Meet Adam Stower
Illustrator of this year’s YCR title ‘The Sleeping Army’
Adam Stower is an illustrator of children’s fiction. He lives and works by the sea in Brighton on the south coast of England. He has been illustrating for over 20 years.
Adam studied art at college, gaining a first class BAHons degree in Illustration at the Norwich School of Art and a Masters degree in Narrative Illustration at Brighton University.
Adam has illustrated fifteen picture books to date, six of which he wrote himself. He has also illustrated many chapter books for children both here and in the USA.
He has been short-listed for numerous national and international awards including the Dundee Children’s Picture Book Award 2013. Adam won the 2010 Red House Book Award and most recently the Wanda Gag Read Aloud Book Award 2013 in the US.
Aside from his illustration work for children, Adam also does regular editorial and advertising illustration work. Adam often visits schools, and libraries where he entertains children with readings from his books and with live drawing demonstrations. For the past 3 years he has been invited to host illustration workshops abroad.
Adam has enjoyed drawing ever since he was old enough to hold a crayon. Here are ten things you might be interested to know about Adam (O.K. there are 12):
1. Adam works in a studio in Brighton that he shares with other illustrators. The windows leak when it rains.
2. Adam loves being in Brighton. When it is sunny he sneaks away from work for a swim in the sea.
3. Adam’s first published illustration was in his school magazine when he was just 9 years old.
4. Adam grew up in Switzerland by Lake Zurich but went to a boarding school in Norfolk, England during term time.
5. Adam’s favourite author is Roald Dahl.
6. Adam has illustrated everything from wine bottle labels to school maths books but his favourite thing to illustrate is children’s fiction, especially picture books. Adam’s first picture book Two Left Feet was published in 2004. Since then he has illustrated 15 books, 6 of which he wrote himself.
7. Adam likes to work with traditional materials. He sketches out the drawings with pencil to get it right. Then he goes over it with a dip pen and black indian ink. Once that is dry, he adds colour using watercolour paint or coloured inks.
8. Adam loves sketchbooks and encourages everyone to get one and fill them with doodles from their imagination or sketches from real life.
9. Adam has worn a beard for so long he can’t remember what his face underneath looks like.
10. When Adam was little, his red felt tip pens were always the first to run out (his drawings had a lot of fire, laser beams and superhero’s capes in them).
11. When Adam is working he likes to listen to audio books or comedy shows. They keep him company and stop him from wandering off to make more cups of tea.
12. His favourite food is freshly baked bread. And biscuits.
Leave Adam a message in the comments box below!
