MA CHILDREN’S BOOK
ILLUSTRATION 2011
MA Children’s Book Illustration Cambridge School of Art Anglia Ruskin University Graduation 2011 The Gallery at Foyles (3rd floor) 113-119 Charing Cross Road London WC2H 0EB Exhibition runs 1st – 10th February 2011 www.foyles.co.uk www.cambridgeMAshow.com © All images and text copyright of the authors
Cover Illustration and inserts by Anca Sandu. Graphic Design by Marta Altés with Jake Tebbit and Birgitta Sif. Web site design by Mike Smith. Thanks to:
The Burlington Press and
MA CHILDREN’S BOOK
ILLUSTRATION 2011
MA CHILDREN’S BOOK
ILLUSTRATION 2011
As this course approaches its tenth year of existence we are proud to present another graduating cohort of full and part-time students, this year hailing from countries that include Brazil, Bulgaria, China, Iceland, Ireland, South Korea, Romania, Spain and Thailand as well as the United Kingdom. A number of these talented and highly committed individuals have already signed publishing contracts as picturebook makers. They are following in the footsteps of a generation of graduates of this course who are now internationally renowned author-illustrators in the field of children’s publishing. As tutors, we are extremely proud of their achievements. We would like to thank all those who have helped, both in the teaching on the course and in putting together this book and accompanying exhibition. Special thanks to the leading artists who teach as part-time staff and who are the mainstay of this programme. These are Alexis Deacon, David Hughes, Jane Human, James Mayhew, Paula Metcalf, Salvatore Rubbino, Hannah Webb and our Visiting Professor, John Lawrence. Thanks are also due to Katie, Lara, Sarah and Sadia at Egmont, who continue to support the course so generously. We wish all of our graduates the greatest success in the future careers. Professor Martin Salisbury Course Leader, MA Children’s Book Illustration martin.salisbury@anglia.ac.uk Pam Smy Senior Lecturer pam.smy@anglia.ac.uk Cambridge School of Art Anglia Ruskin University www.anglia.ac.uk/ruskin/en/home/microsites/ccbs.html
MA CHILDREN’S BOOK ILLUSTRATION Amanda Graham Amy Faulkner Anca Sandu Anna Brown Anthea Whitworth Antoaneta Ouzounova BENJAMIN PARKER Bethan Hopkins Biddy O’Grady Birgitta Sif Carmen Maria Renwick Christina O’Donovan Elisabeth Walmsley Elys Dolan Emma Symons HYE SANG PARK Jake Tebbit Jane Glynn Jane Morwood JennI Desmond Lee Kow Fong Kyunghee Kwen Lesley Ward Lorna Murphy Lorraine Turnbull Marta Altés Matthew Long Mike Smith Miriam Hull OMKWAN (BAIPOR) WECHAYACHAI Patrick Kennedy Porworamon Khanchitakorn Rachel Lovatt Santuzza Affonseca Sarah Whelan Sorcha Prior SUE FERRABY Sujin Kwak Susanna Moores TingTing Fan Thomas Maurice Radcliffe Vanya Nastanlieva
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MA CHILDREN’S BOOK ILLUSTRATION
Amanda Graham
Amanda Graham amandajgraham@gmail.com 01643 851485
I am a mature student originally from the Midlands now living on Exmoor. I took my degree late in life at UCE BIrmingham where I studied Fashion and Textiles. I began by specialising in weave which satisfied my love of colour and texture but I missed the use of imagery so I transferred to embroidery, using the sewing machine as a drawing and colourin g tool. During my studies I designed and made interior trims for a leading passementerie company. My final project was a room set for an imaginary C18th century fop. I have previously worked in theatre and television costume. The theatre has a great influence on me as does history and portraiture. I have always enjoyed old folk tales for the manner in which they combine humour, exaggerated characters and a darker element. I am currently experimenting with combined media to produce a surface texture. Since becoming a member at ‘The Double Elephant,’ print studio in Exeter, I have been working with collagraph plates. These plates rubbed repeatedly with beautiful thick inks have influenced my current work. For this project I have focused on illustrations for older children, in the future I would like to develop my work to suit a variety of ages. I continue to indulge my love of colour. It is one of life’s joys.
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MA CHILDREN’S BOOK ILLUSTRATION
Amy Faulkner
Amy Faulkner www.Amyfaulkner.moonfruit.com Amy_illustrator@hotmail.com
For the last five years I have been studying illustration at Cambridge School Of Art. I finished my BA in 2008 and have been working towards my MA since then. During this time I have been able to experiment and explore different ways of working including drawing, painting and lino cutting. In my work I like to combine drawing from observation with drawing from imagination. I enjoy working with narratives and images in sequence and have experimented with text, image and wordless narratives. Recently I have found that my work has begun to reflect my interest in mythology and stories from different cultures around the world. In the future I hope to illustrate my own stories or the stories of others while continuing to develop my work.
