Toppsta - Childrens Books – Reviews

Based in the Midlands, Beth Gunnell lives her childhood daydream of drawing all day long and works as a freelance designer. Since 2003, as well as illustrating beautiful patterns for colouring books, Beth has been creating artwork for a range of products, from babywear to chocolate boxes, greetings cards to textiles. Beth enjoys the variety of her work and has a passion for sweet characters and all things pretty.

@BGunnellDesign

Katy Jackson is a freelance illustrator based in London.

Over the last 9 years her studio has produced illustrations for a wide variety of clients across the industry and the world. Her work has included artwork for book covers, storyboards, picture books, commemorative plates, greetings cards, puzzles, tv programmes and editorial pieces.

Katy Jackson works in a mix of media, using pencil and Photoshop. Pencil roughs are emailed to the client for approval before final artwork. The final print-ready illustrations are then sent either digitally by CD or email, or sent as original artwork.

Nellie Ryan developed a love for design and illustrating from a young age. Growing up in New Zealand, she was raised on a healthy diet of coloured pencils, endless amounts of drawing paper and chocolate.

Over the past ten years working with an international client base Nellie has gained a reputation for her distinctive style. She specialises in textile design, book and editorial illustration, surface print design and fashion trend forecasting.

Ann Kronheimer was born and brought up in Primrose Hill in London. She studied Fine Art at Hornsey School of Art but turned to illustration on leaving. In the early years she subsidised her career with gardening and working in a cinema.

Now, she is lucky enough to spend her days drawing in a studio overlooking the garden of her home in Hackney.

She has illustrated books by authors such as Dick King-Smith, Linda Chapman and Herbie Brennan and worked for publishers including Puffin, Ladybird and Buster Books.

Louise Anglicas is an English based illustrator specialising in childrens illustration and greeting card design, as well as ceramics, wall art and housewares design too. Louise was born in Manchester in 1973 where she grew up, but now lives just down the road in the heart of The Potteries, Staffordshire with her partner and two young daughters.

From an early age, the artistic tendencies were evident. Never without felt tips and pencil crayons in hand, illustrating anything from school fete posters, to a picture bingo travel version, to entertain her sisters on the long road trips to summer holidays in North Wales!

She went on to study at Staffordshire University, where she graduated with a degree in Ceramics and Surface Pattern Design, so naturally, started her career working as an in-house designer for a local long established ceramic manufacturer. One of her main achievements here, was being instrumental in securing the Harry Potter license; working on the creative bid and snatching it from the clutches of much larger big name companies in the pottery industry! It was a great experience to
learn the ropes of a fast paced industry entrenched in trends, pattern and colour and enabled Louise to combine her love of creating pattern, detail, and textures with the fabulous versatility of design produced through the technology of Mac computers!

Being established as a freelancer designer for many years since, and after having had two lovely daughters, Louise has naturally ventured into to the wonderful world of childrens illustration, where her love of pattern and design is being applied
anew. It's a fabulous area and new challenge that she relishes, and hopes to expand on and improve in for many years to come. It is a career that is forever rewarding and challenging, and she feels very lucky to be able to do this for a living!

Rachel Cloyne has worked as a freelance illustrator since graduating from Brighton University with a degree in Illustration. During this time she has produced a variety of published work ranging from educational pieces to children's pop- up books. She has an eye for patterns and is inspired by nature, architecture and an eclectic mix of design influences. She seamlessly combines ink and computer techniques to create unique and dynamic images which inspire the imagination and demand a closer look. Her clients include Tango Books, Starshine Music and Buster Books. Her most recent title includes 'Snow White and Rose Red' published by Tango Books in 2012. Rachel's work also features in the 'Girls Gorgeous World' Doodling and Colouring book;out later this year- published by Buster Books. Hannah Davies is an award-winning Welsh based freelance designer and illustrator. She is a fine-detail Surface Pattern Design specialist who draws on her love of nature for inspiration, producing intricate work rich in texture and colour. Combining illustrations and pattern design, 'I use my imaginative and detailed hand-drawing as a starting point. I then develop this using my own vibrant watercolours and collage techniques creating quirky stories and inspiring patterns'.

Hannah has worked with many design companies from all ends of the spectrum contributing in design, publishing and advertising.