Ruth Palmer — Painterly Illustrator, Editorial & Children's Books

Ruth Palmer lived and worked in London for many years, feeding imagery to the voracious advertising and publishing industries. Today she lives in Devon, preferring a quieter life with her family, and works in an old barn building. During her down time she enjoys Masterchef, her garden and growing her own vegetables. Ruth is a qualified pilot and once shared the cost of a plane with two friends. They could fly from London to Paris for lunch, if they wanted to. Her creative influences are diverse but she loves late-Victorian artists the most – particularly James Guthrie, John Lavery, EA Walton, Stanhope Forbes and Elizabeth Forbes. She most admires representational paintings that capture light and atmosphere, like the work of children’s illustrator Stacey Schuett.

Training

Ruth went to Harrow Art College to do a foundation year, followed by a three-year diploma in Illustration.

Approach

Ruth approaches to each new job with an aim to fulfill the brief as closely as possible and will select the medium she works in accordingly. She blocks out a composition instinctively, then plays about with traced sketches in Photoshop to get it right.

Key Software

Photoshop

Styles

Working for many years in advertising and design, Ruth has learned to use a wide variety of media, and learned them well. She used pen and watercolours for the Beatrix Potter books she illustrated, for instance, but will equally use Photoshop for other children’s titles. She recommends watercolour and line for educational briefs, gouache for some publishing jobs, and acrylic for larger, more painterly projects. When possible, she loves to use alkyds – fast-drying oils which are delightful to use. Light and colour come to the fore in many of her pieces, and often her work has a classical painterly feel to it. The hand of the artist is very much in evidence.