Lenny Pelling: My profile
Never in a million years did I think I’d find myself illustrating children’s
books for a living, and yet here I am, more than 50 books later and still
up to my eyes amongst paint and pencils.
Long ago, I completed a degree in visual arts and have since done everything arty under the sun from making puppets and designing sets for theatre, to production design on several short films, to stave off inevitable adulthood.
Just when I thought it might be time to get some sort of ‘real’
job, I had the good fortune to be asked to illustrate and co-design the popular
educational series, X-Zone. Illustrations for the series covered
all manner of topics such as: historical figures, mythical monsters, monster
trucks and deep-sea fish.
X-Zone also
saw the birth of The Critter.
This little yellow guy was the cheeky guide throughout the books and featured
in over 300 illustrations over series one and two. Needless to say, we
know
each other very well now.
As well as X-Zone, I have illustrated books featuring other popular
characters such as the Bananas in Pyjamas, Steve Irwin the Crocodile
Hunter, and those ever-energetic
Active Kids…kids.
And these days…
I am trying on a new hat. I’ve completed a course specifically designed to
shape a new generation of children’s artists, led by illustrators Donna Rawlins
and Wayne Harris. Now I am venturing into the competitive dog-eat-fluffy-magic-dog
world of children’s picture books.
As a youngster, I was lucky enough to be read to, which began my life-long love of books. Even now, I am drawn to the children’s section of book stores, by the likes of Shaun Tan, Roald Dahl and Babette Cole. Their inspiring and smile-inducing work can still make me laugh and cry as much as any novel. There is something so wonderful about journeying into a totally invented world.
©2006–8, Lenny Pelling.