I completed my Foundation diploma in 2017 and graduated with a First in BA Illustration with Animation in 2020, both at Manchester School of Art. I often hear discussions as to whether an art degree is vital and personally, I think it is down to your own preference. I'm happy I have my degree but I don't think you need one to become successful in the creative industry. There are so many resources available online nowadays that a lot of value comes from experience, and the equipment you have available to you to develop a creative practice. I personally found my time at university to be an an invaluable experience as I could develop and experiment freely within my creative field. I immersed myself in the community there, and gained many insights and networking opportunities that I just wouldn't have found elsewhere. And those experiences stay with you for a lifetime.

I'm definitely still growing when it comes to style and I think it will be a life-long journey. My advice would be to make work that truly comes from within you, work that inspires you and that you enjoy making. From that a style should emerge naturally. It's difficult in the beginning to not get overwhelmed with the content already out there, but it is essential to be kind to yourself and give yourself time and space to experiment. Sometimes the light-bulb moments happen when you're completely immersed in the creative process and the patterns of what you really like start to emerge. Style usually comes in time, and confidence comes with practice, so I'd say don't worry about it too much, just make the work that makes YOU happy and enjoy the process!

In 2022 I received an email from the author of Dancing in the Rain, who found my work through Instagram. I agreed to work with her on a dummy book (making sure I’d be paid for this!) and took it to Bologna Children’s Book Fair where we pitched it to three publishers. A music-based publisher from Milan liked what they saw and agreed to publish. They had requirements to change some of the spreads, but for most of the book they were happy with it as it was. I followed my process (see below) and worked up the rest of the dummy book. We then spent about a month in communication back and forth with the publisher to make small changes here and there. The whole process took about 5-6 months.

My advice would be make work you personally like and just share it. I wish there was a step-by-step formula that leads to success but honestly, most of it happens when you least expect it. I know it can be really disheartening when things don't seem to be moving forward. Honestly, I'VE BEEN THERE. After talking to a lot of illustrators, even established ones you think have it all together - no one does. It's through consistency and focus on the things you enjoy that gets you places.

If you're making something with force or you feel like you 'should' be making it, I'd pause and think about your why. When I was starting out I got overwhelmed by all the paths I could go down with illustration. After graduation I wanted to be published so I directed my portfolio towards that. Now I'm looking towards licencing. It's okay to want to try it all, but I would suggest choosing one thing at a time. A book that helped me with this was The One Thing by Gary Keller.

I have a deep fascination with history, forgotten faces and real-life stories. Inspiration flows when I am surrounded by nature, and my work often draws from themes in literature, conservation and the natural world. I love cottage gardens and patchwork quilts, wisteria and rainy Autumn mornings. My favourite painters are the French Impressionists - the colours in Monet’s Haystacks or Renoir’s lamp-lit streets are just so dreamy.

I firstly want to say that most of the projects I've worked on happened out of luck, but the more work I shared, the luckier I got.

I spent a good two years out of university working very hard for little reward, but in 2023 I started getting more commissions via email and Instagram, and my work spread through word of mouth. So in this sense I can see how my hard work got me to a place where those commissions started coming through. I had a backlog of work on my website, so when people started finding me I had a lot to show already. This is where I would start.

With each commission the process changes slightly. But for children’s books, it looks something like this:

- Research - Once I’ve read over the text I dive into media; photographs, costumes, museums, colour palettes, art movements; anything that helps me build up my “world”.

- Sketching and storyboards - a lot of doodling in my sketchbook, figuring out ideas, and then combining them together into sequences to consider how I’ll tell the story through pictures. This is messy, and I’m not precious about what I draw. It’s about getting the ideas out of my head and onto paper.

- Developing sketches - at this point I’ll have a clear idea of what I want each spread to look like. I will scan rough sketches and trace them on my light box to create full spreads for each scene.

- Experimentation - then I’ll take time painting and playing with materials. Usually once I’m happy with a palette I’ll stick with it and see how it looks on each of the spreads. I never do the spreads full size at this stage, usually A4. I have a love/hate relationship with this part of the process. I tend to get frustrated when things don’t work and some days it feels like I’m going backwards! But I’ve come to learn that this is all part of the process. I just keep testing until I’m happy!

- Finals - For final spreads I’ll use my lightbox to trace the final scene full size (A3 OR A2 paper), and then paint away! I use acryla gouache and pencil crayon as this is the material that after trying everything, I feel most comfortable with. I usually use hot press watercolour paper.

- Scanning and editing - I’ll then scan the finished scenes and edit anything on Photoshop. For Dancing in the Rain, I also had to add the text on an extra layer, but usually the editor will do that for you.

I boosted my confidence massively when I started joining artist groups. I've found an amazing community with Drawn In and Sketch and Cafe. I’ve met really inspiring people at both of these events who I can talk to and discuss where I'm at in a non-judgemental way. This took me three years to find though! So don't get disheartened if you don't have a community just yet. By sharing work you love and being open to a conversation you will eventually find your tribe. Just don't isolate yourself. Illustrators need community to thrive!

PAPER W&N Bristol paper, Strathmore toned pad, Bockingford Hot Press

PAINT Holbein Acrylic Gouache

PENCILS Faber Castell Polychromos, Caran D’Ache Supracolor II and Aquarelle

BRUSHES Princeton Velvetouch

SCANNER Epson Perfection V600

SKETCHBOOK Leuchtturm1917

I’ve always been passionate about children’s books. This is what I wanted to do from a very early age. I’m also an advocate for traditional, hand-drawn illustration rather than digital. Not that I don’t appreciate the skill and talent of digital artists, but there’s something precious about hand-painted illustration - it’s timeless! In regards to themes or subjects, I love historical figures, costumes, or something that has a rich contextual background I can research. I love adding realistic detail into my scenes, even if the actual illustrations are more whimsical and stylised.

I currently sell original prints and personalised portraits on my Etsy shop. I am always on the look out for independent shops to stock my work, so if you're interested please drop me a line at hicatherinebooth@outlook.com