Kelsi Lees is the winner of this years Illustration Achievement Award! This award is given to “the student who has shown an exceptional attitude within their practice, commitment to their studies and positive influence within the cohort.”

Staff commented that Kelsi “has been a dream student during her time at the school, having progressed from the Art & Design course at our Middlesbrough site. This person has taken great pains to recognise exactly what is required of a commercial illustrator working within the children’s publishing sector.

She has never shied away from the academic elements of her studies with even her earliest work being incredibly thorough and professionally documented with great reasoning and insight. Outside of her studies she has already been selling work across the region, proving her drive to succeed independently. She will without doubt make a great success of her creative career and we look forward to following her journey.”

Kelsi, from Yarm, studied at our college level campus completing her Level 3 Diploma in Art & Design before joining us in Hartlepool to study BA (Hons) Illustration for Commercial Application. We caught up with her to find out more about her practice, read on to find out more:

· Why did you choose to study at The Northern School of Art?

I decided to continue my studies at The Northern School of Art as I felt like a smaller University would be best for me. The School has a really good reputation and other past students I had spoken to really recommended it.

· How did you find your degree programme?

I have found the Illustration course amazing! I was able to spend the first two years exploring different types of illustration to see where I could go within the industry. I was completely undecided when I joined the course as to which direction I wanted to take my work. With the support of the lecturers, I digitised my style and made my work suitable for young children. I decided to really hone in on working on children’s picture book illustration. I was able to get support and feedback from staff who were experienced in this industry. During the first two years of the programme, I also started developing my Wildlife art and Pet Portrait business, again with the support of staff. I now have a successful business that I run alongside my studies and illustration work.

· Tell us about your FMP project!

For my FMP, I worked on a children’s picture book called That’s My Dottie. I wrote the story based on a duckling that I rescued, rehabilitated and rereleased back in 2020. The duckling, who we named Dottie, is the lead character for my picture book and all of the reference photos that I used are based on my own photographs of him.

I found my FMP project both really difficult but really exciting to complete. I spent a lot of time perfecting sketches, and layouts before moving on to my final spreads. One of the main challenges was perfecting things within the time scale, with my manuscript being written a total of 8 times and illustrations being completed multiple times. I think this project has really allowed me to hone in on my skills and learn to work quicker and more efficiently for the same results.

My final outcome for FMP is a 32-page, full colour children’s picture book which I have decided to self-publish. I have been selling my book both online and at in-person events and it is going really well- I’ve even had a few schools reach out to me and buy copies and arrange for me to go in to read to the children.

· You are one of our award winners, congratulations! How did it feel to win your award?

It felt amazing to win the Illustration Achievement Award! I really wasn’t expecting to be shortlisted let alone win and I am so grateful for the lecturers who chose me as the winner.

· What’s your favourite memory of your time at the School?

I think my favourite memory has definitely been setting up the Degree Show and watching everything come together. It was a lot of hard work but it has been so rewarding to see everyone’s work finally up and displayed.

· What are you doing next?

The next thing I plan on doing is completing my Masters, I am staying at The Northern School of Art for another year to complete the MA Design Practice course which will hopefully allow me to progress into the children’s publishing industry. I want to continue working on children’s book illustration skills, with my next book already in the works! I want to continue to develop my small business alongside my children’s book illustration and my Masters course.

· What is your favourite thing to do in the area?

I don’t live in Hartlepool, but spend a lot of time here even outside of University. I think my favourite thing to do is probably a walk along the Headland and if I’m lucky, I enjoy watching the Dolphins as they go past.

· Any advice for future students applying for the same course as you?

I think my main piece of advice for students applying to illustration is to not be afraid to ask questions. I think asking questions and asking for help is really hard and is something I know I have struggled with myself but the staff are there to help and genuinely want to help you to improve your work. It’s definitely worthwhile asking for regular feedback on your work too, to help you get the most out of your three years at the school.

You can see more of Kelsi’s work on her instagram @kelsileesillustration. If you are interested in studying illustration at degree level make sure you check out our course information page here.