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Illustrator Spotlight – Anna Stubberfield
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Illustrator Spotlight – Anna Stubberfield
Sound Waves Literacy 25/9/22
As a child who struggled in the education system, Anna Stubberfield used illustration as a tool to express herself.
Anna’s talent for illustration has taken her from strength to strength, from producing her own comics to earning a Masters Degree in Children’s Illustration from Middlesex University and exhibiting her work in galleries.
The UK-based artist began working with The Illustration Room in 2020 and has been tasked with helping Firefly Education develop our suite of Sound Waves Decodable Readers.
For the Foundation phase of the project, Anna illustrated Spot the Bots, Cop Dog and the Web, Cop Dog and the Jam Drop and 1, 2, 3 – bringing her distinctly humorous style, vibrant colours and geometric lines to each book.
‘My style has taken me a while to find and I am constantly trying to learn and adapt the way I produce my illustrations,’ she said.
‘But I always take into consideration the effect my style has on the viewer, and I always want them to feel happy or have a chuckle after viewing my work.’
Her favourite Decodable Readers are the Cop Dog books, which follow the story of a dedicated detective dog.
‘I had so much fun creating the characters and adding little details to their personalities and clothing.’
In 1, 2, 3, Anna used her creative flair to bring the story about a family of rats to life.
‘I wanted them to all have their own unique characteristics. For example, the father wears a pair of glasses,’ she said.
‘They also live in a broken old flower pot in the garden shed that almost looks like a house.’
Anna looks forward to more opportunities to practise what she loves. Her work will feature in the Year 1 Decodable Readers, which are currently in production.
‘I’ve enjoyed being a part of this wonderful project,’ she said.
‘I love reading through the briefs (from the authors) – they are so well thought out and detailed and really help me to let my imagination run wild.’