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About Advocate Art

Kate Johnson

Julija Lalina

Hannah Abbo

Natasha Harding

Ghislaine Gayyo

Advocate Art was founded in 1992, with a group of illustrators who liked the idea of having an agent but not the other things that often came with that. We call our ethos four “F.A.C.T.s”: Fairness, Ability, Creativity and Trust. It’s about doing the right thing and being with the right people. We think our principles set us apart from conventional agencies, sticking to them has meant we have attracted the most creative illustrators and artists who in turn attract (with a little help) the best clients.

The people we represent are perfectly able to conduct their own affairs but like working with Advocate Art because we offer value to them in the services we provide.

Clients are assured that we represent artists that are like-minded professionals, pre-vetted and able not only to get the job done without fuss, but also to surpass expectations.

It’s their choice to be with us, we have a high retention rate - with the most popular artists in our group being with us from the start!

We were one of the first Agencies to give direct client contact with our illustrators, allowing creativity to flow without being diluted in translation. We were one of the first to offer re-sales as an important secondary income to artists. Now we have gone beyond that too, with the development of an on-line portal - ARTicle which enables artists to have transparency into the back office functions of the business, such as royalty management and credit control, amongst other things.

Business is all about relationships, which is why we have a very high artist to agent ratio, clients often use us as artistic advisors, project managers as well a trend forward resource for pre-qualified talent.

It is for these reasons that Advocate Art has become the largest illustration agency around and I’d like to think one of the most respected but- we understand we didn’t get that way by acting like the biggest. Come and find out for yourself…

LIMITED EDITION PORTFOLIO PRINT /

Anna Wilson

Amanda Hendon

Claire Gaukrodger

Lisa Musing

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01 ADAM PRYCE

My name is Adam and I am a freelance illustrator based in Manchester. My artwork is fun and colourful, confidently blending traditional and modern design skills.

I enjoy printmaking, particularly mono printing, and love to find new textures to include in my artwork. My drawing style is energetic and spontaneous - I feel my style has really matured and evolved over the last 12 months and I am excited to see where this progresses.

My freelance work has allowed me to work on various project types such as editorial, advertising and - my most favourite - children’s books. I adore drawing animals especially bears and tigers - and I am currently writing and illustrating my own children’s books featuring such animals. In the future, I would like to continue illustrating my own and other people’s children’s stories and possibly own a greyhound to take on long walks.

02

ALBERT PINILLA

My name is Albert Pinilla and I was born in Barcelona. Since childhood I have had a special interest in drawing. In my free time I drew and in school I filled the margins of my notebooks with drawings. When I finished school I studied graphic design at Industries Grafiques Antoni Alguerò, then I studied ceramics at Escola d’arts i Oficis and sculpture at La Llotja. Later, I worked as a graphic designer and also as a personal assistant in schools.

Currently I work full-time as an illustrator. I have been working for publishing companies in Finland, Spain and U.S. I do mostly children illustrations, doing the sketches by hand and coloring them with the computer, with a technique that makes the result look like handmade.

After work I spend time with my two daughters, my partner, friends and my piano.

03

ALIDA MASSARI

Alida Massari is an Italian artist specializing in illustration for children, including picture books and stationery products. She was born in Rome, where she qualified in art at high school and then went on to specialise in illustration at the European Institute of Design. She has always loved art from a young age. Alida finds inspiration for her work from the architectural details of the ancient buildings, from folk traditions and ancient art.

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ALISON EDGSON

Alison Edgson was born in County Down in Northern Ireland. She worked in the computer department of a bank before studying Visual Communication at the University of Ulster in Belfast. After graduating with a First, she and her husband Jeff moved to an old chapel in the Usk Valley in Wales where she now paints and illustrates children’s books and greetings cards.

She spends most of her free time trying to tame the tangle of Welsh hillside that is her ‘garden’, indulging the cat and walking her two energetic Labradors, and loves running and generally getting involved in village life.

05

AMY HUSBAND

Amy Husband is an award-winning illustrator. She works from her home studio in the depths of the East Yorkshire countryside. She can be found either out walking with her labrador Ruby, or at her very messy desk creating a new character, or thinking up story ideas (often inspired by things she has seen on her walks).

Amy is a traditional artist who enjoys getting her hands dirty using all kinds of materials to make her images.

She is a particular fan of collage, also using ink, crayon, spray paint - whatever best suits the project she is working on.

Amy has illustrated over 20 published books for children and has written some herself too.

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ANDY ROWLAND

Andy has always loved drawing; one of his earliest memories is of his dad bringing home reams of scrap paper from the printers for him to use because he went through so much. Eventually he went on to study Illustration at Manchester Metropolitan University, where, during his second year he won the Macmillan prize for the design and illustration of a children’s book.

Since then he has worked freelance, mainly on children’s books, illustrating over one hundred books for clients such as Bloomsbury, Macmillan, Usborne, Hachet, Lerner, Pearson, Franklin Watts, OUP and many others.

He has also worked artistically in the voluntary sector as well as mural work, portraiture, printed products and surface pattern design. Andy lives in Greater Manchester, England, with his partner and two children.

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ANNA SHUTTLEWOOD

After gaining a Diploma in Painting at the School of Fine Arts, Anna Shuttlewood went on to graduate with a BA in Mural Painting and Fine Arts from the National Academy of Arts in Sofia, Bulgaria. Trained in the classical styles of Art, Anna has a strong fondness for the more traditional painting techniques.

She has had an enduring love of animals and drawing since her childhood. Witnessing the endearing, humanlike and often humourous characters of the family cat and dog, she would make sketches of them, studying their behaviour and the relationship between them.

