In 2013, Nicholas experienced depression. As part of his therapy, he returned to his childhood hobby of illustration. Sketching his pugs and miniature schnauzer brought light to dark days; now, with his illustrated children’s books, he's bringing light and joy to others.

Based in Cheshire, England, Nicholas Child created the award-nominated The Grumble & Co. Using his illustrations of his dogs and put them onto greetings cards.

Soon, what started out as a mindfulness exercise, turned into a full-time business selling his designs into the design-led Paperchase, nationally through Sainsbury’s and internationally through export.

Nicholas now works in the picture book industry, working with publishers and authors from all over the globe. He has worked with notible clients, such as Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece to illustrate her second edition of ‘Manners Begin at Breakfast.

The Process

Nicholas creates his illustration with a variety of mediums. He enjoys creating his characters in coloured pencil which allows him to achieve beautiful, intricate details.

He then paints his background scenes in gouache. This enables him to achieve painterly, rich backdrops that sit beautifully behind his coloured pencil work.