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MA CHILDREN’S BOOK ILLUSTRATION
Anca Sandu
Anca Sandu www.ancasandu.com 07564048695
I am from Romania. Art had no history in my family. None at all. I was a pioneer. After I spent 10 years studying fine art, my family finally gave up their wish that I will not be either a gymnast, a ballerina, or, better yet, a doctor. During college I studied graphic design and multimedia. By the time I joined the MA course I did not consider myself an illustrator, but the time I have spent here in inwardly exploring picture books by theoretical research and, subsequently, by practice, helped me unravel the picturebook’s potential as a powerful (and aesthetically pleasing) information carrier and helped me asses its position and its role in the “art world”. As heterogeneous forms of art, picturebooks are the perfect postmodern paradigm: they are not only “objects”, but inherent versatile structures, synthesizing fine art and literature and generating valuable experiences. My studies at Cambridge School of Art helped me understand that I am indeed and illustrator and my aim is to create valuable experiences through picturebooks.
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MA CHILDREN’S BOOK ILLUSTRATION
Anna Brown www.anna-brown.co.uk anna@anna-brown.co.uk
Anna Brown
After graduating from Loughborough University with a BA in Illustration in 2008, I worked briefly in a bookshop and then as a graphic designer before applying for the MA at Cambridge. This course has allowed me to follow my lifelong passion for children’s illustration - something I hope to continue to follow for as long as possible.
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MA CHILDREN’S BOOK ILLUSTRATION
Anthea Whitworth
Anthea Whitworth antheawhitworth.com antheawhitworth@hotmail.co.uk 01279 442099 07840 769738
I live in Harlow, Essex and I have returned to Cambridge School of Art, where I studied for my HND in Illustration in the 1980s. It has been a wonderful opportunity to explore my love of drawing, to spend time amongst like-minded people and to study the subject of Children’s Book Illustration. Over the years I have worked in illustration and held exhibitions of my work, and even when I have been otherwise employed, I have never stopped drawing. I love to capture moments in time; glimpses of innocence and wonder, simple pleasures and, sometimes, just to convey the sheer joy of being alive. Writing my own books has been an enjoyable experience and one which I will continue to explore, however I equally enjoy illustrating projects by other authors. Now that I have rediscovered my love of illustration I intend to use all that I have learned on the MA to enrich and develop my work further.
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MA CHILDREN’S BOOK ILLUSTRATION
Antoaneta Ouzounova
Antoaneta Ouzounova (aka ‘Tonka Uzu’) www.tonkauzu.co.uk uantoaneta@gmail.com I am Bulgarian and after high school went on to study in Italy, where I gained a BA (hons) in History of Art from the University of Bologna. During that time, I became acquainted with Bologna Children’s Book Fair and followed a course in illustration and comics. Since relocating to Great Britain, I have been working in academic publishing, following a short experience in a London-based contemporary art gallery. I have always felt that the lack of practical art education was what was preventing me from becoming an illustrator. The MA in Children’s Book Illustration gave me the possibility to further develop my work and to share this experience with many fellow illustrators. I am passionate about drawing, picture books, graphic novels, psychology of art and different cultures. The line plays an important role in my creative practice and I like to use both traditional and digital media. My favourite subject is children and I especially enjoy developing characters. I am interested in illustrating picture and educational books, as well as creating editorial illustration.
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MA CHILDREN’S BOOK ILLUSTRATION
BENJAMIN PARKER
BENJAMIN PARKER bennybroadbean@yahoo.co.uk 07796966621 Illustrator, writer, fine artist, adventurer. During previous incarnations I have posed as a fine artist with success as an individual and as part of the ‘byclops’ group, specializing in painting and film, always with roots in the natural and a lean to the conceptual. As an eternal student, I have gained a previous MA in art and space from Kingston and MA in children’s book illustration from the Cambridge School of Art. As a teacher of primary and secondary education as well as practising in art therapy specialising in the field of mental health I have gained understanding. It would seem that this recipe would only ever have one monstrous outcome…a writer and illustrator of books, of sorts. Coupled with a restless imagination, natural observance and the realisation that through books I may communicate and react to others and myself, share common human experience, and express, with the honesty that a child is blessed and burdened with. I am thankful that I derive the same passion from ‘words’ and ‘pictures’ as a reader and a creator that I did since I was aware of the world, and thankful I perceive the world in a similar way still.
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MA CHILDREN’S BOOK ILLUSTRATION
Bethan Hopkins
Bethan Hopkins bethan_hopkins@hotmiail.com
Following an art foundation course at the Kent Institute of Art and Design I studied a BA (hons) in Costume for the Performing Arts at the London College of Fashion. Whilst I gained much from my three years there, which included work on several smaller fringe projects, I found my true interest was in illustration and its potential to tell a story. In my work I try to evoke a sense of atmosphere and emotion. Recurring themes are inspired by curiosity about the natural world and a sense of people and place.
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MA CHILDREN’S BOOK ILLUSTRATION
Biddy O’Grady
Biddy O’Grady www.biddyogrady.co.uk biddy_o_grady@hotmail.com 07897310556
I have always drawn and painted from a very early age so perhaps it was inevitable that I should choose to go on to study graphic design at Camberwell School of Art. After gaining my BA Hons degree I worked as a freelance illustrator for magazines and books. I have been most fortunate to be asked to provide bookmaking workshops for schools, this have given me a wonderful insight into the kind of books and illustrations children respond to, thus prompting me to do the MA course at Cambridge. The MA has given me the time to experiment and expand my skills. Observation is at the heart of my work and I highly value a hands-on traditional approach, enjoying the creative process on the way. I have a particular interest in the rich heritage of traditional nursery rhymes and stories for children, and hope that my interpretations will survive for generations to come.
