Welcome to the Plum Family, Christine Cuddihy!

Get to know our fabulous new Plum Christine right here in our Illustrator Interview!

Where do you live/work?

I live in Leamington Spa in Warwickshire, and work from home. I have a 'mini-studio' - a small, messy but (almost) perfectly formed space in my house, dedicated to all things creative!

What do you like about working there?

I'm lucky enough to have some beautiful views from my desk across our local park, and it's the best place for people watching, as well as all flora and fauna - so I'm never short for inspiration!

The view from Christine's desk

What do you love most about being an illustrator?

Fun is the word that springs to mind! There is something so joyful about spending time bringing words and stories to life through illustration. I adored books and illustration when I was young, so to be able to inspire others through my own work means the world to me.

How do you work – what are your techniques?

I work digitally, drawing by hand to create pencil textures and often create "collages" from the textures I develop. My drawings often start out as pencil or ink sketches and then as I feel more confident in my ideas I develop them digitally. Although I used to be a huge technophobe and stuck to working on paper or canvas, working digitally has really helped me work more flexibly to bring together final book spreads and ideas.

What is your favourite thing to draw and why?

People! I love trying to bring a character to life and seeing them develop over time. I always feel very emotionally attached to the characters I draw!

Do you have a particular favourite character that you’ve illustrated?

I'm working on a character at the moment called Olive. She is a young aspiring scientist and sometimes I feel like she's a real person!

Olive the Aspiring Scientist!

What or who are you most inspired by?

Other illustrators. I can't believe the talent that exists out there, and seeing how creative people can be never ceases to amaze me.

Do you have a favourite illustrator?

There are far too many to mention! I love David McKee, Ezra Jack Keats, Carson Ellis and Maria Dek. But the list is huge!

What do you like to do in your spare time when you’re not illustrating?

I knit a lot of hideous jumpers, love spending my time with my husband and friends, and chilling out with my hamster, Daphne.

Hi Daphne!

How did you get into illustration?

I was always art-obsessed, and did my degree in Fine Art at Falmouth College of Arts where I specialised in oil painting and pencil drawing. After I graduated in 2007 I gradually realised that I loved storytelling and illustrating much more than making huge oil paintings! I made lots of time to illustrate, while also working a full time job. Then I met a publisher, Owlet Press who published my first illustrated children's book. After that, things spiralled from there, I left my 'real' job and started working as a freelance illustrator... and I haven't looked back!

Christine on her way to exhibit at an art fair in Leamington

What are your three top tips for aspiring illustrators?

1) Seek out and welcome feedback. I'm so close to my work that sometimes it really helps to take a step back and have a chat about it. I'm always learning.

2) Be kind to yourself, and take praise when it's given. I really struggle with this, but I've had to learn to give myself a bit of a pat on the back occasionally (even though it definitely doesn't come naturally)!

3) Read, read, read! Picture books, novels, short stories, anything to get a little bit of inspiration for visual storytelling.

What were your favourite books when you were younger?

The Falling Stars based on the story by the Brothers Grimm, and illustrated by Eugen Sopko. The whole book was so magical and captivating.

I was a big fan of Melric and the Petnapping by David McKee. The story was super creative, and the illustrations of the characters and animals were my favourite!

What was the last book you read? What did you think? 

I read Frenchman's Creek by Daphne Du Maurier. I was so adventurous and swoony, and her works capture the Cornish landscape so well - I love all of her writing.

What are your aspirations for the next year?

Definitely to work on more children's books projects as an illustrator, and to finish a picture book project I'm working on at the moment with my own story...

What’s your ultimate dream?

To illustrate children's books! It makes me so happy, and I can't believe that I'm actually doing it! I often have to pinch myself, and I feel very lucky indeed.

 Welcome to the family, Christine!