Interview: Emma Chinnery

Preferred Pronoun?
She/ Her

Why did you choose to enter this work?
These illustrations represent a personal achievement as a my debut author/ illustrated picture book and a breakthrough in the development of my visual language as a professional illustrator.

What’s your favourite thing about your shortlisted project?
I loved drawing the characters! It was so great to explore the character design and get to know the little dog Fluffy and show her relationship with her new friends Andy and his human dad.

What excites you most about being shortlisted?
I am excited that being shortlisted will allow my illustration work to be discovered by publishers and hope that it will create opportunities to illustrate more children's books in the future.

Where do you usually work?
In the development stage of a story you will find me working out and about on location, drawing people, animals and their environments. Then I create the roughs and final artwork at my desk at home.

How long did it take to complete your project?
About 4 years! The idea for this story came in 2019 while studying on the MA Children's Book Illustration course at CSA. I rewrote the story in 2022 and finished the final artwork in spring 2023.

What is your dream commission?
I would love to work on a magical, mysterious story or series with an author. I love the fantasy genre and all the glittery, atmospheric environments that the characters live in.

What’s your favourite thing to draw?
I love drawing human and animal characters and exploring their relationships with each other to visually tell their stories through gesture and emotions.

What is your best tip for other illustrators?
Keep a sketchbook and draw from observation all the little stories going on around you. This will help develop your drawing skills plus you never know when a sketch will spark a new idea for a story.

What are your plans for the future?
I am currently working on artwork for my second author-illustrated picture book and will be working on my third next year. I would love to illustrate more books by other authors - get in touch!


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