Richard Jones Illustrator from England

I knew I wanted to make a living in the arts from a very young age but I only set my sights on illustration when I got to university. Until then, I’d studied graphic design, film making, photography and fine art. Illustration combines many of the best things about all those disciplines — creativity, design, imagination and story-telling.

I try and begin my day as early as I can. The creative part of my brain is most alive in the morning. I work through until lunch but everything seems to slow to a stumbling halt by mid-afternoon! I’ve always worked for an hour or two in the evenings after dinner.

I adore the early work of Brian Wildsmith — his use of colour is second to none. I also admire the painting of 20 century graphic artist Ben Shahn. His ability to capture a precise, important moment in his work is phenomenal.

I used to create flyers and postcards for musicians and performers, so it was probably one of those. My first professional book project was "Feelings" written by Libby Walden and published by Little Tiger Press. I learnt so much putting that book together and it’s still very dear to me.

When I’m at the planning stage of a project I find I need peace and quiet. Once the roughs have been signed off and I’m free to start painting, I love the company of the radio and audiobooks.

My work room is tiny, but it’s warm and quiet and filled with things that inspire me. I feel very lucky to have it.

That’s such a tough question! I appreciate different aspects of what I make but I’m rarely satisfied with how things turn out. I’m very fond of the cover of "The Snow Lion", however. The book has sold in 20 languages so we must have done something right!

Although it’s fast becoming urbanised, I live in a fairly rural area and love exploring the countryside around my home. I hope to move further into the wild one day!