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MA CHILDREN’S BOOK ILLUSTRATION
Birgitta Sif
Birgitta Sif www.birgittasif.com birgittasif@gmail.com
I was born in Reykjavik, Iceland and grew up in Iceland, Sweden, Denmark and the United States. I received my BFA from Cornell University. I started out as lead designer and illustrator for a newspaper in Wyoming. Then I moved to designing children’s books, first interning at Candlewick Press, then freelancing at Henry Holt & Company and at HarperCollins in New York, before taking a full-time design position in HarperCollins’ Children’s Book Art Department. In 2009 I decided to jump oceans and commit to becoming an illustrator and writer of children’s books, moving to the UK to attend the Cambridge School of Art.
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MA CHILDREN’S BOOK ILLUSTRATION
Carmen Maria Renwick
Carmen Maria Renwick joncar40@msn.com 01223324954
My art training was at Homerton College, Cambridge and Bath Academy of Art. I have spent most of my career teaching in education and the arts in both mainstream and special schools. I am now appreciating the opportunity to explore children’s book illustration. I love researching images, experimenting with mark making and composition. Through interpreting text and exploring characterisation I enjoy creating a desired mood and expression. I take pleasure inventing new worlds for adults and children through my skills of design and illustration. I will illustrate more children’s books whilst broadening my experience in reportage drawing, book cover design and the visual interpretation of children’s poetry.
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MA CHILDREN’S BOOK ILLUSTRATION
Christina O’Donovan
Christina O’Donovan www.christinaodonovan.blogspot.com cephalopod.inks@gmail.com 07887 603598
I studied Animation for four years at the National Film School, IADT in Dublin Ireland. During this time I developed a passion for narrative and sequential art. Having created two successful hand drawn animated films, both of which have received International festival attention, I chose to study the MA course to pair with my strengths as a filmmaker and discover new ways of storytelling and illustration within the medium of the picture book. Previously, I was more familiar with using entirely digital techniques but the MA course has given me the confidence to experiment with a variety of new materials and techniques and in turn has strengthened my work and given me a newfound confidence in my visual language. In the future I plan to continue making picture books, and hopefully develop ways to combine them with my love for animation. Perhaps venturing into the exciting world of interactive picture books.
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MA CHILDREN’S BOOK ILLUSTRATION
Elisabeth Walmsley
Elisabeth Walmsley www.libbyanneillustration.com libby@plaform86.com 07749 755 987
I was born near Leeds in West Yorkshire. When I was small I would spend hours drawing from my imagination, creating characters and writing stories. At college my main influences were in the Fine Arts, but my work had always had an illustrative feel. I left Leeds College of Art in 2005 and moved to Cambridge to study for my BA (Hons) in Illustration. I continued at the same institution for my Masters degree. I have always enjoyed using collage, found objects and simple line drawings. There is a strong sense of design and composition within my work. My characters bring humour and narrative. Language has always fascinated me and my love of the written word turned into a love of typography. This course has made me think more carefully about how my ideas and processes can work in a children’s book. I love to work in 3D and I am interested in how the design and format of a book can be used to tell a story. I feel that this will work well with digital media and could be a very exciting direction in which to take children’s books, but I still believe in retaining the ‘hand-made’ feel that I have always loved.
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MA CHILDREN’S BOOK ILLUSTRATION
Elys Dolan
Elys Dolan www.elysdolan.com elys@elysdolan.com 07896656616
Prior to undertaking this course I studied Fine Art at the Winchester School of Art where I spent three years constructing extensive and eccentric installations involving museums, sausages and squirrels. These were strange days. It might seem a bit of a leap to then go onto an MA in Children’s Book Illustration but narrative, strong characters and subverting the mundane along with the bizarre and ridiculous have been continuously present in all of my work. It’s only now through this course that I’ve found a place where I can use all of these elements to create something that other people can enjoy along with the confidence to do so. Now, I’m creating books that involve insecure monsters and megalomaniac weasels. I’m not sure if things have become any less strange but I’ve certainly managed to put this oddness to good use. Now that I have reached the end of this course I am determined to continue to develop as an illustrator, forge a career in the profession and see how much stranger things can get.
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MA CHILDREN’S BOOK ILLUSTRATION
Emma Symons
Emma Symons www.emmasymons.com www.elsymonsillustration.blogspot.com info@emmasymons.com
After completing a degree in Fine Art at the University of Wales in Cardiff, I worked for an etching company in Italy before setting up a studio in Mid Wales making my own etchings and running workshops. I then qualified as a teacher and I have worked in several different schools alongside developing my own artwork. My work has always been based around drawing and the graphic line and as my work and interests developed it became clear that illustration and particularly children’s books was where I should focus my attention. I have worked with a variety of different media but recently I have been drawn back into printmaking for the creation of my current book. Having spent much of my career working with children and now having two children of my own it is fantastic to be creating books that I hope will delight and engage them. My ideal for the future would be to combine the development of more illustrated books alongside workshops and teaching in schools.
