About me
Hello! I’m Rachel, an illustrator and picturebook maker based in South East London where I live with my husband and two children.
I love drawing on location in my local parks, playgrounds, cafes, and museums, making notes of the interesting places and people around me. I particularly love drawing people and families interacting in nature, and am drawn to stories that allow me to explore these themes.
I originally studied Illustration at Falmouth School of Art in Cornwall, and from there went on to work as a freelance illustrator for many years, working on editorials, homewares, greetings cards, bookcovers and children’s books. In order to further develop my practise, I then embarked on an MA in Children’s Book Illustration at Cambridge School of Art (Anglia Ruskin), where I received the Sebastian Award for Illustration in 2017.
My debut picture book as an author and illustrator, My Red Hat (Walker Books, 2020), was selected for the Bologna Children’s Book Fair 2020 Illustrator’s Exhibition, shortlisted for the Klaus Flugge prize 2021 and has been translated into seven different languages.
I’ve since illustrated My First Cook Book (Walker Books, 2020) written by David Atherton, the 2019 winner of The Great British Bake Off.
As well as illustrating and running around after my two children, I also love to teach and work as a mentor for Venster Academy in the Netherlands (https://www.vensteracademy.com/en/). I have also taught Illustration at graduate level at the University of East London, where I worked as a visiting lecturer. Please do get in touch if you would like to discuss any illustration or teaching opportunities.
Contact :
For picture book enquiries, please contact Lindsay Davis Auld at Writer’s House : lauld@writershouse.com
For other enquiries, please contact : rachelceliastubbs@gmail.com