Illustrator Spotlight: Vicky Pratt

© Vicky Pratt

May 1, 2015

Today we welcome Australian picture book illustrator Vicky Pratt!

Tell us about yourself and how you came to children’s illustration.

I’ve always wanted to be an illustrator and all my favourite artists are picture book illustrators. As a child I loved watching The Wonderful World of Disney but when I saw the stories in Little Golden Books I was convinced it was a wonderful career and I wanted to be a book illustrator. Hopefully that dream will happen soon.

© Vicky Pratt

What is your medium of choice? Can you walk us through your illustration process?

I do a lot of line work with water colour/gouache/water colour pencil washes. I hope to one day buy a set of inks because they will be kinder to my fine liner pens. I also do a lot of black and white illustrations.

Step 1 is to outline everything with a waterproof fine liner - Unipin or Copic Multiliner. I now use only hot pressed watercolour paper because it is smooth and takes watercolour well. I don’t stretch it because I don’t use that much water in the washes.

© Vicky Pratt

Step 2 is to do all of the colour washes, maybe some coloured pencil. I try to get all of the colouring and shading perfect at this stage because paint dulls any line work.

© Vicky Pratt

Step 3 I go back over all of the line work with thicker, distinctive lines and fill in all the detail and any patterns.

© Vicky Pratt

What projects are you working on these days?

I have a few exciting projects on the go, one of them is INKed. I and two other artists have established a great ink group on Facebook called INKed (used to be called Inktober 31) We have big plans this year to showcase artists and their works. We will be branching out into all sorts of areas to help artists.

© Vicky Pratt

What are the top one or two things you would tell aspiring illustrators to do?

The best advice I can give to an aspiring illustrator is to draw every day, especially when you don’t feel like it. When you’re having a bad drawing day – don’t show it to anyone – but make sure you draw every single day.

© Vicky Pratt

Who or what inspires you?

Nature, great art and Melbourne.

What is something most people don’t know about you?

I’ve never used any kind of computer program to illustrate and I’m worried if I do I will never want to use anything else.

© Vicky Pratt

Where can we find you on the internet?

Website: www.vicpratt.wix.com/vickypratt

Facebook: Vicky Pratt – Illustrator

Redbubble, Society6 and Pinterest.

I grew up in Mackay, Queensland but now live on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria, Australia.  In 1987 I studied my Illustration Diploma but found work in theatre design, children’s furniture and children’s TV animation. I work in watercolour, gouache, pencil and line work. 

In 2014 I was one of ten winners in the Kids Book Review illustrators section and also won the Children’s and Young Adult Conference (CYA) Illustrators section.