John Shelley was born in Birmingham UK and grew up in Sutton Coldfield. He studied at Bournville School of Art, then illustration at Manchester Polytechnic under children's illustrator Tony Ross.

From 1983 he began working as a freelance illustrator in London, and by 1984 had co-founded the artist's collective Facade Studios with designer Andy Royston and illustrators Jane Ray and Willie Ryan. At the same time his interest in Ukiyo-e woodblock prints attracted him towards Japan. In 1987 he moved to Tokyo in search of the missing link between samurai and Sony, making it his home for the following 21 years.

The intervening time witnessed an outpouring of commercial illustration for clients in Japan and children's books for publishers across the globe. In Japan his award-winning commercial art has been used in everything from animated TV ads, poster and newspaper campaigns to character merchandising and editorial illustration. Bilingual in Japanese and with a unique insight into the Japanese creative market he has stood as a committee member of JAGDA (Japan Graphic Designer Association) and presented at colleges across the country.

Shelley's work for publishing follows a more elaborate vein of pen and watercolour. Following his first major picture book The Secret in the Matchbox (1989 Mother Goose Award runner-up), his children's illustrations have been published in the UK, USA, Europe, Japan and the Far East, and have continued to gain steady recognition across the world. As an author his own published stories include Hoppy’s New House (Fukuinkan Shoten) and The House of the World (Benesse).

Now based internationally, Shelley is active on the world stage, having run events on children's illustration in locations as far apart as Los Angeles, Manila, Paris, Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia) and Bologna, as well as Tokyo and his native UK.

Member of The Society of Authors, Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and Picture Book Artists (PBA)

John Shelley Illustration Studio
Tel/Fax: +44 (0)1543 301535
Business conducted in Japanese or English
Fees subject to usage and period of use.

All illustrations on this website are copyright and may not be
reproduced or used in any way without express permission from John Shelley.

Children's Book Agents
UK and Europe - Pam Royds and Caroline Knox at Knoxfolio
(+44) 07977 982359 or email

North America - Laura Rennert at the Andrea Brown Literary Agency
(+1) 650-853-1976 or email

John Shelley's commercial, editorial and children's book illustration portfolio spans newspapers, corporate image work for international companies, free clip art ( for MSN / Microsoft), stock illustration, syndicated cartoons, kids books, poster illustration, fashion illustration, mascots, licensed character design, merchandise, fantasy illustration, fairy tales illustration, fairy pictures, book covers, children's illustrations and illustrated graphic design. Artist materials include pen and ink, watercolor , pencil sketch and Adobe Illustrator / Photoshop.

John Shelley's Illustration clients include publishing companies, newspapers, corporate advertising, marketing, trade marks, licencing, television broadcasters, including animated TV commercials and illustration for clients in Kansai * Fukuoka * Hiroshima * Kamakura * Kobe * Kyoto * Nagasaki * Nagoya * Nara * Osaka * Sapporo * Tokyo * Yokohama * Seoul * New York * Miami * Los Angeles * Manchester * London * Birmingham * Paris * Bologna