Gianina Turner caught up with illustrator Rhian Wright to discuss her appearance at the first Illustrator’s Cafe and the launch of her new book.
Tell us a bit about yourself and how you first started your career as an artist and illustrator?
My name is Rhian Wright and I’m a picture book illustrator from Cardiff. I studied for an Art degree but after graduating, the idea of becoming an artist felt ridiculous. After trying out various jobs, I met some successful children’s authors and illustrators, and suddenly it didn’t seem so ridiculous, and that’s how I began my journey.
How would you define your illustration style and what have been some of your influences?
I’d describe my style as cute with a quirky edge, though it’s difficult to pin down exactly. As a child, I loved Richard Scarry, Raymond Briggs, and Quentin Blake. As an adult, I love the work of Sara Ogilvie, David Litchfield, and Jim Field.
Some of your illustrations feature animals and children. Where do you get your ideas and inspiration from?
My own kids are a big source of inspiration, as well as my wider family. It helps to make the characters more relatable when they’re based on real people. As for the animals, I often draw the pets in my family. My grumpy cat, Margaret, has been making appearances in my work for the past 15 years!
What was one of your first drawings?
I remember it vividly because it made my teacher laugh. I must have been about four, and I proudly told her I’d drawn ‘The Chicken Dinosaur’. It had a dinosaur’s body and head with long, yellow chicken legs– completely daft!
Your debut picture book ‘My Bright Shining Star’, written by Fatima Whitbread and published by Quarto comes out on 24th October. Could you tell us about the creative process for this book?
I was thrilled when Quarto asked me to illustrate Fatima’s book. Fatima spent the first 14 years of her life in care, after being badly neglected as a baby. This story is inspired by the wonderful Aunty Rae, who looked after her in the children’s home and helped her search for her forever family. It’s such an important story and, alongside the book, Fatima is doing incredible work to bring about change in the UK care system – so it’s been a real honour to work on it.
Fatima had a clear sense of how she envisioned Little Fatima. She described her as a cheeky, Artful Dodger-type character and explained that the relationship between Little Fatima and Aunty Rae was full of laughter, jokes, and fun. This really shaped how I approached the illustrations. I wanted the book to be warm, vibrant, and inclusive.
What were some of your favourite moments from your Bath Children’s Literature Festival appearance?
This was my first time at the festival as a debut picture book illustrator. I was so happy to take part in the very first ‘Illustrators Café’ at Waterstones in Bath, alongside Alice Tait, Conor Busuttill, and Luke Scriven. We all loved doing our free events, and the artwork is still on display in the shop.
At my events, the children made stars for their ‘Bright Shining Stars’ using glitter paper. The best part was opening the ‘sparkle box’ filled with shiny tape, gems, and sequins – the kids’ eyes lit up!
What would you advise anyone wishing to pursue a career in illustration?
Quite boringly, my biggest piece of advice is to keep practising. I took part in lots of online drawing challenges like #Inktober and #FolktaleWeek – they’re great sources of inspiration. Another important thing is to seek out honest feedback, as it’s the quickest way to improve and get closer to your goal.
To find out more about Rhian Wright visit: https://www.rhianwrightillustration.com/. You can purchase a copy of ‘My Bright Shining Star’ written by Fatima Whitbread, illustrated by Rhian Wright from your local bookseller.
