Meet Joanne

About Joanne

Hi, I’m Joanne. I’m an illustrator based in Cornwall, although I grew up in Northern Ireland and spent time living and working in Scotland.  I’ve been drawing for as long as I can remember, filling sketchbooks with characters, creatures, and little stories.  

​I studied Illustration and Printmaking at Duncan of Jordanstone  in Dundee, gaining first class honours degree.  After graduating, I spent many years in Edinburgh working on picture books and exciting illustration projects before settling here in Cornwall.

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I specialise in creating characters, world building and picture books.  I explore personal projects through my own creative brand, Indigo Alice which I established in 2019.  Some of the books I’ve illustrated include Ginger Nut, Lost at the Zoo and The Giant Panda Part , all of them bringing characters and stories to life for younger readers.  2026 will introduce  a new character and series - Sally The Seasick Seagull. 

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I work from my home studio, surrounded by sketchbooks, coffee cups, and a few digital tools. My favourite way to work is mixing traditional and digital, taking my drawings into a digital platform to further explore backgrounds and texture.  I’m endlessly inspired by folklore, nature, and little details that make a scene feel alive, be it a curious fox in moonlight, a mischievous character, or an entirely imagined world waiting to tell its story.

Whether it’s a client project or a personal piece, I’m drawn to storytelling, character, and atmosphere. I want my illustrations to feel like little worlds you can step into and characters you can’t help but wonder about.

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When I’m not drawing, you’ll probably find me rushing around on the school run, wandering the Cornish coast, reading a good gothic tale or collecting ideas and inspiration from the world around me.