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MA CHILDREN’S BOOK ILLUSTRATION
HYE SANG PARK hyesangee@hotmail.com
HYE SANG PARK
Since I was a child, I have been interested in Arts. After graduation from university, I needed to take time to think about my future. And I found I wanted to continue to learn and develop my ability in Illustration at the Cambridge school of Art. I believed that enrolling in this university course in Children’s Book Illustration would give me more opportunities to cultivate my talent and broaden my perspective on Illustration.
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MA CHILDREN’S BOOK ILLUSTRATION
Jake Tebbit
Jake Tebbit www.jaketebbit.co.uk jake@tebbitdesign.co.uk 01223 262003
I have been a freelance illustrator and designer since 1978, having completed the Cambridge School of Art foundation course and a BA in graphic design at Kingston School of Art. My main areas of work are in television, magazines, books and journals. I enrolled on the children’s book illustration course because I see children’s ‘books’ as one of the most innovative areas of illustration today. In addition to traditional print, it offers the exciting potential for combining visual and audio content in different ways, for new electronic platforms. This is the direction I wish to pursue. The discipline of creating sequences of images rather than individual illustrations for both print and digital formats has been a wonderful challenge and I am excited at the prospect of working with contemporary authors as well as illustrating my own stories.
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MA CHILDREN’S BOOK ILLUSTRATION
Jane Glynn
Jane Glynn www,janeglynn.co.uk hawkinshall@hotmail.com 01438 814594
I have vivid memories of being moved by picture books as a young child and know that these pictures inspired me to draw. In the same way, I really like it when work that I do inspires children to make work of their own. Working as a teacher, and bringing up my own children, has helped me to stay in touch with the urgency of life from a child’s point of view. Recently I have chosen to illustrate fairytales and myths, attempting to create a timeless quality whilst also portraying the importance of small moments, expressions, gestures and moods. This MA has been an exciting journey for me, allowing me to explore themes and ideas that have been hovering over me, just out of reach, for many years. In the future I plan to continue teaching and making pictures.
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MA CHILDREN’S BOOK ILLUSTRATION
Jane Morwood
Jane Morwood janemorwood@hotmail.co.uk 07735078512 Born near Cambridge in the cathedral city of Ely, I have spent my adult life living mainly in Cambridge. There was, and is, always something interesting happening here and it was here that I eventually discovered the MA in Children’s Book Illustration. I have always loved books and books with pictures in them especially. I was a rather solitary child and when I wasn’t reading I would be drawing. After leaving school early I worked first as a display artist and then later with children and young people. I’m still constantly amazed at their imaginative thinking. It’s a tough job to produce something to hold a child’s interest and make them come back for more. I did a degree in Contemporary Cultural Studies at Middlesex University in the 80’s and later graduated from Cambridge School of Art with a 1st class honours degree. Finally I decided to study children’s book illustration which allows me to combine my love of writing with my love of drawing which has never died. I hope to have fun continuing my development as an illustrator and writer.
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MA CHILDREN’S BOOK ILLUSTRATION
Jenni Desmond www.jennidesmond.com jennidesmond@hotmail.co.uk 07886318882
JennI Desmond
I’ve grown up surrounded by books and stories. After doing an Art Foundation I chose to study English and History of Art at Sussex University. I enjoyed narratives and literature just as much as I loved making art. I became particularly fascinated by a module in Short Fiction and with works that had a dark humour and an abstracted view of the world. After graduating I spent a couple of years obsessively drawing and did some short courses in Children’s Book Illustration at Chelsea and Putney. I then started to freelance in illustration before joining this MA. The act of drawing seems to have become entangled with my own self, and I can’t imagine anything greater or more fulfilling than becoming a full-time illustrator. I like my work to be humorous, ridiculous and full of excitement. I work primarily with collage, pattern, acrylic paint, and line.
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MA CHILDREN’S BOOK ILLUSTRATION
Lee Kow Fong
Lee Kow Fong www.leekowfong.wordpress.com kowfong@gmail.com
I am a Chinese Singaporean who grew up spending most of my free time in my own world, doodling. However, like most others, I was not encouraged by my pragmatic parents to embark on a career related to my passion and talent. Upon graduation with a degree in Chinese Studies, I worked as a copywriter, translator and now a lecturer. Deep in my heart, I know very well my passion for drawing is still burning. I have always wanted to bring joy and happiness to the world through my work. The discovery of the wonders of picturebooks has opened a door for me, a platform to combine my love for creative writing and for illustration. I derive much happiness and satisfaction through creating my own imaginary stories and I hope my readers would do likewise while enjoying my works. The aspiration I have in mind right now after completing this course is to play a role in developing the picturebook culture of my motherland, Singapore.
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MA CHILDREN’S BOOK ILLUSTRATION
Kyunghee Kwen
Kyunghee Kwen kyungheespicturebook.blogspot.com Kyunghee.hewson@gmail.com
I come from Busan in South Korea and I studied for a BA in Advertising Design there. While I was a student, I was awarded the 34 th Korean Industrial Artist’s association prize and the 1st Gyeongsangnam-do Industrial design prize for posters After graduating from university, I got a job as a web designer in Seoul for most of my career. Although I enjoyed being a web designer, I found that I missed working with paints and paper. After searching for a new direction for my career I decided to come to England to improve my English in order to take an MA course. While I was there I met my husband and we settled down to live in Cambridge. Soon afterwards I joined the MA course in Children’s Book illustration. Now I am continuing to develop the stories I have worked on during this course and I am looking forward to my future as a children’s book illustrator.
