Children's Book Illustration Career : A Special Interview With Anna Wilson

Thriving Women Artists Podcast

This week Ping is hosting all by herself, but she is joined by special guest Anna Wilson. Anna is a successful children’s book artist and has created works for Bloomsbury, Hachette and the BBC among many others. Anna shares her journey from a career in academia to becoming a successful artist and shares all the lessons she has learned along the way to help you take the next step in your artistic journey.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Anna talks about her journey to becoming an artist. Despite a career in academia, Anna continued to draw as a hobby. When her husband changed jobs this presented Anna with the opportunity to take a look at her career and she took the leap to becoming an artist.

• When Anna decided to pursue art as a career she had to retrain from scratch. She talks about the steps she took and some of the courses and skills she learned that helped her along the way.
• Anna’s first big step towards success came when she decided to let go of some of the bad habits she had picked up as a hobbyist. Once she embraced change, she received her first commission which led to her finding an agent.
• Anna talks about how much she has learned from drawing books as opposed to single pieces of art and shares her knowledge on how you can create better images that will flow as a story.

BEST MOMENTS
“Life is too short to not do the thing you really want to do.”
“You can’t take success for granted. You have to continue to grow and work hard.”
“Try not to criticise yourself as much. Your work is a journey, you're not going to be an expert on day one.”

ABOUT THE GUEST
https://www.annawilsonink.com/

Anna has spent my life finding magic, often in unexpected places. Someone said to her that she knows how to make even a burning rubbish tip on a riverside look interesting and somehow beautiful.
Anna says when she picks up a pen or paint or bottle of ink or an ipad and starts to add lines and colours and create something where there was nothing, she feels like she has come home.
She is inspired by people and their stories and she loves to travel. She has been lucky enough to live in Kenya, Mongolia, China, Nepal, Germany, Tasmania, Australia and have travelled through more than 40 countries.
Her clients include: Bloomsbury, Hachette, BBC, Cameron Kids Books, BirdLife Australia, Heritage Expeditions, Tribe, Woollykins, Australia Remade, Australian BirdLife Magazine.

ABOUT THE PODCAST
A serious and fun podcast for female creatives hosted by Ping, Dorien and Sarah, three happy artists from Amsterdam. This podcast will inspire you to make a living out of your art. We welcome you to be part of this community of like-minded people.
www.thrivingwomenartists.com
www.instagram.com/twapodcast

ABOUT THE HOSTS
Ping He
Ping is a watercolor artist. Her work is inspired by nature and her motherhood experience. She develops her greeting cards brand and teaches Botanical Illustration courses online and offline.
www.pinghe.art
[e-mail]
www.instagram.com/pinghe.art

Sarah van Dongen
Sarah is a children’s book illustrator and visual artist. She takes her sketchbooks and art supplies everywhere, which results in illustrations based on observation and daily life.
www.sarahvandongen.com
[e-mail]
www.instagram.com/sarahvandongenillustrations

Dorien Bellaar
Dorien is an illustration artist. Her work is mainly focused on illustration for children, editorial/food illustration, hand lettering, and she likes to combine those into both traditional and digital art.
www.dorienbellaar.nl
[e-mail]
www.instagram.com/dorienbellaar

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