About me
I'm an illustrator and picture book author based in Sunderland, in the North East of England.
I graduated from the University of Sunderland with a First Class Honours Degree in Illustration and Design in 2009 and from Edinburgh College
of Art with a Master of Fine Art (MFA) with Distinction in 2013. In the same year I was Highly Commended for the Macmillan Illustration Prize and the winner of the National Illustration Competition Over the Hills and Away run by Seven Stories National Centre for Children's Books and Frances Lincoln.
My debut picture book 15 Things Not to do with a Baby written by Margi McAllister, was nominated for the Kate Greenaway Medal in 2016, and listed as one of The Independent’s Top 15 Books 2015. In 2018 the second book in the series,15 Things Not to do with a Granny was included in EmpathyLab's Read For Empathy Guide.
I have now illustrated 15 picture books including the third book in the series, 15 Things Not to do with a Puppy; my first author-illustrated title Hiccups!, and the Everybody Feels... series written by Moira Butterfield.
My most recent book Karate Kids, published by Walker Books is my second author-illustrated title and brings together my passion for karate and illustration. This book is very special to me and is inspired by the karate kids I have taught for the past 14 years.
I enjoy creating characters that different people can relate to. We are all unique: we come from different places, have different histories and relate to things in different ways. It is important to me that every child can see themselves represented in my books.
Over the years that I have worked as a professional illustrator, I have been lucky to have worked with a number of fantastic publishers, including Walker Books, Frances Lincoln, Scholastic, Egmont, QED Publishing, Candlewick Press and Kar-Ben Publishing.
Between my studies, I worked as a designer creating work for websites, branding and games. Following my Masters degree, I worked in art licensing, designing for charities such as Macmillan Cancer Support, PDSA, RSPB, Epilepsy Action, Sue Ryder and Traidcraft.
I am now a full-time illustrator and author, and enjoy giving talks and running workshops at literary festivals, schools, libraries and bookshops around the UK.