After graduating from The Arts Institute at Bournemouth in 2003, James Taylor started his career in children’s animation. He worked on programmes such as Bob the Builder, Pingu, Postman Pat, Shaun the Sheep, Timmy Time and most recently on the Aardman film Pirates. Over the last 10 years he has made and designed props and sets, sculpted and constructed puppets, storyboarded episodes and he even wrote a Pingu script (Pingu Makes a Splash). While working in animation he has continued to create and develop his own illustrations and stories in his spare time, devoting time to honing his writing and illustration style.
James is a big fan of humour; ‘to me, humour is a very important part of children’s storytelling and I try to bring as much fun and laughter as I can to each page. I love how a good picture book can bring so much fun to a child and leave a lasting message’.
We think his illustrations are the perfect choice for Halloween. Whether it’s a spooky tree with random but charming objects hanging from the branches, or two kids cowering from the TV, James really manages to capture a little nugget of childhood. You can discover exactly how he creates his eerie illustrations in the speed painting video below.
Take a short, scary trip to his portfolio at www.jamestaylorillustration.com and like him on Facebook here www.facebook.com/jamestaylorillustration.