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MA CHILDREN’S BOOK ILLUSTRATION
Lesley Ward
Lesley Ward lesleymayward@gmail.com 07528603151
I know what you’re thinking and, yes, I am left-handed. I live in a stone cold cottage, which is also clock cold, in Derbyshire. I own a head and sketchbook full of potential children’s books. My favourite colour is green, sometimes purple. I’m hopping mad about drawing in sketchbooks. I have two bouncy children to test my projects on. My favourite words are: sneethyest, for-twillingham, Cumbyar and kerching. I play second fiddle once removed without any complaints and am an obsessive collector of fake laughs. I have studied at Humberside University BA (hons) Graphic Design and worked in various graphic design studios. I have enjoyed this MA course and the various opportunities it has given me to experiment with any medium I desired. I am looking forward to developing my illustration work in the picturebook field.
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Lorna Murphy
Lorna Murphy bluebudgie.moonfruit.com lornamariamurphy@hotmail.com
Originally from the SE coast of England, I have moved around a bit since, from Kent to Essex by way of a couple of years in Italy and now live in rural Suffolk. I still miss the sea. I worked for several years in the public sector whilst undertaking private commissions in my spare time, all the while seeking a means of artistic expression that suited me but never quite finding the right ‘language’. At Cambridge School of Art, I finally found it in book illustration. It opened up a whole range of possibilities for me. During this time I re-discovered my love of storytelling and this course has provided a fantastic opportunity for me to combine both and have fun creating whole new worlds in words and pictures. My favourite picture books are those that transcend age and language barriers such as the works of Shaun Tan and those that tell more than one story through clever use of visual and written language. My own work is informed by my endless fascination with the possibilities of visual storytelling, particularly in the context of a picture book and its capacity to “tell a long story short”.
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MA CHILDREN’S BOOK ILLUSTRATION
Lorraine Turnbull www.lorraineturnbull.com lorraine.turnbull@talktalk.net 07986 960746
Lorraine Turnbull
Having worked as an antiques dealer for many years, I decided on a change of career I had always wished to develop my artistic abilities further. This led me to return to art school. Through the pursuit of my studies I have achieved a BA (Hons) in Illustration at the Cambridge School of Art. It was whilst taking the BA in illustration I discovered a love of illustrating for children’s books. This in turn has led me to take the MA Children’s Book Illustration course, also in Cambridge. I have always had a passion for history, architecture, costume and natural history, all of which are reflected in my work. My final project is based on a series of legendary ghost stories, which has enabled me to combine all my enthusiasms together. I have found this project very enjoyable and would like to be able to work in the field of illustrating either historical or fantasy subjects in the future.
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MA CHILDREN’S BOOK ILLUSTRATION
Marta AltĂŠs www.martaltes.com martaltes.blogspot.com hola@martaltes.com
Marta AltĂŠs
I studied Graphic design in Barcelona and after working there as a graphic designer for almost five years, I decided to pursue my interest in illustration. Now, I think that decision was the best decision I have ever made. I had worked in illustration doing some freelance work before, but I never had had the chance to work on it full time. What I like the most about illustration is that it allows me to get a smile from those who are looking at my drawings or reading my stories. Writing is something new for me, but I have discovered how much I love to tell stories. I always try to have a positive and funny vision about life, and I hope you can tell it when you look at my work.
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MA CHILDREN’S BOOK ILLUSTRATION
Matthew Long mattylongillustration.blogspot.com mattylong@live.com 07791289757
Matthew Long
I come from Surrey, England, and hold a first-class honours degree in illustration. I was greatly exposed to children’s books as a child and realised during my degree a fondness for creating characters and the worlds they inhabit. I joined the Children’s Book Illustration MA as I thought picturebooks to be an ideal outlet for my imagination and a means of developing my ideas sequentially. I’m going to continue drawing and exploring ideas and hopefully one day I will see them in print.
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MA CHILDREN’S BOOK ILLUSTRATION
Mike Smith
Mike Smith www.blogshank.com mike@blogshank.com 07734 107747
I studied graphic design at Falmouth School of Art, and have worked as a freelance designer since 1995, but I have always written and drawn stories. Four years ago I began an illustrated blog. Originally a series of sketches in a pocket diary, it has grown into an ongoing project in which I narrate chunks of my life in drawings. From this I learned a lot about sequential images, and it led me to the MA, which has given me the space to find my own direction and voice, and to work out who my influences are: a strange combination of Hergé, Charles Schulz and Richard Scarry. In 2010 I was the winner of the Macmillan Prize, having been runner up the year before. I like to think my strengths lie in characterisation and humour, and it makes me very happy to write and draw stories where the serious spills over into the ridiculous. Perhaps that’s because it’s what I loved as a child.
