Ian Morris’s career as an illustrator has got off to an explosive start. Having graduated from the University of Salford, he’s gone on to work with the likes of Thames & Hudson, Bloomsbury, and The National Literacy Trust, as well as scooping up prestigious awards and nominations for his picture book work.
And it’s no surprise to see why he’s so in demand. His style, which is at once unique while echoing the greats like Quentin Blake, is so beautiful and packed with personality that viewers of all ages can’t help but get drawn in. Little wonder then that his work is the culmination of a lifelong love of drawing.
“My love for illustration was there from a young age,” he tells Creative Boom. “The ability – and love for — drawing runs through the Morris family. My Grandad ‘Naughty’ Morris was encouraged to attend art school by his teacher. However, he was from a poor working-class area of Manchester. His dad thought it was nonsense, making him get a proper job.”
Thankfully, a similar fate did not befall Ian. He can juggle his illustration work with lecturing at the Manchester School of Art, although at the spritely age of 28, he’s sometimes mistaken for a student himself. “I revel in seeing the students blossom, and they help keep me grounded with remembering where I was once,” he explains.
Origin story
Like many artists, Ian can remember the work that initially grabbed his attention. In his case, it was the Beano and Dandy comics that his grandad would show him on his weekly visits. “I used to redraw the characters and develop my own comic narratives for them. They are happy, cherished memories.”
In terms of picture books, though, it was a copy of The Last of the Sky Pirates illustrated by Chris Riddell, which caught his eye at first. “If anyone knows of Chris’s work, I think the instant attraction is the quality of draughtsmanship and elegant detail in his work,” he reveals.
“I was in awe of his drawings, and I still am, which is why it is still surreal that he endorsed my first picture book, The Library Book, created with writer Gabby Dawnay. When I revisited my primary school to open the newly refurbished library for World Book Day, his book was still on the shelf almost 20 years later, enjoyed by another generation of readers.”
Curiously, though, reading was a bit of a difficulty for Ian early on. His education at a Montessori nursery in Prestwich encouraged him to explore his natural interests rather than a formal curriculum, resulting in much more drawing than reading.
“However, when I did catch up with my reading in primary school, my fondest books were The Edge Chronicles, Captain Underpants and The War Diaries of Alistair Fury series,” he adds.
“Two of those books were very influential. The first,