is a painter, printmaker and illustrator; her main areas of focus are the exhibition graphics, type design of books and magazines and she also devotes herself to free creation. She illustrated her first book in 1973. Since then she has illustrated more than 50 books and many of them were published also abroad. Since 1989 she has abandoned painting and devoted herself to illustration; her illustration work also includes a TV bedtime story – kids strip cartoon called “O Lieskuľke” (“About a Hazelnut Girl”). She creates her illustrations using not only classical painting techniques but also computer. She often makes also her own graphic composition of the entire book. Her illustrations reflect magical and dynamic children's world; her drawings are realistic, only slightly stylised, with radiant colours. She creates gorgeous settings drawing the young viewer into the narrated story.

Author of the text: Mgr. Viera Anoškinová, art historian

Bibliography of Illustrated Books for Children and Youth

Ivánek (František Tenčík, Blok 1973); Skleněný svět (J. Dědková, Blok 1975); Lucila (J.Z. Svoboda, Blok 1976, 1977); Víla nedbá o domácnost : pověsti, písně, pohádky, básničky a vyprávění z Bulharska (J. Novík, Blok 1976); Plachty nad oceánem : Výbor z díla (J. Janouch, Blok 1978); S dievčiskom sa nehráme (N. Tanská, Mladé letá 1978, Buvik 2001); Ovečka z kopanic (K. Sojková, Blok 1979); Čo sa sníva zvieratkám (J. Turan, Mladé letá 1985); Gruľko na karnevale (B. Zachonder, Mladé letá 1985); O Hynkovi synu rytířském : Třináct pohádek z Moravy (F. Bartoš, Blok 1986); O Stříbrné podkově : Pověsti z jižní a jihozápadní Moravy (E. Kilianová, Blok 1986); Čo kto robí, keď ja spinkám (B. Trilecová, Mladé letá 1987); Keby som bol medveďom (M. Šurinová, Mladé letá 1988); Malý Bobeš 1. díl (J. V. Pleva, Blok 1988); Malý Bobeš 2. díl (J. V. Pleva, Blok 1988); Dobré ráno, pramienok (J. Navrátil, Mladé letá 1989); Jezuliatko (O. Sliacky, Mladé letá 1990); Janíčko (V. Baránková, Buvik 1991, 2001); Francouzské pohádky (V. Cibula, Albatros 1991); Lieskuľka (I. Gálová, G plus G 1996); Lieskuľka sa túla (I. Gálová, G plus G 1999); Neigeblanche et Roserouge (J. et W. Grimm, Gründ 1999); Chrobáčiky (J. Karafiát, Jan Melvil Publishing 2008); Poslušné písmenká (Buvik 2008, 2016); Učiť sa mi zachcelo (Buvik 2010, 2019); O Jankovi Polienkovi (M. Ďuríčková, Buvik 2011); Medveďku, daj labku! (Buvik 2013, 2020); Psíček nie je bábika (Buvik, 2019); Najmilšie rozprávky (J. Žáček, Buvik 2024).