Inspiration

LAURA WOOD ILLUSTRATION

07/03/2017,

Some people are lucky to dedicate their life to their childhood passion. This is the case of Laura Wood, a talented illustrator that spends her days creating visual worlds and enjoys every minute of it.

Laura, who currently lives in Bristol, has illustrated many children’s books like Cook me a story, Mapping my day, Twas the Night Before Christmas, The Secret Garden and Garlic, Hankies and Hugs. She has also created work for education publications, digital apps as well as editorial work.

I would like to thank Laura for sharing with us her work and her artistic world. Thanks Laura!

World Kids: What is your favourite childhood memory?

Laura Wood: “I had a very happy childhood in a small town in the north of Italy, so there are lots of memories that come to mind… For examples, warm summer afternoons when my older cousin and I were playing in my grandparent’s courtyard, or the day when I could finally ride a bicycle without training wheels, or summer holidays with my parents at the seaside…Impossible to pick just one!”

WK: Which 3 children’s books did you like reading the most?

LW: “As a child I was a avid reader. The books I remember most fondly are “Matilda” by Roald Dahl, the “Mardie” books by Astrid Lindgren and the whole series “The Little Vampire” by Angela Sommer-Bodenburg.”

WK: Which illustrators do you admire?

LW: Obviously there are loads of illustrators I could mention here, but at the moment my illustration crush is definitely Melanie Rutten. I’m completely in love with her colourful watercolours in books such as “L’ombre de chacun” or “Ploc”.

WK: Which is your favourite holiday destination and why?

LW: One of my great passion is swing dancing so in the last few years my favourite holidays are always the ones where I can combine visiting a new city and dancing… winner!

WK: What is the best part of the illustration process?

LW: In particular, my favourite part of the illustration process is the moment I stumble upon things in a text that weren’t there before (or maybe they were just hiding between a comma and an exclamation mark). Or the minute I run into the right colour palette for a story. That’s when the world begins to really come to life.Oh, and did I mention bumping into funny (and furry!) characters in amusing stories? That really makes my day.