Adam Larkum — Pen & Ink Illustrator for Books & Editorial, UK

Illustrator and animator Adam Larkum loves drawing. It’s something he practices every day, constantly coming up with quirky new characters and putting them in all sorts of interesting situations. His unique ability to create engaging characters and settings has led to over 50 illustrated book commissions, in addition to editorial, packaging and animated productions.

Adam studied illustration and animation, and received a BA followed by an MA from the Edinburgh College of Art. As a student he won a competition to create a short film for MOMI and Channel 4, and once his career producing animated commercials was under way, he became an illustrator as well. He has regular columns in the UK and the US.

Approach

Adam draws instinctively and always looks for ways to improve his technique and new things to try. He believes every commission should start with a pencil in one hand and an eraser in the other, and is never afraid to erase whole areas of a drawing if they aren’t right. He loves working in ink on paper and then shifting into Photoshop to bring the piece together.

Key Software

Photoshop

Styles

Charmingly designed characters that seem to have a real sense of curiosity about them are at the center of Adam’s work, which is lively and active, and usually has a soft and approachable color palette.

Client list

Adam’s clients include Puffin, The Telegraph, Oxford University Press, Woodmansterne, Zugguart, Danone, The V&A, Channel 4, English Heritage, Taylor’s Port and more.