Colleen is a picture book maker from Lisburn, Northern Ireland, where she lives with her family.  

She graduated from the Cambridge School of Art masters course in children’s book illustration. Her published titles include Making Friends, the award-winning Our Green City and Brown Bears, a book in the Nature Storybook series with Walker Books. Her most recent authored picture book, A Crocodile Should Never Skip Breakfast, has been shortlisted in the 2024 World Illustration Awards.

Colleen has had experience in the children’s animation industry, bookselling and running her own soft toy and illustrated print business. She now happily finds herself drawing and making children’s books every day. 

Colleen especially loves illustrating emotions, people, animals and nature.  She works mostly in traditional and mixed media and gets a lot of joy from drawing outdoors in her sketchbook, drawing her family and exploring new ways to have fun with her illustration.

To see a fuller range of Colleen’s work please have a browse of her portfolio over at the Bright Agency.

PRESS PICKS:

WORLD ILLUSTRATION AWARDS - 2024 shortlisted artist interview

BBC WONDER GALLERY - Artist in Residence for November’s Wonder Gallery theme

YOUTH LIBRARIES GROUP - Illustration interview

CHILDREN’S BOOKS IRELAND - Books Makes Things Better campaign interview

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