Anna has for several years now worked as an illustrator, creating pictures for greetings cards and children’s books. More recently however, she has started to write her own stories to accompany her illustrations.

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ANNABEL SPENCELEY

Living in the rural Ribble Valley, always with a BullTerrier by my side, I like to paint and draw the cute and magical world.

Watercolour and pencil are what I use to achieve lots of atmosphere, movement and humour.

I don’t have digital skills, so every line has to count!

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ANTOANA ORESKI

Hello! I’m an illustrator from Croatia, where I live with my husband and our 2 girls. I graduated from School of Applied Art & Design in Textile dept. but my passion from an early age was creating cute and whimsical characters.

Growing up on the coast I was fascinated by nature, my hands always full of bugs, lizards or some sea creatures while playing on the beach-I was fearless!

I think exploring the nature was crucial for developing my imagination. The other thing I always loved was listening to my Mom’s bed time stories-they always felt so real, as if I transcended into that imaginery world. A lot of that influence can be seen in my work today through my illustrative style. I love playing with textures and patterns and I love combining hand drawn icons with digital. I’m very drawn to blue hues with bright and vibrant colours.

I really love what I do and I honestly hope it’s what I’ll be doing when I’m old and wrinkled because I never saw myself doing anything else!

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AYESHA LOPEZ

Ayesha L. Rubio was born in Madrid, Spain, one cold afternoon in February.

Like many other children, she loves drawing, but unfortunately for her family, any surface is an empty canvas for her‌ Her grandfather teaches her how to draw horses and to choose paper instead of furniture or walls, as a better material to draw on.

Years later, she studies Fine Arts at the Complutense University in Madrid, and finishes her degree in Leeds, England.

Later on she specialises in illustration in Serra I Abella’s art school in Barcelona, and starts to work as an illustrator collaborating with national and international publishers.

At the present she has two own books, published in national and international markets (and a third one about to be launched), all of them translated into various languages.

Her latest journey has led her to London, where she has started to explore the animation world, an art form she has always been in love with, and she wants to incorporate this discipline to her tool kit to develop her art a step further in her professional career.

Ayesha feels grateful and fortunate to turn her passion into work.

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BARBARA VAGNOZZI

Barbara is an Italian based illustrator published in the UK, Italy, USA, Korea, Australia and publications all over the world. She especially likes working for little children and inventing funny animals of all sorts.

As her two sons are grown up, she enjoys doing workshops and presentations in museums, schools, libraries, bookshops and festivals, where she can still tell stories to little ones.

Her work has been exhibited in collective shows in Italy, Paris and London.

She was selected for the Best British Contempory Illustrators in 2009 and 2010 and for Illustratori Italiani Annual from 2006 till 2014.

When she’s not illustrating books she does paintings and illustrations for children areas of cruise lines She also enjoys theatre practice and contemporary dance.

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BEATRIZ CASTRO

Beatriz Castro was born on September 19, 1985, in Logroño, La Rioja, Spain. When she was a little girl, she was always drawing and was writing fantastic stories.

She studied at the school of arts in her native town, Logroño. After graduating in Illustration at the School of arts in Logroño from 2004 to 2008, she embarked on a career as a professional illustrator. Beatriz has worked on book covers, picture books and educational textbooks with a number of international publishers. She loves make colored illustrations and funny character designs. She likes animals and books, classic stories and fairy tales and listens to rock and punk music..

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BETOWERS

I’m Betowers, I was born in Ciudad Real, Spain. Growing up, I was always surrounded by crayons and pencils, preparing potions with penmarker’s ink imagining that I was a little witch.

I was fortunate enough to study art starting at age sixteen, but it wasn’t until my last year at university that I realised being an Illustrator was a viable career option for me. I like to draw charismatic characters that children can empathise with by using humour and powerful colours.

I’ve always loved the Hanna Barbera animation studio, Mary Blair’s gouaches and design from Mid Century.

14 COSEI KAWA

Cosei Kawa has enjoyed a career as a children’s illustrator since completing his MA in Illustration at Falmouth University, UK. He plays the piano and likes doodling on the beach looking at Mt. Fuji. He is an associate professor at Sizuoka University of Art and Culture.

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DAVID CREIGHTON-PESTER

Hi, I’m David. I’m an illustrator and designer from Hamilton, New Zealand.

Inspired as a child by picture books, animation, and all things arty, I spent endless hours drawing crazy characters and coming up with silly stories.

Now, as an adult, and with a child of my own, I’m still inspired by picture books, animation, and all things arty.

And I still spend endless hours drawing crazy characters and coming up with silly stories.

I’m passionate about illustrating for children, especially picture books, and I’m particularly excited by the opportunity to bring fun, imagination, and fantastically silly scenarios that expand the realms of reality to kids around the world.

Aside from illustration, I own a graphic design company, which has been in operation since 2009. I hold a Bachelor degree in Computer Graphic Design from the University of Waikato and Wanganui Polytech. I am also an SCBWI member.

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DAVID PAVON

David is an illustrator from Granada, Spain. Since childhood, he has loved retro cartoons, such as Disney and Ghibli. He studied Fine Arts in Granada and later 2D animation, winning awards and was selected in more than 100 film festivals with his first animated short, ‘Origami’.

His style is comparable to Hanna Barbera’s retro cartoons, with references to Mary Blair, 60’s and 50’s children’s illustration books and Disney.

On another note, he loves bears, foxes, waffles and Totoro!

