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Jason Chapman

Illustrator and author, Jason Chapman, completed the Foundation in Art & Design at Bradford &
Ilkley Community College in 1989.

Jason ChapmanTalented Jason held a solo exhibition of over 50 watercolours and photographs at the Terrace Gallery at St George’s Hall while he was only 18 and on the Foundation Course.

Jason first worked in editorial illustration. Working with London design agencies, he produced large scale interpretation panels for permanent exhibitions at museums around the world, including the Natural History Museum, Chicago Field Museum and Singapore Science Centre. Jason has also illustrated greeting cards, advent calendars and books for BBC Worldwide.

His interest in drawing animals (especially dogs!) was spotted by the London’s famous Battersea Dogs and Cats Home and he was chosen as their official illustrator. Jason has always had a passion for children’s books and is currently writing and illustrating books. Ted, Bo and Diz was shortlisted for Book Trust Award for Best Emerging Illustrator in 2007.

“I’ve always been very proud of coming from Bradford and look back on my foundation course with fond and inspiring memories. Spending all day with fellow students experimenting with painting and drawing, printing and photography, with an experienced group of tutors - Grant Devine, Chris Broughton, Andy Griffiths, Ian Taylor and Dave (burn the sky in) Rowling - and a range of visiting lecturers was a great start to my career.

I remember the studios were a very creative environment to work in and there was a heavy emphasis on drawing. Students were taught traditional methods of creating art such as oil painting and photography and encouraged to experiment with various techniques to express their ideas, working in traditional, and sometimes not so traditional ways. Ian Taylor’s memorable film showing a bunch of friends making a giant teradactyl and trying get it to fly from the top of a steep hill showed one possible approach to art and design.

We were also introduced to numerous artists, designers, sculptors, film makers and the opening of Grove Library gave us history of art at the end of the road. I enjoyed photography, painting and illustration and carried on experimenting with different media on my degree course at Camberwell College of Art. However, it was a couple of significant illustration projects on the Foundation course which sparked off my interest in becoming an illustrator and writer of children’s books.”

Photograph supplied by Jason Chapman