Last month I was lucky enough to celebrate World Book Day with the wonderful Fosseway school. We chatted about what it means to be an Illustrator and discussed how picture books are made. Here's a little peek at my presentation showing the different stages of development when illustrating picture book spread 👀 (this particular spread is from 'Elephant's Pyjamas' by Michelle Robinson) Then things became a little bit more interactive... We whipped out the flip chart and got scribbling. I showed everyone how to draw the cheeky Monkey character from Monkey's Sandwich. Just check out these amazing Monkeys (I have some stiff competition!) In the afternoon I ran a couple of book building workshops, which involved constructing crazy stories together as a class by playing a fun 'consequences' style game. Everyone then illustrated a page of the story, which we assembled together in a picture book (now that's what I call teamwork) This story is c...

Hello and a Happy New Year to you! 2016 was a busy year for me and I wanted to share a few highlights. For starters, my Dad returned home after a 18 month stint in hospital. My family adjusted to life with disability, undoubtedly the best bit being Dad's new mobility scooter - a thing of wonder, providing hours of entertainment. Over summer I decided to make the most of flexible Freelance holiday and managed to get away hiking in both Norway and the Swiss Alps. It was just the dose of nature I needed to recharge my creative batteries. A happy Emily on a Norwegian mountain top  👌 With the help of my Mum I rediscovered some of my earlier works (i.e. clearing out the attic). It was a real joy going over my old artwork, I recommend digging out your old stuff - if you can find it! I'm particularly proud of this peacock: (the Dino-foot picture isn't bad either) On the work side of things, 2016 proved to be a hectic year. I finished off illustrating my secon...

It's been a while since I last updated. Back in January my Dad was admitted to hospital for major brain surgery to remove a Cavernoma . Thankfully the operation went well and he has spent the last year recovering in hospital. I've kept my head down because there has been so much to deal with and so much to do. 12 months later Dad is still in hospital, but I'm very pleased to say he is well on the road to recovery. (a few Dad snaps) Maybe I've noticed it more this year because of family worries, but working as a Freelance Artist can be tough - even with a brilliant agent! There's a pressure to line up the next job, balance part time work, keep your finances in check and taxes paid. For a while I was questioning whether my work was good enough? I fell into the trap of comparing myself to other illustrators, artists, even my friends. But what I wanted to say in this blog post is just how much I appreciate my job. It's amazing how drawing can be a hobby, thera...