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DUBRAVKA KOLANOVIC

Dubravka studied at Savannah College of Art and Design in the USA and at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb, Croatia, where she got a degree in a painting.

She published her first book, A Special Day, in the USA at the age of eighteen. Since then, Dubravka has devoted herself to children’s book illustration. She is very proud of her lonstanding collaboration with UNICEF. Dubravka has designed more then 80 cards and posters for them.

Her books have featured on CBeebies Bedtime Hour.

Dubravka’s work was awarded by the Oshima Museum of Children’s picture books in Japan.

Her illustrations were also awarded and appeared in 3x3, a magazine of contemporary illustrations. For years, she has volunteered in projects for the protection of the environment and animals throughout the world. All her travels and time spent in such wonderful parts of the globe as the Amazon rainforest, African savannah, Borneo, Galapagos, the remote Pacific coral reef or Artic and Antarctica are a constant source of inspiration.

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ELA JARZABEK

Ela Jarzabek lives in Katowice, Poland.

From an early age, Ela loved to draw and paint. When she was just a few years old and did not even know how to write, she added her own drawings to her already illustrated fairy tale books. Soon she was creating her own stories with animals and princesses.

Several years ago Ela graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow as a graphic designer and painter.

She now works as a freelance illustrator . . . and still loves to paint animals, princesses, and many other things as well.

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ELENA IARUSSI

Hello, my name is Elena Iarussi. I was born in 1990 in Chieti, actually living in Florence. Since I was a kid, I always had a passion for drawing, but I began to grow it professionally when I was an adult. I graduated at “liceo scientific F. Masci” of Chieti in 2009.

At first I didn’t think it would be possible to make of my passion for drawing a profession, so I enrolled at “G. D’Annunzio” university of Chieti. I quit my studies of modern literature at the second year to undertake a career in the field of illustration and finally giving vent to my artistic feeling, following my dream. I enrolled at Nemo NT academy of digital arts of Florence, chosing the course of Entertainment design, dedicated to illustration, digital and traditional, and to Concept Design. In October 2014 I attended a master held by Disney and Dreamworks’ animator: Sandro Cleuzo. In June 2015 I graduated at Nemo Academy of digital arts with a valuation of 30/30.

20 ELINA ELLIS

I love drawing pictures and imagining stories. Currently I live and work in Cambridge, UK. I am also studying for MA in Children’s Books Illustration in Anglia Ruskin University. I draw both digitally and using traditional media. I create my own books and illustrate books for others.

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ELISSAMBURA

I was born in Mar del Plata, Argentina, where I carried out my studies as a professional Illustrator. A few years ago, I moved to Rosario City, where I live with my little son, my husband, my animals and my cactus collection. Since I was a child, I’ve been captivated by images, stories, colours, animals, books, materials, the scent of ink and paper, and above all: my imagination.

My work is based on telling stories, creating characters, developing illustrated contents, solving communication issues and providing images wherever they could be necessary. I’ve been dedicating myself to the field of children’s and editorial illustration for over 15 years, using traditional techniques, digital and mixed media.

The best part of this profession is being able to draw animals, play with colours and take advantage of the magic of illustrations, accessing the places that can’t be reached through words alone.

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ERICA SALCEDO

I’m Erica Salcedo and I’m a freelance illustrator. I live in the peaceful town of Cuenca (Spain), where I was born in 1983.

I completed a fine arts degree at the UCLM and then I decided to continue my education, going on to do a Master’s degree in graphic design and illustration at the UPV in Valencia. Since I graduated, I’ve been working as an illustrator, and I participated in a bunch of cool projects with different publishing houses in many different countries.

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EUGENIA NOBATI

My name is Eugenia Nobati and I was born in 1968, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where I still live with my family, two cats and a dog. I started as a Graphic Designer in 1990, but in 1997, I decided to dedicate my time exclusively to illustration, mostly to children’s books.

I have worked with a variety of media, from postage stamps to packaging and character designs for animation, always in my own style. Over the years, my work has been published in nine countries and more than forty books.

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GIOVANNI COSTA

I was born in Piacenza on October 24th, 1985. As far back as I can remember I’ve always drawn, since my childhood, trying to copy comics and cartoons. In high school I attended an Art school, then a comic book and Illustration school in Milan.

My biggest influences are early 2000’s Cartoon Network animation, 60’s cartoonists and illustrators and all the modern new retro artists.

For my work, I use a Wacom Cintiq, Photoshop and a little bit of Illustrator. I am always looking for the latest and newest form of the art I love, such as comic books, illustration and animations, mainstream and underground, to catch a glimpse of inspiration.

I’m also a movie and TV lover. I like listening to music when I work - any kind of metal and punk, to classical music and movie soundtracks. I love Star Wars. A lot.

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GIULIANA GREGORI

My desire to try a new adventure brought me to London, where I have been living now for a number years and where I gained my Masters in Illustration and Animation at Kingston University. Since graduating, I have been working as a freelance Illustrator and have published my work in UK, Italy, France, Korea. Drawing is for me a way to free my imagination and to keep the little girl who still lives within alive.

Heather Heyworth lives in a sleepy Suffolk English market town. Since an early age she has enjoyed drawing and making things. She recalls making dollhouses out of cardboard boxes and creating tiny fabric mice and fairies in pretty dresses, which helped her get her Brownies toy making badge.

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HEATHER HEYWORTH

Unsurprisingly she went on to study art, obtaining a higher diploma in art and design at Goldsmiths College, London. Her first job was for a graphics studio in Kensington London, where she later became Studio Manager. In need of a change and craving more creativity she later landed a job with the greeting card company Gordon Fraser.