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MA CHILDREN’S BOOK ILLUSTRATION
Miriam Hull
Miriam Hull
miriamhull.blogspot.com miriamhull18@yahoo.co.uk 07810371085
I grew up in South Manchester in the small Cotton town of Stockport. As a child I was read fairytales written by the brothers Grimm with illustrations by such artists as Edmund DuLac and Arthur Rackham. I was in awe at the detail and beauty the artists had shown in their work. I was encouraged by my parents to draw as they could see at an early age that I had quite a creative imagination. Drawing became my strong point and at school known as the ‘good drawer’, which partly compensated for being the quietest child in the class. In later years, I took drawing as a means of distraction from everyday work, it gave me a sense of freedom as well as my own world that I could create and change at will. I took art onto University where I was introduced to the digital form of illustration and photography, yet pencil and paints still remained my favorite medium to work with. It wasn’t until my last year of University that I found children’s book illustration my niche. With the strange little characters that took residence in my mind, wanting to break out onto the sketchbook in front of me, I could easily journey where my imagination took me and would take me in the future.
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MA CHILDREN’S BOOK ILLUSTRATION
OMKWAN (BAIPOR) WECHAYACHAI
OMKWAN (BAIPOR) WECHAYACHAI baiporbaipor.blogspot.com baiporbaipor@hotmail.com
I was born and live in Bangkok, Thailand where I also completed my BA in English. My mother used to work as an editor, which has fostered in me a love of reading as a small child. As I grow up, I still find picturebooks to be the most delightful reading experience. I decided to apply for this course because I wanted to create something for children and the picturebook sounded like a lovely idea. Back at home, I love drawing, making things, and helping out at my aunt’s flower shop. Other things that I enjoy include puppetry, flower arranging, traveling, and the family dinner. I want to become an art teacher while I can still run after little kids and when I get older, I would like to work in a flower shop and draw lots of pictures.
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MA CHILDREN’S BOOK ILLUSTRATION
Patrick Kennedy
Patrick Kennedy upfunt.blogspot.com patrick@upfunt.com
The King of the North is the story of a naughty monarch who learns to play nicely. Words and images are combined in imaginative ways so that the illustrations tell the King’s story, as much as the words. The characters are imbued with humour and pathos in equal measure. I have developed a passion for printing with lino, creating timeless and lyrical illustrations that convey the full range of emotions, with bold lines and subtle use of colour. My use of lino has been influenced by my earlier career as a furniture maker and designer – a short step from carving wood to carving images. My work is inspired by a great love of children’s books, which has endured from a childhood filled with classics from Sendak, Quentin Blake and Jill McDonald, amongst many others. I try to set out in the same tradition, to produce timeless picture books that will enchant children and their parents. I live in London with my family, a cat and an old goldfish called Bubbles. My ideas and understanding of the picture book’s appeal are guided by my experience of working in schools, and the wise advise of my favourite critics, aged 6 and 9.
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Porworamon Khanchitakorn
Porworamon Khanchitakorn porworamon.blogspot.com porworamon_kh@hotmail.com
I graduated with a BA in Law from Thailand. After graduating, I decided not to pursue Law. At that time, I was interested in children’s books because I had received one book with beautiful illustrations done by Jimmy Liao, Taiwanese illustrator, who inspired me to become an illustrator. I have loved drawing since I was young. I thought I wanted to do what makes me happy so I made a decision to continue by taking an MA in Children’s Book Illustration. Then, I took the foundation course in art and design in Canterbury and then applied for the MA here. My dream is to create a good book for children and to have my own children’s book published in my country because there aren’t as many children’s books in Thailand as there are in the UK. I want Thai children to have a chance to read more and different kind of children’s books. I’m fond of rabbits and like watching animal’s behavior, especially dogs.
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Rachel Lovatt
Rachel Lovatt lovattcloud9.blogspot.com rachellvtt@hotmail.co.uk
Once upon a time there was a girl who loved to put words and pictures together, elaborately decorating her school books and desk! She dreamed of becoming an amazing picture maker so doodled and scribbled then one day went to do her MA at the Cambridge school of art... My work is a combination of obsessive pattern, fragile sketches and collage. I am heavily influenced by fairytale - specifically tales rooted in folklore where once upon a time really did begin. It is the dark verses the light, along with the idea that something can be both fragile and beautiful yet harbour a sense of foreboding and mystery that intrigues me.
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Santuzza Affonseca www.santuzza.tv santuzza@santuzza.tv 07515907541
Santuzza Affonseca
Ever drifting down the stream – Lingering in the golden gleam – Life, what is it but a dream? Lewis Carroll As a child, I remember finding it impossible to understand how a grown-up couldn’t like cartoons. I promised myself that I would like cartoons forever. I have always adored losing myself in the children’s department of a bookshop, dreaming of one day becoming a children’s book author and illustrator. With a Masters degree in Interior and Spatial Design at Chelsea College of Art and more than 10 years working as an architect in Brazil and in London, I decided to follow my dream. To take a new path, along which I could fully embrace the vividness of colour and the delicate balance between my naïve nature and architecturally-trained alter ego, mixing my Brazilian culture and my new London life. Life is learning and discovery. I once heard that “learning to draw is like learning to love… you just stay available.” What is life without love? I discovered that I’m a dreamer who is learning to love.
