Fiona Ross

As A Child

I grew up in a mining town called Barnsley in South Yorkshire and luckily I was always surrounded by comics and books. Every Christmas I got a huge set of felt tip pens along with a sketchpad and spent much of my time doodling with my older brother Alex, drawing characters from the latest edition of his comics Battle and Roy of the Rovers. As a child I originally wanted to be an ice cream van driver, then a gymnast, and lastly an illustrator. Third time lucky, I suppose!

As An Adult

I studied illustration at Harrow College of Art before going on to the Royal College of Art to specialize in design for film and television. Since graduating, I've storyboarded, made models and painted concept visuals on many interesting film and TV projects. I've found illustration and film design are very similar, because it all starts with wanting to tell a good story in the best possible way.

As An Artist

I've found the things that made me smile, or that I appreciated when growing up, still do as an adult. These are the things that continue to influence my work. I thoroughly enjoy the early stages of a book - putting down my ideas and thoughts on paper. It's a wonderful process watching a story emerge and develop. I love drawing, painting and mapping out ideas sitting with my old, battered drawing board on my lap. Whilst drawing, it's also crucial to indulge in a large cup of tea out of my favourite mug, with a lovely hot water bottle. Perfect!

Things You Didn't Know About Fiona Ross

1. I love watching scary movies.
2. My favourite day of the year is 31st October.
3. I love cheese fondue, beetroot sandwiches and 99 ice creams (but not at the same time).
4. I always have a hot water bottle when drawing - even in summer.
5. My favourite colour is red.
6. I was once chased across a field by a goat. (Very scary indeed!)
7. I've been told I'm not very good at growing plants.
8. When I was born I was initially called Rover.
9. I don't like piccalilli.
10. I'm afraid of quicksand ... I think I watched too many Tarzan movies growing up!