Her introduction into the world of children’s books started with illustrating, designing and co-publishing a range of activity books for Igloo. She has also assisted selling children’s books at the children’s book fairs in Bologna and Frankfurt, something that she enjoyed immensely. She has a passion for illustration and can’t imagine doing anything else.

She works with a combination of traditional coloured pencils and digital, Photoshop, Carol Painter, Illustrator.

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HEDI FEKETE

Hedi Fekete was born in Romania, into a Hungarian family. From an early age, she enjoyed watching cartoons and listening to bedtime stories read by her mother. After a few years of studying piano, she switched to art classes and graduated from an arts high school, and then went on to study graphic design and book illustration at university.

After getting her BA Degree at university, she started to work as a freelance artist, and since then she illustrated multiple books, colouring books and board games and created character designs for various clients.

Her favourite things to draw are humans, fantasy, animals, backgrounds and designing props, but she is always open to new challenges and new ideas! In her free time, she enjoys reading books, watching movies and biking.

28 HUI SKIPP

I originally graduated from the National Taiwan University of Art, where I studied sculpture. This gave me a solid classical training within the field of fine art. After working many years in graphic design, greetings-card creation and even TV set design, I took some illustration courses in a local college and also private lessons with illustrators, and then began building my career in this field.

Since I grew up in a tropical country (in London I still have to wear 4 or 5 layers!), naturally I love to use bright colours and I draw a lot of inspiration from tropical plants. I also l ove to draw animals, especially cats; particularly black cats.

I love exploring different materials. I use a lot of water colour, block print, pastels, and sometimes I draw directly on the computer.

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IVANA G KUMAN

Ivana graduated from the Arts Academy in Zagreb and now she works as an illustrator, film writer, animator, comic author and writer.

She illustrates picture books, books and course books.

Ivana also works as an illustrator of children’s magazines. She is the author of two comic strips published in children’s magazines and the illustrator, visual designer and animator of the several series on Croatian Television.

She created 30 short animated films for children and one for young adults and has written and illustrated six picture books and three novels for young adults.

She received many awards for her work as illustrator, and also as writer and film author.

She currently lives at Zagreb with her husband, baby girl and a diabetic cat.

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JACQUELINE EAST

Jacqueline has been illustrating childrens books for many years. She has worked above a chocolate factory, from a caravan by the sea and now works from home near a city farm, with her faithful dog curled up near her feet!

She has illustrated books that have been published across the globe and when asked what is her inspiration she says, “everything!�

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JAMES NEWMAN-GRAY

Born and raised in Sheffield, I studied illustration at Wolverhampton University after a childhood spent sketching and painting. I went on to have a long career as an in-house illustrator for several greeting card publishers, working on branded characters and also on original illustration. Over the years, this taught me to develop many different styles and to work in many different media.

Although a large part of my illustrations are done digitally now, I still like to do line-art in my sketchpad and get the paints out and make marks.

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JEAN CLAUDE

Jean Claude is a self-taught illustrator living and working in Manchester, UK. While he’s most at home with his drawing tablet and a cup of strong coffee, Jean also enjoys long walks with his dog Ted, preparing elaborate meals and visiting the zoo for artistic inspiration!

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JENNY WREN

Jenny Wren has created illustrations for various book publishers all over the world since joining Advocate. She loves to illustrate maps, busy scenes, and animals of all shapes and sizes.

As well as producing artwork for book projects, Jenny also loves to design greetings cards, featuring fun characters, decorative florals or trend led icons.

34 JORFE

I was born in Sabadell, Spain. Growing up, I was influenced by a strange mix of things: from Transformers to Botticelli to anime. As I am selftaught, it’s probably watching variety of many cartoons that prevented me from learning how to draw anything properly. I work in a friendly, conceptual and minimalist style. My favourite artists at the moment are Malevich, Toca-Boca and Ryo Takemasa.

And when it comes to music I prefer electronic music. It probably shows in my artwork – I appreciate simple bold forms. I start in pencil, then move to ink and put finishing touches digitally.

If I weren’t an illustrator, I would probably become a writer, publicist or ‘bonvivant’ and my hobbies are really simple: I love napping, eating anything with melted cheese and swimming.

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KASIA DUDZIUK

Since studying Illustration at Falmouth University, Kasia has been working within Children’s publishing as a Designer and Illustrator. She loves drawing details of everyday objects as well as bringing fairy tale characters to life.

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KATE BABOK

Kate is Belorussia-based Children’s book illustrator. She lives in a small town near Minsk with her daughter who, together with her friends, is a constant inspiration for her he watercolour illustrations. Kate loves chidlhood memories of adventures and discoveries, and thinks that’s the happiest time of our lives. This certainly gives her work a touch of nostalgia.

When not illustrating chidlren’s books, Kate devotes her time to teaching kids art in her local community.

37 KATIE ABEY

Katie Abey is an illustrator human who lives in a teeny hobbit-like house in Derbyshire with a cat, a hedgehog and a husband. Her work provides illustrative doses of happiness and motivation along with a little dash of sarcasm.

She is a big lover of animals and her work often features creatures looking slightly nonchalant, perturbed or even a bit deranged. She likes using a lot of colour in her work and this love of colour is reflected in her brightly coloured studio space and her hair, which frequently changes colour to match its surroundings. When Katie is not drawing awkward cats and llamas she enjoys yoga, reading and referring to herself in the third person.

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KATIE SAUNDERS

The best part of my job is creating new characters off the top of my head, for me that’s where the magic starts.

When writing and illustrating I include of lots of silly humour, making children laugh is important.

