Before becoming a children’s book author and illustrator Ella studied Fine Art, (Painting), and worked in Children’s Book Publishing (design and art direction) for 21 years, latterly as Head of Campbell Books. As well as illustrating, Ella is a tutor on the prestigious MA in Children’s Book Illustration at the Cambridge School of Art, which she graduated from herself in 2022. Ella works largely by hand and finishes all her work digitally. She is drawn to the happy accidents and rich textures that are made when creating work on paper: “I invariably make a mess, and that way, I make new discoveries too”. Her work is rooted in observational drawings - finding the beauty in the everyday, through experiments in colour, texture, light and composition. She is interested in character-driven narratives with a twist of whimsy and hint of the surreal. She likes to bring her design background into her work, focusing on the interplay of colours, and bold and striking compositions. Her Debut book as an illustrator, The Night Before Christmas published in 2023 with The Folio Society.
