Jemima Newberry Interview

How and why did you decide to pursue illustration as your career?

I have always been creative and loved painting as long as I can remember. All through school art was my favourite subject, but it wasn't until I studied an Art and Design Foundation course that I learnt more about Illustration and that I wanted to pursue it further as a career. This then led me to study my Illustration degree at University of Plymouth, I learnt so much and enjoyed exploring all the different aspects of Illustration. During my time studying I mainly focused on Children's Markets, I loved receiving a new project and researching into each subject then coming up with with ideas which would help engage a child to learn.

What is your favourite medium to work with and why?

I work traditionally using gouache and coloured pencils, I love the versatility of gouache and it allows me to create lots of detail. I use coloured pencils on top to add texture and more detail. I have experimented with many different materials over the years but have always gravitated back to gouache.

What do you hope children take away from your drawings?

I hope my illustrations inspire children to help with their learning as well as being fun and spark their imagination. It makes my day when I see a child look at my illustrations with a smile on their face and it intrigues them to ask questions about the image.

Picture books are one of the first contacts of artwork which children experience which is I why believe working traditionally is so important as it encourages children to pick up a pencil or a paintbrush and to be creative and tactile rather than just sitting in front of a screen.

What do you do in your spare time?

I try to spend a lot of my spare time outdoors as much as possible and I am always looking for inspiration for my next illustration. For as long as I can remember I have always been interested in a range of different sports particularly extreme sports, motorbiking, mountain biking, snowboarding, sailing, wakeboarding, windsurfing and lots more! Many of my hobbies have inspired my illustrations.

Do you keep a sketch book?

I try to take a sketchbook wherever I go, there's always something that catches my eye to sketch! I really enjoy playing around with different art materials which I don't normally use in the studio, location drawing is a great way to improve drawing skills. I love exploring different places to sketch with my friends who share the same interests!

Which area of children’s publishing excites you the most?

As a child I loved non-fiction books, I loved learning about the different topics and my favourite part was the illustrations. I aspire to encourage children to explore and learn all aspects of everyday life and further through pictures. l would love to have my own illustrations published in a book one day!

Jemima Newberry