The good news is two-fold. First, that the online world abounds with brilliant illustrators whose unfettered imaginations beckon our own into new and magical worlds. And second, that, very often, you do not need ultra deep pockets to collect their work – whether you buy prints or simply greetings cards destined for frames rather than the post box.
Hero image: Clive Hicks-Jenkins/ St.Jude’s
5 Tips For Buying Illustrated Art You Love
- Start small: Limited-edition prints are affordable entry points.
- Follow illustrators on Instagram or at local art fairs.
- Frame beautifully – presentation can be transformative.
- Check degree shows and online platforms like It’s Nice That or Print Club London.
- Join mailing lists for small galleries focusing on contemporary illustration.
Sarah Dyer
Sarah Dyer’s career in illustration had stellar beginnings, when her very first picture book, Five Little Fiends, scooped a brace of awards and was translated into a host of different languages. That was back in 2001, and she has been at the drawing board ever since, though not without crises of confidence along the way – arguably the mark of an artist always striving to move, morph and grow. We love her ability to conjure whole worlds in deceptively simple forms – a surefire sign of a true brilliance in our books. She’s taught at MA level for twenty years, as well as hosting retreats in Puglia for interested creatives (yes please). Explore her work.
Angela Harding
If you’ve bought a particularly beautiful volume of nature writing in recent years, chances are its cover will have been illustrated by the great Angela Harding (see, for example, Isabella Tree’s children’s rendition of Wilding or Katya Balen's October, amongst her own books). She has always been fascinated by birds and animals and, as she says, ‘In particular I love familiar garden birds, like the gaggle of sparrows that live in the ivy at the front of the house or the blackbirds that seem to feel they own the garden. Waders such as Curlews, Redshanks and Oystercatchers and other seabirds also feature strongly. My husband Mark and I have a small wooden sail boat, so our summers are often spent on the Norfolk and Suffolk Coast. I always take a sketchbook on these trips and record the birds we see in scribbles, so that later in the studio I can develop them into more formal designs.’ We particularly love her Fair Isle Puffins at the North Lighthouse, although we’d be delighted with any other of her evocative prints, or her charming homewares. Explore her work.
Jeffrey Fisher
The Australian-born, France-residing Jeffrey Fisher cut his teeth in London in the 1970s – and it is to the capital that he continues to return frequently to exhibit. If his name is unfamiliar to you, res assured his work will not be – his, after all, was the pen that created the cover of an inordinate number of beloved books, from Louis De Bernieres Captain Corelli’s Mandolin to William Dalrymple’s In Xanadu. Explore his work.
Sophie Blackall
Sophie Blackall’s illustrations for children’s books – including the bestselling Ivy & Bean series, and the exquisite Finding Winnie – are covered in awards. But it was Hello Lighthouse, which she also penned, that really fuelled our obsession with her work. Though a children’s book too, we would unhesitatingly buy it for adults, its meditative writing and deeply evocative images mesmerising all ages as they tell the story of a lighthouse, its keeper and his family and the daily detailing in the logbook. She is based in New York, but happily her prints are available to buy on Etsy. Explore her work.
Felix Butterwick
A fine art graduate from Glasgow School of Art, we very recently got to know Felix Butterwick’s work through his mural collaborations with Lola Pilkington in Brora’s Sloane Square changing rooms. What is especially exciting is that it’s early days in his career – his website is currently non-functional, but you can follow him on Instagram here – so we’re all here from the very beginning, waiting to see where his pen and brushes will take him next. One to watch with a close and, we’ll admit, highly acquisitive eye.
Briony May Smith
If it falls to you to read bedtime stories, whether to your own children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews, godchildren or just about any other iteration of small folk, do yourself a favour and make it a Briony May Smith volume. We first fell in love with Margaret’s Unicorn, but we are subsequent evangelists for The Mermaid Moon and Hogbert too. Her Etsy shop is on a short break, but you can find her work via Pickled Ink too.
Clive Hicks Jenkins
A former choreographer and stage director, Clive Hicks-Jenkins turned to painting in the 1990s and has since become one of Wales’ most distinctive visual storytellers. His richly narrative works, often inspired by myth, folklore and biblical tales, have been celebrated for their theatricality and emotional resonance. He has exhibited widely, from the National Library of Wales to Pallant House, and his paintings and prints are held in major collections across the UK. His collaborations span poetry, music and stage design, most notably Hansel & Gretel: a Nightmare in Eight Scenes with Simon Armitage, which won the V&A Illustrated Book Award in 2020. Explore his work.
