Illustration.
Once upon a time.
In 1989 on my friends bookshelf, I discovered Janet and Allan Ahlberg’s classic book, The Jolly Postman. It blew my 7 year old mind! I spent hours pouring over that book; every clever little letter, postcard and flyer out of each envelope page. The illustrations soft and friendly, yet full of minute detail. It lit a fire for Children’s literature that has only grown with age.
Quite often you may find me engrossed with my boys in story books by Oliver Jeffers, Julia Donaldson/Axel Scheffler, Drew Daywalt, Christian Robinson, Margaret Blois Graham, Lynley Dodd, Eric Carle to name but a few of my author and illustrator heroes.
During the last year of my Degree, I wrote and illustrated a children’s story based upon a true story that my great grandmother told me about life during the World War II Blitz. Doris Witter (my great aunt) was a young girl living with her family in the Manchester suburbs when their home was bombed. She and her family lost everything —except each other.
I began writing my own children’s stories on my bus rides home from work and I hope to one day illustrate them. One story is about a childhood character I made up called Capt’n Fisheater, a pirate cat. Others are inspired from ideas and experiences of my boys.
One day, I hope to illustrate and write a children’s story of my own.
“Your mind is like a treasure chest. Books are like gold and jewels. The more you read, the richer you become”.
— Mrs. Gilmartin, my Grade 5 teacher.
Do you believe in fairies?
The Tale of Nick the Chick and Chuck the Duck.
“The Tale of Nick the Chick and Chick the Duck” is a children’s book written by Ellen Smith. Ellen is a close family friend and it has been Ellen’s dream to publish her own children’s book. I thought it would be great to help Ellen out because it was a big help for me to get some experience illustrating a book. Being a graphic designer, I also offered to do the layout, because it’s actually easier to adjust the images around the page text and layout myself.
It was a passion project that has really lit the fire under my bum to actually illustrate my own little stories I have squirrelled away. I used my iPad and Procreate to create the illustrations but I’m hoping to use a mix of real paint and digital in my next book.
Available now on Amazon USA, Canada, UK, Indigo and Barnes & Noble.
