WIA2022 Longlist Category Highlights: Children’s Publishing – New Talent – Sponsored by Walker Books

Bruna Martins : Pedrina’s House

 For her final project at university, Bruna wrote and illustrated a book about her grandmother Pedrina’s house. I

Imagined as a journey through the rooms and objects of the house, it revisits memories that she and her grandmother hold of that place.

To research the book Bruna traveled to her Grandma’s house and created many drawings, from looking at old photographies and spending time with her Grandmother

Some of the textures and patterns were created using linocuts that later were used to compose the final images. Other tools used were ink, coloured pencils and Photoshop to finish.

Bruna Martins is a freelance illustrator based in Brazil.

YUFEI YANG : The Café on my Street

Inspired by their sketches from visiting their local cafe, Yufei created this series of illustrations as a graphic story with narratives inspired by the characters they saw there and their habits, eccentricities and foibles.

The illustrations were created digitally using a limited colour palette, inspired by experiments with Risograph printing.

Yufei Yang is an Illustrator based in the UK who recently graduated from The Cambridge School of Art @ Anglia Ruskin University.

Rachel James : Sometimes I Like To Be Alone

Created in response to a brief to illustrate a children’s picture book for her Masters degree in Illustration, Rachel wanted to create a book that discussed an emotion that children may find hard to process – being alone – but to look at it from both negative and positive viewpoints.

All the work was made primarily through paper/card collage, cut and glued by hand, with digital illustration to finish.

Rachel James is an Illustrator based in the UK, she recently graduated from an MA in Illustration at University for the Creative Arts (Farnham).

Catherine McArdle : Grandpa’s chair

Catherine was inspired to create this charming series of illustrations as a self-initiated brief, to write and illustrate a book about a Grandpa who just loves his chair so much that he had to take it everywhere.

The book has been created using a combination of initial drawings, Procreate and monoprinting, using digital media to manipulate hand printed images to create patterns and textures.

Catherine McArdle is an Illustrator based in London, UK

Rosie Thwaites : Must Play

In a piece exploring our relationship between work and play Rosie reflects on the re-opening of schools after the pandemic lockdown.

With record numbers of children needing mental health support, she wanted to explore how re-connecting with the world through play rather than worrying about missed schoolwork should be the priority.

A real teacher wrote the line in red pen and Rosie’s son wrote the sentences in black. The figures were created with ink and brush and the final composition was finished in Photoshop.

Rosie Thwaites is a Children’s Picture Book Illustrator and Educator based in London, UK.

Violeta Encarnacion : Friendship

Violeta created this thought provoking illustration to illustrate that from a young age, we must strive to connect with each other to help the fight against racial separation in public schools through urban planning in America.

She depicts the moment that two girls stop and notice that they are wearing the same shoes. A simple moment that can spark love, respect, and friendship.

Violeta Encarnacion is a Cuban-raised, and now New York-based artist fascinated with telling stories through her work.