I studied illustration at university, where children’s illustration was always something we were encouraged to consider. At the time, however, I was convinced I could not produce anything convincing, and I do not think I fully understood the difference between illustration as a career and simply having an illustrative style. I tended to work more like a fine artist, albeit with an illustrative sensibility. My primary aim was always to make images I felt drawn to in the moment, and I did not enjoy working from briefs or illustrating the words of a story.
Recently, I have been looking back at my original inspiration for becoming an illustrator, such as the work of Lauren Child (specifically my Clarice Bean collection) and Ian Beck (whose illustrations of The Jumblies I pored over for hours as a child). I realised that I did want to illustrate a children's brief, and that perhaps my idea of not making ''anything convincing'' was actually me avoiding pushing myself creatively.
Around this time, a friend showed me a competition brief inviting new illustrators to design children’s book spreads. It felt incredibly timely, and although I am not entering my work into the competition, I was drawn to the idea of the story and decided to give it a whirl.
Through pushing myself to try this, I have come to realise that there is something exciting about being told exactly what a client wants, while also pushing my imagination in a direction I might not reach without that starting point. Every year since graduating, another lesson from university has finally clicked into place, and this is another of those moments.
I don't think this is work that feels entirely like me yet, and I do think I need some time to mull over which techniques I need to pare back or carry forward. However, it is exciting to have the opportunity to play with materials and just see where the page takes me. I loved working on the intricate details of leaves and the texture on trousers, and it proved far more enjoyable than I had anticipated.
The brief was set by Children’s Book North, and can be seen here if you fancy having a go!
If you have any resources you would recommend, do let me know. I would be very grateful,
Martha
Ps, I have since illustrated the first image, to celebrate the many fairies I have seen in paintings this year!