I grew up in an industrial town in the north east of England, living my first 19 years in staff accommodation within a residential centre for children who had committed very serious crimes, so saw at close-hand the effect that lack of education, love and a happy childhood has on children. One of my favourite places was the local library, where I would go on a Saturday afternoon with my siblings. After working part-time jobs as a waitress and in a factory in the north east (with a brief stint as a chamber maid in Luxembourg), I eventually graduated from the University of Central Lancashire in 1996 with a 1st class Honours Degree in Graphic Design. I worked as a graphic designer in London for over 25 years, both for other companies and running my own business. My love of combining words, images and making stories, combined with a newly invigorated love of reading to my own children, led me down the exciting path of studying for an MA in Children's Book Illustration at Cambridge School of Art. I graduated with distinction in 2021. I was longlisted for the Association of Illustrators' World Illustration Awards in 2020 and 2022. I also won a Hiiibrand Merit Award in the Unpublished Picturebooks category in 2022 and 2023.
In my work I like to use strong shapes to create memorable images. I experiment with different media, but have been strongly influenced by techniques I learned while home screen-printing. In my stories I love to create characters who will engage children through humour.
I live in London with my husband and two children, aged 15 and 18 who have been my biggest inspiration. As someone with children of mixed heritage, I would love to see more representation of mixed heritage families in picture books. When not drawing and designing I love to read, knit, go running with our very barky miniature Schnauzer, and I have recently mastered the Rubik's cube, proving it's never too late to learn new tricks!
World Illustration Awards 2020 and 2022 Longlisted Artist
Hiiibrand 2021 Merit Award and 2022 Finalist