In our continuing series on authors and their inspiration, Rosie Brown shares with us how her art and her writing are intrinsically linked.

“The inspiration for my stories came from my love of British wildlife. Growing up in rural Norfolk allowed me to appreciate the animals and nature around me. Watching hares with beautifully large ears that twitch as its body stayed still fascinated me. Thinking about these animals whilst constantly drawing and creating based around British wildlife then allowed me to shape and warp ideas into creating stories.

When I initially started writing the stories I was in a limbo after just completing a degree and being unemployed. Being struck with boredom and I took this and engaged with something different, writing. I urge anyone to pick up a pen, a pencil or a paint brush and begin to explore one’s creativity. Engage with your imagination and perhaps take it back to being a child, you never know what you might get out of it.

To create the stories I would often sit in fields or parks and begin to sketch ducks or other animals. Upon creative my illustrations I would then see what stories I could get out of them, whilst always keeping in mind what children would find interesting and engaging.  I would write a sentence and immediately draw the image and scene I pictured to my words. Whether it was where mushrooms grew in a burrow, the low posture of a stalking fox or the relaxed limbs on resting hares.

I’m hugely excited that my primary passion, illustration has now been combined with my new found passion which is writing. Creating art is something I believe everyone should do.”