Recently I’ve been reading Malcom Yorke’s fascinating biography of author/illustrator Mervyn Peake (1911-1968), one of my illustration ‘heroes’. In 1947 Peake was interviewed on BBC Radio and waxed lyrical on the subject of book illustration. His ideas are so close to my own opinions on the subject I can’t resist quoting the great man’s words here: For a book illustrator “above all things there must be the power to slide into another man’s soul. The power to be identified wit

Domestic and work matters have occupied so much of my time I’ve not had chance to blog much lately. Things shall settle soon I hope. In the meantime here’s another fine illustrator’s blog I found Coelacanth Diaries #illustrators #StephenCollins

Well back to business, here’s the blog of Seattle based children’s illustrator John Nez, a long-time cyber colleague.John Nez Illustration: Champagne & Tulips The world really is getting to be a smaller place when I can call someone a friend, though they may live the other side of the world and we may never have met in person. Thanks to the internet I believe I know more people in North America now than I do in the UK. #illustrators #internet #JohnNez

Here’s another children’s illustrator’s blog from the UK I just came across. Lots of images to warm the cockles of an old ex-pat’s heart and remind him of old merrie England Middle of Nowhere Middle of nowhere? Looks more like the middle of Oxfordshire to me, a place I’m actually thinking of moving to if I ever leave Japan. What? leave Japan? Well, my daughter is approaching school age, my family back home are not getting any younger, and I have been in Tokyo/Yokohama for 20

(this post abridged from a previously published essay) I’ve been sketching ever since I can remember, looking back now in honest truth I don’t believe I could have followed any other path except illustration. I was pretty dreamy about everything else at school apart from English and History, so by the time it came to a career decision it was pretty well determined which direction I would take. As a young child I had limited access to children’s books, the only reading matter