UNDISCOVERED VOICES INTERVIEWS Emily Jones

For her illustration submission to Undiscovered Voices, Cardiff based illustrator Emily Jones selected one of Toad's escapades from Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows.

• Tell us about yourself in 50 words or less

I live in Cardiff and work as a design technician. I studied illustration for Children’s Books at Glyndwr University and when I’m not working in my day job, i spend as much free time as I can illustrating.

• Who or what do you think informs your illustration the most?

Tons of illustrators inspire me including Júlia Sardà, David Roberts, Alex T. Smith, Michael Sowa, Rebecca Dautremer and so many more. I study their work and try to figure out how they do what they do. They make me feel totally inferior but at the same time, inspire me and enthuse me to create my next best piece.

• What materials do you enjoy using the most?

I mostly illustrate using a fine-line graphic pencil. I'll import the image into Photoshop and digitally colour the image. Although some commissions require me to paint on paper which I love.

• Why did you choose the scene you illustrated for UV2018?

I had wanted to find a scene in The Wind in the Willows which fitted the UV brief. A scene which had several characters, lots of movement and a sense of comedy. This scene was perfect for that.

• What has been the most valuable part of UV2018 for you?

Being invited to London and having my portfolio scrutinised by a professional illustrator was a valuable experience.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


Emily's website is emilybobdraws.com

Follow her on Instagram @emilybobdraws

––––––––––––––– § –––––––––––––––

You can download the Undiscovered Voices 2018 anthology here.

---

Undiscovered Voices is an anthology published every other year by the British SCBWI and aims to help fresh, new voices in children’s literature – both writers and illustrators – find agents, publishers and ultimately readers. Undiscovered Voices has launched the careers of writers and illustrators, who have gone on to publish more than 200 books. These authors have been nominated for and won an amazing array of literary prizes: including the Carnegie Medal, Waterstone’s Children’s Book Prize, Branford Boase Award, Blue Peter Award, the SCBWI Crystal Kite Award, and nearly 30 regional awards. Visit www.undiscoveredvoices.com for all the details and news when submissions will open for the next anthology.