The making of ‘Follow The Rainbow’
Rainbows spark curiosity in young children and encourage them to observe the natural elements and changes that occur across the seasons in the great outdoors. Wind, rain, clouds and sun pose different outcomes to outdoor experiences and children love to play and explore nature in all weather conditions. On our holiday travels last summer I…
Responding through a language prism
Poetry is a diverse language. Harry Laing’s extensive collection of fun poems for kids in our latest book ‘RapperBee’ (published by Ford Street Publishing) was a delightful project to illustrate. I was initially drawn to Harry’s exciting use of visual language, which provided such a rich platform for playful and creative illustrating. But this project…
Connecting to Salih
I began developing the artwork for Salih in January 2020. I had already researched many media stories across the globe, about refugee families from other countries who were fleeing traumatic circumstances. But, as I sat in my studio, working on Salih’s moving story of displacement and loss, I was confronted with a life threatening crisis,…
‘Moonfish’ Pet Flea poem
Playing and having fun with words are core strategies for developing skills of creativity, especially for the very young. Edward Lear and Spike Milligan’s nonsense poetry have always inspired me. From a very early age I was fascinated by the minimalism and efficiency of these author’s poetry accompanied by their simple line drawings. Recently…
Unforeseen Circumstances
Written and Illustrated by Anne Ryan This is one of my earliest drafts for Unforeseen Circumstances. The writing continues to evolve and develop throughout the illustrating process. There are many drafts and many changes during the development of the book. Can you see what Logan’s name was in the early stages of the story…
David Mortimore Baxter series
Written by Karen Tayleur; Illustrated by Anne Ryan Animals are common characters in children’s books. Get to know them in their natural environment and them try and draw them in human poses. Try to draw an animal with personality like me! Can you draw me running away? …
As small as Sam
Written by Elizabeth Hutchins, Illustrated by Anne Ryan Developing a main character is fun. The character needs to be consistent and convincing in different poses. Give your character a profile and a personality that is unique to him. What makes him stand out from other characters. Make observational drawings of real people doing things…