I love to work with bold, on trend colours, patterns and textures, I work digitly which I taught myself after leaving university in 2001. I like to think even though I work digitally its as close to hand drawn as possible using different bush tools just like pen and paper, I like things to look cute but really quirky.

I live in Kent with my two children and partner Graham and our three crazy cats. My family are a great influence in my work, and my children are the stars of my last two children’s books. Drawing and writing what is close to home is what I do best.

In my spare time I love to go running, drink lots of tea and far too much coffee – and have a good old gossip with my crazy Mum friends.

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KAY WIDDOWSON

I live and work in a small Victorian terraced house with my two cats on the edge of Chorlton nature reserve, on the outskirts of Manchester.

I’ve made a living from illustration for the past 28 years, working mainly in children’s books and now developing ideas for licensing. I work, supervised by my 2 cats to Radio 2 or Radio 4 and I love music - a jazzy tune to tickle our ears or something from Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin... we love the 60’s stuff!

When I’m not in my studio I like to spend a day in bookshops or go to an exhibition. Most days I walk through the nature reserve and I feel like the herons know me now! I’m also a member of Prospect Print studios and Hotbed Press studios and I sell my etchings, lino-prints and collographs at craft fairs. I also enjoy gardening and recently gardening and flowers are creeping into my work a lot more!

I love to go in my studio everyday, radio on, furry supervisors at my side, coffee and biscuits at the ready and create pictures all day!

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LIZZIE WALKLEY

I graduated with a degree in illustration in 2004 and have been lucky enough to have had a career as an illustrator ever since. Working in-house for greeting card companies for 10 years has taught me to be adaptable in style as well as the importance of sticking to briefs and working to tight deadlines. Since going freelance and joining Advocate in 2014, I have enjoyed working on a wide variety of projects, from children’s book and greetings card illustration to toy designing.

I am hard working, reliable and endeavour to communicate at all stages of the brief. I work from my home studio in Gloucestershire and have a nice man and a little girl.

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LOUISE FORSHAW

Louise was born in 1987 - most likely with a pencil in her hand!

Her passion for drawing started at around 4 years old.

Nothing was safe from her coloured pencils! She spent most of her childhood watching cartoons and drawing comics to give to her favourite teachers.

She went on to graduate from Newcastle College in 2008 with a BA Hons in Illustration and Animation. Louise currently lives with her fiancĂŠ in a small town in the North East just outside Newcastle upon Tyne. She works from home in a small studio (and sometimes from the sofa) being supervised by three noisy and very naughty Jack Russell Terriers.

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LOUISE PIGOTT

I work from my home studio in the Cambridgeshire countryside, having graduated with a First Class degree in Graphic Design and Illustration from De Montfort University in 2009. As an illustrator I mostly work digitally, although there is a strong hand-drawn feel to my pieces created by my use of textures and custom brushes to give each illustration a uniquely crafted look.

I’ve found this method gives me all the joy of using traditional materials, but with the freedom to edit images until they are just right. I particularly like illustrating scenes from nature, creating atmospheric and detailed pieces with a strong colour palette.

43

MAJA KASTELIC

Maja Kastelic, born 1981, is freelance author and illustrator.

She studied Painting at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Ljubljana (BA) and Philosophy and Theory of Visual Culture at the Faculty of Humanities in Koper (MA), both in Slovenia.

She has been working in the field of illustration in 2012.

The author of a silent book “A Boy and a House” that was A White Raven in 2015 and has been awarded as Best Slovenian Picturebook 2015 and won Levstik’s Prize of Mladinska knjiga publishing house in 2015.

Illustrations from the book were selected for Bologna Illustrators exhibiton in 2015.

She has been awarded with Hinko Smrekar acknowledgment (2012) and with Hinko Smrekar plaquette (2014) at Slovenian Biennial of Illustration. She lives in Trebnje, Slovenia.

44 MALU LENZI

I was born in the countryside in Brazil. After some travels and working many different creative jobs, I decided to become a self-taught Illustrator. I’m currently living in Berlin. I’m sort of a “Cute Maker”.

I want to make people feel happy, playful and loved in a cute world. My inspiration comes from my inner child, the 50’s and Scandinavian Design. My artwork is a mix of hand drawing lines, cute characters and digital colours.

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MARCELA CALDERON

I grew up in Argentina, surrounded by streams, trees, nature and pets that were my inspiration. For years, I was devoted to music, playing the flute and studying it until my passion for illustration grew. I like the smell of graphite, the scent of wood pencils, the sound of chalk soaring across the paper, the texture of the acrylic, and the brightness of a new white leaf, although I use my graphic tablet too much to paint.

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MARTINA PELUSO

Martina Peluso was born in Naples (Italy) and grew up in between Tuscany and Naples, where she studied printmaking at the Institute of Art. She has also studied Illustration at Sarmede and Pavia.

She later moved in Edinburgh, where she now lives. She has worked across many areas of illustration including advertising, packaging, editorial and publishing. Her artwork has been exhibited throughout the world and she has illustrated several children’s books.

47 MIKE BYRNE

Mike Byrne grew up on the Wirral near Liverpool before moving to Wales to study Illustration at Glyndŵr University. He began his career as a designer for a greetings card company and then became a studio manager for a licensed stationery designer before leaving to fulfil his dream of illustrating children’s books.

Mike now lives in the countryside with his wife, cat and his two baby sons where he spends his days doodling and illustrating children’s books fuelled only by tea and biscuits.

After studying Graphic Design at Blackpool College of Art and Design, I applied for a junior artist position at a local greeting cards company.

