Take a Tampa adventure with local artist Mishou Sanchez

Before she ever dreamed up a mischievous, stylish, glitter-loving character named Poppi Pink, Mishou Sanchez was the kid who couldn’t stop drawing. 

“My art journey began early; I’ve been drawing and building things for as long as I can remember,” she says.

 That early obsession expanded into formal training: first a BFA from Ringling College of Art & Design, then a Master of Architecture from SCI-Arc in Los Angeles. Those two experiences refined Sanchez’s understanding of color, form, storytelling, and spatial imagination. 

“Everything I’ve done since, from large-scale installations to fashion and sculpture, is rooted in that foundation,” she says.

So, when her newest project took the shape of a coloring book, it felt both unexpected and completely aligned with her creative DNA.

Birth of Poppi Pink

“Poppi Pink’s Tampa Adventure” didn’t begin as a book to sell; it began as a feeling. Sanchez, who speaks about Tampa with a kind of affectionate sparkle, wanted to create something “joyful, accessible, and culturally connected.”

“I kept imagining a character who could take kids (and adults) on a whimsical tour of Tampa – someone fun, stylish, and full of personality – and Poppi Pink was born,” she says.

Poppi herself is eight years old “in spirit,” a little heroine who embodies bold self-expression. She loves fashion, color, glitter; she’s essentially the animated younger version of Sanchez’s own inner artist.

A city reimagined

“Poppi Pink’s Tampa Adventure” was published in 2024 through Amazon KDP, a deliberate choice that gave Sanchez full creative control. The book reimagines real Tampa streets through a pop-surreal lens. The process, from concept sketch to final layout, took about three months of daily work, a steady rhythm of drawing, refining, editing, sequencing, and storytelling.

Every page began on foot. Sanchez walked neighborhoods, photographed murals and historic storefronts, studied roosters, and sketched architectural details. Then, back in her studio, reality transformed. 

“I reinterpreted each scene through a pop-surreal filter, exaggerating proportions, bending perspective, and adding playful details,” she notes. “I wanted every page to feel both recognizable and dreamlike.”

Pop-surrealism, Sanchez’s signature style, merges fine art, fashion, humor, nostalgia, and Florida’s tropical vibrancy.

“It’s playful but also emotionally rich, it turns everyday scenes into something magical.”

Her creativity transforms Tampa, a city with its own unmistakable personality, into a fantastical universe.

Why a coloring book?

“I love creating art that people can interact with,” Sanchez explains. “A coloring book turns the viewer into a collaborator. They choose the palette, the energy, and the mood.” 

In many ways, the book is a community project disguised as a solo one: part art, part storytelling, part play, and entirely participatory.

A love letter to Tampa

When asked why people should buy the book, Sanchez smiles. 

“Because it’s more than a coloring book; it’s a love letter to Tampa,” she says. “t’s a joyful escape, a visual adventure, and a keepsake for locals and visitors alike.”

“I hope this book inspires people to see Tampa through a more magical lens,” she adds. “And I hope Poppi Pink becomes a little companion, someone who reminds both kids and adults to stay curious, stay creative, and keep coloring outside the lines.”

To explore Mishou Sanchez’s work, go to Mishou Sanchez