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Sarah Whelan
Sarah Whelan sarahwhelanillustrations.blogspot.com s-whelan@hotmail.com 00 353 851322599
Previous to this MA in Children’s Book Illustration I was a student at Limerick School of Art and Design in Ireland, where I studied on the Fine Art Painting course. I graduated from Limerick with a BA in Fine Art and was awarded a prize for high achievment in my degree show by the Revenue Commissioners of Ireland. It was while working for this degree show that my interest for making children’s books came alive, while always having a strong interest in illustration it wasn’t until this that I really explored the idea of picture book making. This new interest was the reason I found out about the MA in Children’s Book Illustration offered at Cambridge School of Art , which I very quickly fell in love with and applied for a place. I have really enjoyed my time on this course learning about illustration and making picture books . My aspirations for the future are that this will be the start of what I hope will be a long and successful career in children’s book illustration.
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Sorcha Prior sorchaland.blogspot.com sorcha.prior@yahoo.com 07564288252 (England) (00353) 1 8205735 (Ireland)
Sorcha Prior
My name is Sorcha Prior and I was born in Dublin, Ireland in February 1987. I have always had a passion for art and design, especially illustration. On leaving secondary school I went on to study graphic design in the Dublin Institute of Technology. My tutors there recognised and nurtured my special affinity for illustration. They advised me to apply to the Children’s Book Illustration MA course in Anglia Ruskin. In September 2009 I arrived in Cambridge to start the course. I feel that this MA course has helped me to explore and develop my strengths and build my identity as an illustrator. I have really enjoyed being part of a community of emerging illustrators with my classmates, and my tutors have inspired me to develop both in terms of practise and vision. I am confident about embracing the challenges of fulfilling a variety of professional briefs through which I can bring my skills and vision, which are based on a passionate belief in illustration as a powerful form of communication.
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SUE FERRABY sueferraby@hotmail.co.uk
SUE FERRABY
Though captivated by writing and drawing from childhood, I worked for many years as a primary school teacher specializing in literacy, drama and art. Delivering stories to groups of children, I became very interested in why narratives do or do not work. I began to write for children. In 2002, my first book for children was published by Franklin Watts. As my written work developed, I became fascinated by picture books. Their poetic and concise texts combined with images to convey a wealth of subtle and universal meanings. I began to make pictures too. It seems to me that a picture book is like a silent film. The reader simultaneously becomes the sound track and makes the drama his own. Â I am interested in creating images that enable him to do this and which also explore character and landscape, mood and mystery.
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Sujin Kwak
Sujin Kwak www.tsomone.com tsomoshop@gmail.com 07503293556
I’m from South Korea and I studied fine art in my home country. I like art that tells a story and explores imagination. I hope my works inspire the moment of being innocent and naive, which is why I like picture books.
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Susanna Moores
Susanna Moores www. susannamoores.com info@susannamoores.com 07943316112
I was born in London and grew up with a love of drawing the natural world and creating storybooks. I embarked on my artistic training at Chelsea School of Art and completed a BA at Coventry University, Specialising in photographic imagery on Glass. This led to an artistic career in fine art photography that spanned ten years. During this time I continued to develop my observational drawing skills, and this eventually led to a return to my first love of drawing and illustration taking the form of picture books for children. I have also been developing an interest in limited edition etching and now exhibit at several galleries in the UK. Recently I was selected to provide cover designs for two successive catalogues for Egmont publishers. I live in the Cambridgeshire countryside with my partner Stephen in what we fondly refer to as the smallest house in the world, close to the natural world I love so much.
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TingTing Fan
TingTing Fan qifei@sohu.com 0086+351+7821061
In China I had a TV Production background in a theatre academy until June 2007 and one book The Missing Piece Meets the Big O written by Shel Silverstein made me changed my major. And another book Illustrating Children’s Books by my tutor Martin, brought me here. It is really a magic when I recall this change. And during the whole process I experienced little by little and made progress step by step. I am really pleased and happy working as a children’s book maker and I think this is the best job in the world. I want to be a person like Shel Silverstein, writing, drawing and making music. It is very interesting to be an artist who can discover the beauty of the world and use it as a way to express the love of life, what I think is the meaning of life.
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Thomas Maurice Radcliffe
Thomas Maurice Radcliffe thomraddcliffe.blogspot.com tomradcliffe@hotmail.com 07872031214
Soon after I completed my BA (honours) in Entertainment Design Crafts in 2005 I became somewhat disillusioned with the arts and so the pencil and I parted ways for some time. Then, quite by accident I found myself in the building trade. In hindsight this was not the most informed choice I have ever made as the unforgiving conditions of the building site is not the natural habitat of the illustrator’s delicate hands. Fortunately they endured and for the most part emerged unscathed. This was undeniably the farthest cry possible from the drawing board but it gave me a healthy respect for the tools at my disposal and for deadlines; lessons that have transferred seamlessly into my time on this course and hopefully the industry I hope to be a part of. This MA course has allowed me to expand and be more receptive to avenues of thought and processes that I would not have otherwise considered or had the confidence to delve into. This has resulted in more effective and richer story telling. I now feel I have the tools necessary to project my ideas and characters onto the page and that they hopefully resonate with the energy and life I have endeavoured to pour into them. The building of sequence and narrative through the use of words and pictures will now hopefully be my trade in the unique and fantastic realm of the picture book.