48

MIKKI BUTTERLEY

After learning the skills of emboss, die-cut and foil drawings (no computers in those days!) I was allowed to progress on to colour work, and was soon painting pictures for a living - brilliant!

Two years passed and I decided to become a freelance artist. A great and busy career followed!

After a few years I accepted a role as senior artist at their in-house studio and spent 10 happy years there.

In 2013 I decided to make a lifestyle change - less time travelling and more time with family, so it was back to freelance again, concentrating on greetings cards and book illustration. I have a lovely studio at home now working with many publishers on a variety of projects.

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MONIKA FILIPINA

Monika grew up in Torun, Poland. From a very young age she was very passionate about drawing. She later moved to the UK and completed a BA with Honors in Illustration at the University of Wolverhampton.

Soon after that, she moved to Cambridge and in 2014 she successfully completed a Master’s degree in Children’s Book Illustration at the Cambridge School of Arts. Monika now works in a small studio space back in her hometown.

50

MORENA FORZA

Morena Forza was born in 1984. She lives in Milan with her two cats and a hound dog but she secretly dreams about moving to the countryside. She really loves colours but all of her pets are in greyscale.

She works as an illustrator specializing in the children’s market, with her work appearing in trade, picture books and educational books, magazines, greeting cards, apps and digital media. Morena worked as a pixel artist between 2003 and 2008, so she learned to love the tiniest details in her drawings. She left in 2009 to pursue illustrating full time and she hasn’t stopped drawing since!

51

MYRTO DELIVORIA

I was born in Athens, Greece in 1974. The first time I came across a Marc Chagall painting, I felt the need to become an artist and to try to recreate all these emotions that his powerful image had created for me.

I have presented my work in 4 solo exhibitions in Athens and have participated in many group exhibitions in Greece. I was honored with the inscription in the IBBY Honour List 2015.

52

NATALIE HINRICHSEN

I was born in 1974 in Cape Town, South Africa. I studied Graphic Design and Illustration at the Cape Town University of Technology and graduated in 1995. I work with my twin sister, Tamsin, in our loft studio in Cape Town. I have illustrated several books and greetings cards for publishers in the U.S., U.K. and South Africa.

To get inspired, I look at other children’s books particularly ‘Lavender’s Blue’ illustrated by Harold Jones which I’ve had since I was about ten. I enjoy illustrating folk tales and fairy tales. I work in gouache, watercolours, pencil crayon and Photoshop. In 2005 I won the Vivian Wilkes award for a book about taking care of the environment called ‘Tell the Moon’. When I’m not working I enjoy browsing second hand shops, reading and playing the violin.

53

NIKKI DYSON

Nikki grew up in a small village called Shrivenham in Oxfordshire. She studied for her Illustration degree in Swindon and after graduating in 2006 has illustrated books for children since.

Nikki spent a lot of her childhood drawing, reading and making lots of mud pies in the garden. To this day she still does the same but gets paid for it too which is lovely and you’ll be pleased to hear the mud pie business is still going strong! Nikki loves creating characters for stories and is hugely inspired by animation and concept artists.

54

OSCAR GALVAN

I was born and raised in Madrid. Actually, I’m still living here because I love Madrid. My pseudonym is Oscar Galvan and I won’t tell you my real name.

I was a great reader in my childhood and I fell in love with books like “The neverending story” and “Where the wild things are”. Later, I was shocked with Japanese culture and specially Hayao Miyazaki. When I watched “Mononoke hime”, I realised I wanted to create my own fantasy stories and illustrate them.

I have an annoying cat called “Nymeria” (Yes, that is like the warrior princess of “Games of Thrones”) and her favourite hobby is attacking my hand when I am drawing.

I usually mix traditional techniques and digital colours, because I want to get a warm style. I really feel that my artwork is fun and fantastic like the stories that I read in my childhood.

55 PABLO PINO

I’m Pablo Pino. I was born in August 1981 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I grew up watching cartoons, playing football and drawing a lot. These days, I don’t watch as much TV and I only play football once a week, but I still have the joy of painting every day. Why? Because, for the last 10 years, I’ve been working as a professional illustrator for different print media. What I enjoy the most is illustrating books for children and teenagers.

Besides the 40 published books I’ve illustrated, among novels and tales I also do characters designs, board games and collaborate on designs for schoolbooks and magazines with various worldwide publishing companies.

I’m self- taught and my illustrations are mostly computer drawn but I always add textures that I make with pencils, crayons, acrylics and pretty much any material that lets me get messy like I was when I was a child.

56

PATRICIA YUSTE

My name is Patricia I am originally from MĂĄlaga in Spain, but nowadays I live and work in Berlin, It has a wonderfully creative environment.

My passion is drawing. I’m happy when I hold a pencil or brush in my hand, in fact I draw since I can remember that was the reason I started studying the arts.

I started to work early in fashion and after several years working as a graphic and fashion designer, I have decided to work in what I love, illustrate!!

I love watercolors and ink but most of my work is digital, I recognize is faster and cleaner.

I consider myself a versatile illustrator, although I feel special interest in children illustrations, more now that I'm a mother.

I place high demands on myself at work, I am flexible and someone who knows how to adapt to the requirements of each project.

57

PATRICK BROOKS

My name is Patrick S. Brooks and I am an illustrator and writer based in Yorkshire, UK. I graduated in Fine Art and primarily work digitally using Photoshop. I try to create an ethereal and dreamlike feel to many of my scenes and use different techniques. I use scanned image textures of paint, pastel, canvas and other media, and build up illustrations with layers. By assigning textures to custom brushes, I try to achieve a traditional pastel feel to my work. Through using layer blending modes such as screen, overlay and multiply, I alter transparency to experiment with different texture and digital effects.

