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A Jersey-based children's book illustrator has shared how her passion for tiny creatures and stories led her to create a whimsical tortoise which has made its home this summer in Waterworks Valley.
After graduating university with a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Art, Northern Ireland-born but Jersey-based Erin Brown discovered a passion for stories and children’s books, leading her to complete a diploma in Illustrating Children’s Books with the London Art College.
In her work, Erin combines her love for hand-drawn lines and traditional techniques with the flexibility and freedom of adding colour digitally.
She has worked with clients such as Bloomsbury, Oxford University Press and Little Tiger Press as well as local children’s book author Penny Byrne.
Recently, she also painted a tortoise as part of Durrell’s Tortoise Takeover public art trail, which aims to raise funds for a new reptile house...
I remember always loving drawing and being creative as a child. Art was my favourite subject in school, and it was my go-to hobby in my free time.
As a teenager, I really wanted to improve my drawing skills and see if I could actually pursue it as my career. After school I went on to study Fine Art: Drawing and Painting at the University of Ulster in Belfast.
After finishing university, I took some time to figure out what kind of work I really wanted to create. I think what drew me to illustrating children’s books was a love of the books I had read as a child.
A lot of those books and their messages have stuck with me all my life and I thought it would be really special to try to have a hand in creating books like that.
I sent my work to an agency called Advocate Art, who represent artists from all over the world, and I’ve been working with them for the past eight years or so. I was able to develop a portfolio of illustration work as I worked with more publishers and wonderful authors.
What I love most about my day-to-day work is the feeling of calm drawing can give you, but that isn’t to say it always goes to plan!
A lot of drawings can end up ripped out of sketchbooks and crumbled up in the bin, but when things are going well you can get into a lovely flow of work that can be really enjoyable.
Sometimes hours fly by without me actually noticing.
My favourite subject has to be anything involving the natural world and little creatures.
As a child, I absolutely adored Beatrix Potter’s books and E.H. Shepard’s drawings. I can see that influence in my work, especially when it comes to subject matter.
I feel completely spoiled to live on Jersey amongst some absolutely gorgeous natural scenery.
Pictured: Erin Brown's Waterworks Valley tortoise, inspired by tiny creatures that are often overlooked.
Earlier in the year, I was lucky enough to have my design selected to paint one of the giant tortoise sculptures for the Tortoise Takeover.
My tortoise is called ‘Home For Even the Smallest…’ and is sponsored by Suntera Global.
My design tries to take you inside the world of a beautiful pond full of lily pads and tadpoles and light. My tortoise is at Waterworks Valley, which is such a beautiful place and matches the design so well.
Tomorrow is the final day to see all the tortoises out and about on the Tortoise Takeover sculpture trail - click HERE to see the official trail guide and work out which ones you may have missed...
This article first appeared in the August edition of Connect Magazine, which you can read in full below...
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