Jennifer Davison (33) is a Children’s Book Illustrator from Broughshane.
After graduating with a First Class Honours from the University of Ulster Belfast she got a job as a Digital Artist for Flickerpix Animation Studios in Holywood.
Jennifer worked on On The Air – the claymation with Gerry Anderson, Five Fables with Seamus Heaney and Billy Connolly for the BBC, and the children’s show Zig and Zag for CBBC, as well as many other projects.
She had a lifelong dream of illustrating children’s books so in June 2017 she started out on her own. Now, she is a full time children’s book illustrator.Â
Jennifer feels compelled to make picture books. She truly believes that this was what she was created to do. She has been telling stories through pictures for as long as she can remember.Â
To date, she has illustrated 26 children’s picture books. She has been picked up by publishers in London and the US now her books are now selling all around the world.
What genre / style do you create in?
Children’s books
What would you be best known for?
My curly ginger hair.. and my children’s books!
What would you consider your biggest achievement?
Illustrating 26 children’s books for publishers such as Harper Collins, Igloo Books, The Goodbook Company and Capstone Publishing US.
What would you consider to be the biggest lesson you’ve learned in your industry?
If you have a dream – go for it!
For me, it’s creating picture books. I come alive when I draw when I release stories into the world. It’s what I love. It’s what I feel I was made for. Even though it can be hard and exhausting and the hours are long – I really do love what I do.
If you have a chance to follow your heart – do it!
If you can take your passion and turn it into a living – you have to at least give it a go!
I pinned this quote up on my wall the day I started out freelancing.
‘Be fearless in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire.’Jennifer Lee, Chief Creative Officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios.
What has been your biggest challenge to date?
There are a lot of challenges – the fear of sharing my artwork, the pressure of social media, deadlines, and juggling loads of different projects.
To be honest, I feel like I can’t really complain about being a picture book illustrator. Challenges are what keep it interesting! It is serious business but it’s also fun business and you can’t lose sight of that.
Tell us a little about your personal life, are you married, kids, hobbies etc?
I married my childhood sweetheart and we now live in my Grandparents old house with our cat Fenton.
We love gardening and this year during lockdown we transformed the bottom of the garden. We now have a Mediterranean-style patio, a vegetable patch, and even a golf hole!
Tell us about your most recent work?
My most recent book to be published is called The Shrew with The Flu. It is a wonderfully warm and endearing story by author Will Hamilton-Davies.
Shrew has spent his entire life using only one sense to hunt – his sense of smell. Until a horrible case of the flu forces him to make use of the rest of his senses. Once he hones the art of hunting – using more than just his nose – he can’t help but gobble up every snack in sight. The question is, can Shrew restore the forest he so dearly loves?’
While on the surface The Shrew with The Flu is a charming story about a shrew’s quest for food, it also holds a powerful message about greed and empathy. A message that fosters love and respect for our natural world.
You can purchase the book from Amazon, Waterstones, Foyles, or if you’re local pop into Midtown Makers in Ballymena.
What would you like us to tell people about?
My new books release this – The Very Last Leaf, The Shrew with Flu, Deborah and the Very Big Battle, Moses and the Very Big Rescue.
If you had to describe your work to someone who has never heard of you what would you say?
I draw the pictures that make stories come alive.
What’s the funniest experience you’ve had in your business?
I’ve always been fascinated with photography and how you only have one chance to capture a moment and then it’s gone forever.
There was one time when I was lost in capturing the light that was about to disappear. After cleaning my lens with the ribbon on my skirt, I hadn’t noticed that the ribbon had came loose and my skirt had managed to blow off on the windy trip across the Hudson River.
The thing is, I didn’t care much either I was getting that shot. Thank goodness for my little sister protecting the people of New York and my modesty!
There is a sketch of this moment and many other little snapshots of my life included in my #jensjournals series on Instagram and Facebook.
What would your advice be to young people hoping to pursue the same industry?
Be nice!
Building good relationships with your clients, fellow colleagues or people in the industry. Be nice to everyone. You never know who might recommend you or be a potential customer or collaborator. Your main source of work will be through the connections you make.
Do something you love!
Do something you truly love and are good at.
If you have passion and motivation then it’s easier to dedicate yourself to the project.
Believe in yourself!
Don’t be shy about putting your work out there.
Be your own boss and make your own decisions!
When you own your business you get to shape and live out your dreams, there’s a sense of pride when you build something successful. But most importantly, for me, it’s about the fulfillment of doing something you love and are passionate about every single day.
Anything else you want to tell people about yourself or your work?
You can see more of my work on my website www.jensketches.com
Follow me on Instagram @jen_sketch and on Facebook @jensketch!
Who do you look up to and why?
My parents. They were the first people I ever looked up to. They will always be the people I look up to most in this world.
My Dad was a Maths teacher and now he’s a financial advisor. When I was a child, my father told me to think of maths as a puzzle waiting to be solved. With every new equation I learned, I was a step closer to solving that puzzle.Â
I often think of illustrating children’s books as solving a puzzle. There’s a story to be told and I need to find the best way to visually tell that story.
My mum, on the other hand, is an artist. She taught me how to see the world from a new perspective, how to explore, create, and how to let my imagination run wild.
To be a freelance illustrator, I think it helps to be both creative and a little bit logical. You are your own boss, you have to manage your time, your money, and your resources. There is this romanticised view that artists are struggling but it doesn’t have to be that way!
My careers advisor told me – ‘You don’t make money doing art, it’s not a proper career!’. NOT SO! My parents never let me agree with that, they are my biggest champions. They appreciate the importance of doing something you’re passionate about.