Artist in Residence: 20 years as an illustrator in Japan
Seminar

John Shelley, an illustrator based in Japan for 20 years, returned to the UK this year. His talk covered his experience working in Japan as an illustrator and how the Japanese creative market differs from that in the UK.

The chair was Satoshi Kitamura, a renowned children's picture book author and illustrator.

Contributors:

John Shelley was born in Birmingham and grew up in Sutton Coldfield. He studied at Bournville School of Art, then 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. His interest in ukiyo-e prints attracted him towards Japan and in 1987 he moved to Tokyo, 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. With a unique insight into the Japanese creative market he stood as a committee member of JAGDA (Japan Graphic Designer Association) and presented at colleges across the country. 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 East Asia, and have continued to gain steady recognition across the world. As an author, his published stories include 'Hoppy’s New House' (Fukuinkan Shoten) and 'The House of the World' (Benesse). Shelley is active on the world stage, having run events on children's illustration in Los Angeles, Manila, Paris, Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia) and Bologna, as well as in Tokyo and the UK.

Satoshi Kitamura (chair) is a renowned children's picture book author and illustrator. Born in Tokyo in 1956, Kitamura enjoyed reading comics and illustrated novels from a young age. Without any formal training, at 19 he started his career working in advertising as an artist, eventually making his way to London. He has written and illustrated over 20 of his own books and worked as illustrator on countless others. He illustrated 'Angry Arthur' (written by Hiawyn Oram), which won the Mother Goose Award and the Japanese Picture Book Award in 1983. He wrote and illustrated 'UFO Diary', a Smarties Prize finalist in 1989. Having lived in the UK now for over two decades, his illustrations show both Eastern and Western influences and are characterised by moody London streetscapes and wide-eyed expressive 'friends'.

"As a teenager, I'd fill sketchbooks with observed drawings using black ball pens; I began working with India ink at school on a teacher's suggestion.

I remember the first drawing I ever did in pen and India ink was a copy of a Victorian engraving of Henry Hudson's last voyage. I never looked back"
JOHN SHELLEY

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