As a writer, I also enjoy including narratives into my scenes and creating new characters. Currently I am in the process of developing two original picture book concepts.

To date I have worked with publishers in South Korea, America, Australia and UK.

Paul is a freelance artist producing illustrations for a wide variety of commissions. He graduated with a BA Honors Degree from the North Wales School of art and design in 2000.

58

PAUL NICHOLLS

Paul joined Advocate Art in 2001- since then he has worked for a wide variety of clients producing illustrations for the advertising, editorial, fine art, greeting card and publishing industries.

Paul lives on the coast of mid Wales where he shares a studio with his partner and fellow illustrator. They also have two children.

In his spare time he enjoys mountain biking, a bit of golf and chasing the kids around the beach.

Paul currently works digitally through a Wacom tablet and the latest Adobe CC software.

59

PETROS BOULOUBASIS

Graduated from the Graphic Design Institute of Athens.

His work is published and exhibited in Greece, Spain, Japan, Iran, Australia, France, Korea, Belgium, Turkey.

Awarded with several merits and the ‘State Illustration Award 2007’.

60

RENIA METALLINOU

I’m a freelance illustrator from Greece. I was born in Corfu (1978), currently living a few miles away from Athens, in a small house by the sea, with my husband, our two children, a cat and two dogs.

I graduated from AKTO College in 2001 with a BA degree (Honors) in Graphic Design. In 2007, I studied fashion design after winning a two-year scholarship. My work combines both digital and traditional media (mostly pencils for drawing and adobe’s photoshop for the colouring). I like to make images that make people smile.

I love eating chocolate and drinking coffee while reading the text for the next children’s book I’m going to illustrate.

61

ROBERT DUNN

Robert Dunn is a Scottish illustrator specialising in editorial, children’s and picture book illustration. He works mixing traditional media with digital elements in his cluttered but cosy home studio in the wilds of South Lanarkshire. The lovely people at Advocate Art keep him busy illustrating lots of books and magazines. His first picture book, ‘Spacewalkies’, was published in 2015.

‘There’s only one- ‘Scruffle’ - which followed in 2016.

62

SALLY GARLAND

I was brought up in a small town in the Highlands of Scotland called Alness and studied Illustration at Edinburgh College Of Art, before moving to Glasgow where I now currently live and work with my partner and young son.

Since I was young I have always loved drawing and had a passion for children’s literature and illustration. My current influences include vintage picture book illustration from the 50s and 60s.

I have had many years experience working as a children’s Illustrator and happily work both digitally and traditionally. Recently I have been enjoying experimenting with simple block printing techniques and watercolour and writing my own stories.

63

SARA UGOLOTTI

I was born in 1988 near Reggio Emilia, in the north of Italy and since I was a child I have always loved drawing.

In 2012 I obtained a bachelor’s degree in Architecture at the University of Parma.

In 2015 I started a degree in Illustration at the International School of Comics in Reggio Emilia with excellent results. I love to draw and paint using different techniques but I mainly work digitally.

I have collaborated on projects for magazines, children’s book and children’s animations I have been awarded in many Illustration competitions and my illustrations have been selected for exhibitions in Italy, Holland, Germany,.

Belgium, UK, China and Japan.

I currently live and work in Parma with my boyfriend and our french bulldog Murphy.

64

SIMON MENDEZ

Simon Mendez was born in York and has always loved to draw He combined his love of the natural world and his meticulous mind when he gained a BA degree in Scientific and Natural History Illustration at Fylde College in Blackpool.

Although the majority of his work still concentrates on portraits and aspects of nature he enjoys Illustraiting many different subjects and developing different skills and styles in all media as well as recreating vintage and classic styles to help illuminate his interpretations in a visual explanation. Simon spends his rare time away from the drawing board with his kids colouring in and building stuff!

65

SOPHIA TOULIATOU

Greek-born and Athens based artist, Sophia Touliatou, studied Graphic Design, but works as an illustrator doing mostly children books - many of which have gained merits and awards.

She’s always happier when a dog or cat is around and strongly believes that life begins after coffee :)

66

STEF MURPHY

I was born in London alongside my twin brother and partner in crime, Tom. When I was younger I was obsessed with Wallace and Gromit and it was right at the end of ‘A Grand Day Out’ that I knew I had to be an artist.

I have lots of inspirations but my greatest is my Dad. He would tell us the most hilarious make-up stories as kids and it encouraged me to get lost in my imagination. I used to have a pet rabbit called Stanley; he was a bit of a diva and would never sit still for a portrait. I took a Foundation at Loughborough University and loved it so much that I stayed on to complete my degree in Illustration.

I would describe my work as playful and witty. I approach each brief differently but I usually start by creating lots of different textures with rollers, sponges and brushes etc.

Sometimes I even venture out into the garden to collect twigs, which are great for making scratchy beards.

When I’m at the ideas stage I like listening to Tycho; it’s purely instrumental so it’s easy to think. Then when I’m in the swing of something I have to ramp it up a gear and listen to something cheesy like ‘Born to be Wild’, which usually results in a lot of dancing and not much working.

