Justin Worsley Illustrator/author and toy designer from England

From an early age drawing and making things have been a big part of my life. I had a wonderful Grandpa who encouraged the creative side in me. When it came to school I was not at all academic but I did get recognition in art and design classes. Then after school I chose to study Industrial Design at University which led me to a career in toy design. Finally after nearly thirty years of designing toys I decided it was time for a change and to follow a long held dream of becoming a Children’s book illustrator. I was accepted onto the MA course at Cambridge School of Art where I studied part time for three years, graduating at the beginning of 2023!

I was lucky enough to have some of the work I created on the course be picked up by a publisher and my first author/illustrated picture books are due to be published in 2025.

I work from a small home studio so I don’t have to commute. The day normally starts with either walking our dog Percy or a bike ride followed by a strong coffee or two.

Then it depends on whether I am working on a toy design project or my book illustration. For toy design I mostly work in 3D on the computer compared to my illustration work which I mostly create using paint and mixed media. I only have one big desk so I either have to clear my paints away to work on the computer or shuffle the keyboard and laptop to one side to make room for analogue work.

As a child I remember being very proud of a picture of a tree I made in junior school, I drew every single leaf! In terms of my first professional illustration work, I am only just starting on that journey, I’ve recently completed the artwork for my first picture book and have started on my second but as neither will publish until 2025 they are still very much confidential!

Anywhere and everywhere! Often ideas come to me when I have free time to let my mind wander, on train journeys or riding my bike or just observing every day life. I make a point of making note of them when they do occur in an ever growing list on my phone.

It’s very difficult for me to single out favourites as again there are so many. In terms of authors it has to be Roald Dahl for his originality and just brilliant story telling for children that in no way patronises them. ‘The Twits’ being a favourite of mine. I have never read a great deal as I am such a slow reader but I have read all his books.

I love David Hockney for his colours and breadth of subject matter and his never ending energy to create new work.

If I had to pick an illustrator it would probably have to be Satoshi Kitamura, I love his quirky style and both his animal and human characters are so full of character.

TV and film creators have also been very influential, when I was growing up in the 1970s I was captivated by British children’s TV. Favourites were ‘Mr Benn’ created by David McKee, ‘The Clangers’ by Oliver Postgate and ‘The Wombles’ by Elisabeth Beresford.

Another huge influence has been Nick Park, creator of "Wallace and Gromit" and "Shaun the Sheep".

I often have music in the background whilst I am working but I find it impossible to listen to the spoken word such as podcasts and audio books as my mind is normally so focused on the work I am making that I lose track.

Not especially that I can think of. I have recently illustrated some scenes from ‘The Jungle Book’ for an Instagram challenge. I did enjoy that but I find it difficult not to be influenced by what has gone before, so I think I would enjoy something brand new more.

It changes often, for some reason the one that I am most happy with recently is a painting of a sleeping lion. I was happy with the expression and the looseness of this one.

My favourite activity apart from drawing/painting is cycling. I ride on or off road two or three times a week. I am lucky to live in the South Downs National Park in England so I am surrounded by beautiful countryside to ride in.

I love the feeling of satisfaction I get when I manage to create a piece of work that captures everything I want it to say in terms of narrative, emotion and the looseness I strive for in my illustrations. I’m very critical of my own work so it doesn’t happen often!

Hmmm. Difficult one to answer. Art is so subjective. The one thing that I think is very important in illustration is clarity of communication. I believe a good children’s book illustrator is one who can to tell a story clearly and with emotion without the need for text.

I struggle often, though maybe a little less as time goes by. My usual way to overcome this kind of creative block is to make some work with no pressure. I post quite often on Instagram and normally this is work that I have created just for the fun of it, I often start the day by doing this as a way of warming up before starting my professional work. I like to use big or scruffy paint brushes and not be precious with what I am creating. I might make a few versions before I am happy with one.