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ARTIST INTERVIEW:NAOMI TIPPING, BATSFORD PRIZE 2024 ILLUSTRATION WINNER

Here we get an inside look into the work of Naomi Tipping , Illustration Winner of The Batsford Prize 2024. Studying Children’s Book Illustration at Cambridge School of Art, Anglia Ruskin University, her work Oh Crumbs responds to the 2024 theme of Gravity by exploring life with dementia.

 

Hi Naomi! CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE MORE ABOUT YOUR PIECE Oh Crumbs ? WHAT IS IT YOU’RE TRYING TO SAY WITH YOUR WORK AND DOES THE FINAL PIECE DIFFER FROM THE ORIGINAL IDEA?

My Gran had dementia and my Aunty is living with dementia so Oh Crumbs is a very personal story. At the beginning of the project I wrote two things in the front of my sketchbook. One was the Maya Angelou quote, ‘At the end of the day people won’t remember what you said or did, they will remember how you made them feel.’ This sums up how I wanted the book to feel – and the relationship between the girl and her Granny. I also wrote the words, ‘A surreal adventure story’. I returned to this page of my sketchbook often. On reflection, I think I did pretty well in sticking to that original idea and feeling. I fought very hard against gloominess as I worked on the book. Dementia can feel gloomy and sad but but there is always love and light moments too.

WHO ARE YOUR PARTICULAR ARTIST INSPIRATIONS AND WHAT MOTIVATES YOU CREATIVELY?

It’s hard to pick particular artists that inspire me. I am inspired by lots of artists from the past, as well as contemporary illustrators. I am inspired by people, relationships and communities around me. I like to tell stories with a personal connection, that I hope readers can connect with too.

 

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS AFTER YOU COMPLETE YOUR STUDIES?

I will continue to work as a freelance illustrator alongside teaching BA Illustration at NTU. The dream is to get a 6 book deal with a major publisher – ha ha!

 

WHAT LED YOU TO CREATE THIS PIECE IN THIS PARTICULAR MEDIUM?

I worked with cyanotype and gelli plate printing as well as other materials to create the artwork. I chose cyanotype because I felt the ghostly images represented the idea of fading memories. The results were somewhat out of my control which felt like a good representation of dementia. Gelli plate printing gave me more control over the image making, which was necessary in places. I was able to push objects firmly or gently into the gelli plate to get more blurred or defined images to emulate clear or hazy memories.

 

WHY DID YOU WANT TO STUDY CHILDREN’S BOOK ILLUSTRATION AND WHAT IS IT ABOUT YOUR COURSE THAT YO THINK IS PARTICULARLY UNIQUE?

I have wanted to do the MA at Cambridge School of Art for a long time. I have seen the amazing work that comes from the course over the years. Winning a scholarship with QEST made it possible and I am so thankful for that. It is the best education I have ever had.

WHAT DOES WINNING THE BATSFORD PRIZE MEAN TO YOU?

Oh Crumbs feels so personal that I was a bit scared to share it. I wanted to hold it close, in case people didn’t like it! It feels amazing to be recognised for a story that I have been thinking about for many years. I am so pleased that other people can relate to it too.

 

IF YOU COULD HAVE CHOSEN THE THEME FOR THIS YEAR’S BATSFORD PRIZE, WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE CHOSEN AND WHY?

Oh that’s hard. I go for ‘Empathy’, because we could do with more empathy in the world.

More of Naomi Tipping’s work can be found on her website.

 


 

ABOUT THE BATSFORD PRIZE

The Batsford Prize is an annual award open for undergraduate and postgraduate students in the fields of applied art and textiles, fine art, illustration, children’s illustration and NEW for 2025, Architecture. View the winners and runners up of this year’s award. The theme for the Batsford Prize 2025 is Fun & Play.

Interviews for the other Batsford Prize 2024 winners are available to read here:

 

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