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Vanya Nastanlieva vanyanastanlieva.blogspot.com vivasvanster@gmail.com 07935290483
Vanya Nastanlieva
I have graduated from the High School of Applied Art in Bulgaria with major in Textile and Fashion in 1998. In 1999 I held my first solo exhibition. Then I worked in the animation studio ‘Boyana Film’ and for children’s magazines and greeting cards companies for two years. During that period I also illustrated and published Emil Spiridonv’s book ‘Stories for Wild Animals’. In 2000 I began my studies at the National Academy of Art in Sofia and obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2004, specialising in ‚Book and Graphic Design’. After graduating, my next workplace was the American company ‘World Wide FX Studio’-‘Nu Image’ in Bulgaria where I was employed as a storyboard and concept artist for the movies: ‘Rin Tin Tin’, ‘Wicker Man’ and other projects. In 2009 I joined the MA Children’s Book Illustration programme at Cambridge School of Art. This course has given me a chance to improve and develop my skills and, most importantly, to be true to myself. The course has mainly influenced and enriched my work by changing my approach to illustrating and expressing my own ideas. In this way I developed my creative potential to reach both children and adults.
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Amanda Graham amandajgraham@gmail.com 01643 851485
Anthea Whitworth www.antheawhitworth.com antheawhitworth@hotmail.co.uk 01279 442099 / 07840 769738
Biddy O’Grady www.biddyogrady.co.uk biddy_o_grady@hotmail.com 07897310556
Elisabeth Walmsley www.libbyanneillustration.com libby@plaform86.com 07749 755 987
Jake Tebbit www.jaketebbit.co.uk jake@tebbitdesign.co.uk 01223 262003
Lee Kow Fong www.leekowfong.wordpress.com kowfong@gmail.com
Amy Faulkner www.Amyfaulkner.moonfruit.com Amy_illustrator@hotmail.com
Antoaneta Ouzounova (aka ‘Tonka Uzu’) www.tonkauzu.co.uk uantoaneta@gmail.com
Birgitta Sif www.birgittasif.com birgittasif@gmail.com
Elys Dolan www.elysdolan.com elys@elysdolan.com 07896656616
Jane Glynn www,janeglynn.co.uk hawkinshall@hotmail.com 01438 814594
Kyunghee Kwen kyungheespicturebook.blogspot.com Kyunghee.hewson@gmail.com
Anca Sandu www.ancasandu.com 07564048695
BENJAMIN PARKER bennybroadbean@yahoo.co.uk 07796966621
Carmen Maria Renwick joncar40@msn.com 01223324954
Emma Symons www.emmasymons.com elsymonsillustration.blogspot.com info@emmasymons.com
Jane Morwood janemorwood@hotmail.co.uk 07735078512
Lesley Ward lesleymayward@gmail.com 07528603151
Anna Brown www.anna-brown.co.uk anna@anna-brown.co.uk
Bethan Hopkins bethan_hopkins@hotmiail.com
Christina O’Donovan christinaodonovan.blogspot.com cephalopod.inks@gmail.com 07887 603598
HYE SANG PARK hyesangee@hotmail.com
Jenni Desmond www.jennidesmond.com jennidesmond@hotmail.co.uk 07886318882
Lorna Murphy bluebudgie.moonfruit.com lornamariamurphy@hotmail.com
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Lorraine Turnbull www.lorraineturnbull.com lorraine.turnbull@talktalk.net 07986 960746
Miriam Hull miriamhull.blogspot.com miriamhull18@yahoo.co.uk 07810371085
Rachel Lovatt lovattcloud9.blogspot.com rachellvtt@hotmail.co.uk
SUE FERRABY sueferraby@hotmail.co.uk
Thomas Maurice Radcliffe thomraddcliffe.blogspot.com tomradcliffe@hotmail.com 07872031214
Marta AltĂŠs www.martaltes.com martaltes.blogspot.com hola@martaltes.com
OMKWAN (BAIPOR) WECHAYACHAI baiporbaipor.blogspot.com baiporbaipor@hotmail.com
Santuzza Affonseca www.santuzza.tv santuzza@santuzza.tv 07515907541
Sujin Kwak www.tsomone.com tsomoshop@gmail.com 07503293556
Vanya Nastanlieva vanyanastanlieva.blogspot.com vivasvanster@gmail.com 07935290483
Matthew Long mattylongillustration.blogspot.com mattylong@live.com 07791289757
Patrick Kennedy upfunt.blogspot.com patrick@upfunt.com
Sarah Whelan sarahwhelanillustrations.blogspot.com s-whelan@hotmail.com 00 353 851322599
Susanna Moores www. susannamoores.com info@susannamoores.com 07943316112
Mike Smith www.blogshank.com mike@blogshank.com 07734 107747
Porworamon Khanchitakorn porworamon.blogspot.com porworamon_kh@hotmail.com
Sorcha Prior sorchaland.blogspot.com sorcha.prior@yahoo.com 07564288252 (England) (00353) 1 8205735 (Ireland)
TingTing Fan qifei@sohu.com 0086+351+7821061
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