67

STEVE STONE

Originally from the North East of England, Steve now lives in Derbyshire UK with his wife Claire and Vincent van Mog. After completing his education, he began his career working within the fashion industry as a clothing/ print designer after which he spent 12 years as a university lecturer in Fashion Design & Visual Communication. He now devotes his time as a freelance artist, specialising in narrative illustration for commercial and contemporary markets. With over 25 books published and a growing client list, his journey has been a very exciting and rewarding one. ‘’As a child I remember pouring over my brothers Asterix books and be lost in their magic. That first passion for storytelling and illustration has since flowered into my own work which celebrates personality, humour and characterisation. These are the key elements to my style along with dynamic mix of traditional and digital techniques’’.

68

STEVEN WOOD

I live in North London and work from a little studio in my house. While most of my time is spent spying on the neighbourhood cats and trying to lure them into my house, I do love to doodle.

When drawing, my main focus is always the cast of characters that bring life and movement to the picture.

I love to emphasise subtle humour, taking influence from the adventure stories I loved as a child. Whether that’s tales of pirates and sunken treasure, cowboys, knights and dragons, or classic murder mystery stories, they all shape the pictures I love to draw.

When not working, my favourite hobby is stealing biscuits from my girlfriend and blaming the ‘house mouse’. *I promise there really is a mouse in our house that has an unstoppable biscuit addiction… I’m trying to get him help.

69

SUE DOWNING

I live and work in a little eco house in Newcastle upon Tyne with my husband and two children.

I love to draw, design and make things. Since leaving Edinburgh College of art in the late 1990’s, I’ve worked in house, and on a freelance basis, as an illustrator, product/licensed character developer, a designer/maker for jewellery, greetings cards and wrapping paper...never a dull moment!

My inspirations are many - from knitted toys, Japanese design, and Scandinavian Chic to Modernism, Dick Bruna and Info graphics. I’m drawn to anything that is quirky, humorous and minimal in design, and I hope that is reflected in my illustration.

Working with Advocate, and the exciting projects they find for me, means that I am constantly developing and evolving my work, which makes me vey happy, especially when I’m telling stories though illustration.

70

SUE EASTLAND

I am a British designer, illustrator and author and I currently live and work in the North of England. My background both personally and professionally has always been in art and design. I spent a lot of my childhood either drawing pictures or reading books. I was always creating something, either little books for my friends or models from card and paper. I studied Graphic Design and later a Masters degree in Spatial Design.

I have had a successful career as a freelance greetings card designer and have won awards in this field.

However more recently I have become much more involved in children’s picture book illustration. I have written, as well as illustrated childrens picture books and I am currently formulating ideas and illustrations for new stories. My inspiration comes from real life observation.

My characters usually have a mischievous side and I like to create funny and silly characters in humorous or absurd situations.

71

SUSANA GURREA

I was born in sunny Barcelona, Spain, in 1981.

When I was a child, I loved reading fairy tales and drawing and writing my own stories, so it was only natural that in 2012 I put my career as engineer aside and focused on my true vocation: illustration!

In 2015 I graduated from Olot School of Art with a degree in Illustration. I then joined a Comic course in Barcelona Joso School and, in 2016, I graduated from Eina University School with a Postgraduate qualification in Children’s Books Illustration.

My artwork is kind and colourful, probably because I have a quiet character.

Nowadays, I live in a village near Barcelona with my husband and my beautiful son, where I work as an illustrator for clients around the world. When I’m not drawing, I spend my free time with family, walking around the forest, travelling and enjoying life...

72

TASMIN HINRICHSEN

I was born in Cape Town, South Africa in 1974, and still live and work there, in my loft studio which I share with my twin sister, Natalie. I majored in Graphic Design and illustration at the Cape Town University of Technology and graduated in 1995. I always liked drawing and got into trouble at school for doodling on my homework. After doing the posters for our annual school plays and music concerts every year, I decided that I wanted to become an illustrator.

I have illustrated several children’s books for publishers in the U.K. and South Africa. I use very textured dry brush acrylics with lots of layers and have recently started illustrating in Photoshop. My favourite stories to illustrate are classic folk-tales about animals. In my spare time I surf the internet, play board games, read books and graphic novels and go for walks.

73

TONY WESTWOOD

You may be wondering who I am - that is a very good question my friends; a very good question indeed!

I was born and raised in a small town in West Yorkshire, where I was brought up by the most amazingest parents.

When I turned 25, I shipped myself off to Hamburg, Germany, where I currently live and absolutely love it here.

Many of my influences, I think, come from things that I did with my friends when I was growing up, from playing video games to watching cartoons, or just trying to build fortresses out of sticks.

When I’m not sketching, doodling or digitalling, I tend to get out and about on my bike and think about food (a lot).

I have a passion for finding good places to eat. Especially burger places!

So...I hope that answers the question!

74

VALENTINA FONTANA

I am an Italian illustrator who loves working both traditional and digital. I was born in Verona in 1993 but studied illustration and character design in Florence, where I currently live.

In my drawing I find an inner peace doing all the tiny details, so elements like houses and flowers, or just mixing pencil and digital finding something new are the best expression of my passion.

75

VALENTINA MOSCON

I was born in South Tirol, Northern Italy. I decided to become an illustrator during my studies at the university in MIlan. I learned that nowadays being an illustrator mean so much more than just producing pretty images; the ability to convey a message, and communicate through visual means was what attracted me.

My favorite part of my job is character design. I aim to create appealing characters, with which people can identify themselves. I love telling their personality through their look and making them appear alive. I love sketching with the pencil, but I mainly work digitally.

The time I don’t spend drawing, I dedicate it to my passions: I love dancing, my motobike‌and sweets!

At the moment I live in Milan and I work in Atabaliba studio, a design studio composed by creative freelancers melting-pot (where my main task is to get rid of all the biscuits).

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