Katie May Green
As a child
I was born and grew up in Shrewsbury, Shropshire. The town is surrounded by beautiful rolling hills, where my dad took us for walks (he still does). When I was little my mum painted a mural of a fairytale castle on the wall in our back yard. The following year she painted over it; a gypsy caravan mural appeared instead. I always drew and read at bedtime. As well as a messy pile of books, there was a doodle pad and felt-tip pens next to my bed (and felt-tip pen stains on my duvet). I used to make little stapled-together books with my friend across the road; we created a whole series.
As an adult
I loved art at school, but back then I wasn’t sure about going to art college. Instead I studied a degree in History of Art (which I now see as very good preparation indeed for becoming an illustrator). In my spare time I designed costumes for university shows. Now that I make children’s books I get to design costumes, be the script-writer, the director, the lighting designer, the set designer and all the actors’ voices!
It took me a while to know that I wanted to make books as a career. After university I worked as an office secretary, and I drew and painted in my spare time. I started to wonder if I could get work as an illustrator… So I worked hard putting together a portfolio of artwork, and I sent it out to publishers. To my delight I started receiving commissions for book jackets, greetings cards, and black and white chapter books.
Then I decided it was finally time to go to art college, as I’d never had an opportunity to properly experiment with my artwork for a decent length of time, full time. I got a place on an M.A. course in children’s book illustration at Cambridge School of Art, and it was there that my own voice started to emerge, in both my artwork and my writing.
After the course I was thrilled to bits when Walker Books wanted to publish Seen and Not Heard. The book was inspired by a visit to an art gallery. I’d been standing in front of a portrait of Elizabethan children, wondering what the children were really like… whether they were as perfect and angelic as they seemed on the canvas in their fancy frame, or whether they had another side to them…
Things you didn’t know about Katie
- I once lived on the top floor – up five flights of stairs - of a museum, in a very old building. All on my own! It was quite spooky at times.
- I like having red hair.
- My favourite meal is boiled eggs with soldiers (soldiers as in toast. Although it might be interesting to share a boiled egg with some real soldiers).
- I never forget people who are inspiring and encouraging.
- I wish I spent more time lying under trees reading books.
- I wish I spent less time in front of a computer screen.
- I enjoy being in water: swimming pool, bath, sea, rain. As long as it’s not too cold or muddy.
- Sometimes I’m a city girl; sometimes I’m a country lass.
- I love going to France and trying out my half-remembered A-level French.
- I love dancing.