Artists : Heather Heyworth

I live in a sleepy Suffolk market town. Since an early age I have enjoyed drawing and making things. I recall making dollhouses out of cardboard boxes (complete with furnishings, fittings and fixtures) and creating tiny fabric mice and fairies in pretty dresses, which helped me get my Brownies toy making badge. Art was my favourite subject at school. Weekends were spent absorbed in my art homework, producing paintings and drawing ready to show my enthusiastic art teacher, Mr White, the following week.

Unsurprisingly I went on to study art obtaining a higher diploma in art and design at Goldsmiths College London. My first job was for an audiovisual studio in Kensington London, where I later became Studio Manager. In need of a change and craving more creativity I later landed a job with the greeting card company Gordon Fraser. I was lucky to get the position of art editor, personal assistant to Ian Fraser and even luckier to commission great illustrators such as Mick Inkpen, Nick Butterworth, Babette Cole and Anthony Brown. This experience helped inspire me into a freelance illustration and design career. Since then I have been involved in a very successful giftwrap company and have co-owned a licensed character publishing business. I have illustrated greeting cards, giftwrap and calendars, and designed plush toys and packaging.

My introduction into the world of children’s books started with illustrating, designing and co-publishing my own activity books. I have also assisted selling children’s books at the children’s book fairs in Bologna and Frankfurt, something that I enjoyed immensely. I wrote and illustrated my first picture book in 2009.
To date, with the help of the Bright team, I have illustrated many books including educational, board and picture books

Clients include. Hachette, Igloo, Tangerine Designs, Ravensburger, Woodmansterne, Peter Haddock, OUP, BBC Worldwide, Parragon, Random House, A&C Black, Wayland, Autumn Publishers, Picture Windows, Froebel and Rockpool Children’s books.

The nearest I’ve ever got to celebrity fame is being responsible for illustrating the nursery rhymes height chart that has been hanging in Peter Barlow’s flat in Coronation Street for years. Little Simon Barlow – please don’t get any older!

I work in the following mediums: Digital, traditional, Photoshop, Carol Painter, Illustrator

I can’t imagine doing anything other than illustrating, I love creating new characters especially pretty fairies that flutter their way around my imagination scattering their magical fairy dust everywhere!