About

Katie Cleminson completed her Art Foundation Diploma at Falmouth College of Art, then went onto study Illustration for Children’s Publishing at North Wales School of Art. She graduated in 2007 with a First Class Honours degree, her final year project went onto win third place for the Macmillan Prize, and was then signed with Random House Children's Books. That year she was also the only UK entrant selected for the prestigious Illustrators Exhibition at the Bologna Book Fair, and her work was exhibited in London, Poland, Italy, Japan and South Korea. 

Katie won the Booktrust Best Emerging Illustrator Award for her debut title 'Box of Tricks’ in 2009. Katie was chosen for a Booktrust Best New Illustrators Award in 2011. Her title ‘Otto the Book Bear’ was translated into ten languages, was highly reviewed by the New York Times, chosen as Children’s Book of the Week in the Sunday Times, and picked as one of the Sunday Times 100 Modern Children’s Classics. It was also the winner of the Hampshire Picture Book Award in 2012, which is chosen by schoolchildren.

Katie discovered her drawing style by accident on a trip to the zoo, she had forgotten her brush, and had to draw directly with the ink pipette. Katie works with inks, charcoal, watercolour and Photoshop, and is drawn to nostalgic items like gramophones, typewriters, and bowler hats, which sometimes turn up in her work. She lives by the sea in Devon, England, with her husband and their two children.

Awards

Winner of the Hampshire Picture Book Award for 'Otto the Book Bear’ 2012 (chosen by schoolchildren)

Selected as one of the Booktrust Best New Illustrators 2011

Booktrust Best Emerging Illustrator Award for 'Box of Tricks’ 2009

Exhibitions

‘Bears!’ Exhibition originally at Seven Stories in Newcastle, which then toured the country during 2019/2020. Otto was the main promotional image and mascot for the whole exhibition, a great honour! The exhibition featured among others, Jon Klassen, Anthony Browne, Lucy Letherland, Jackie Morris, Petr Horacek, Dave Shelton, Jim Field, David Litchfield, Helen Cooper, David Melling, Rebecca Cobb, Sav Akyuz, Jane Hissey, Joel Stewart, Emily Gravett and Chris Riddell.

Booktrust Best New Illustrators Exhibition toured the UK in 2011 and 2012. Included the following venues- Illustration Cupboard, Plymouth City Museum, Free Word Centre, and National Galleries of Scotland. 

Bologna Illustrators Exhibition 2007 (only illustrator selected from Great Britain) This exhibition toured Italy, Japan and Korea.

Macmillan Prize Exhibition Coningsby Gallery London. Katie featured in this exhibition twice, she was Highly Commended in 2006, and 3rd prize winner in 2007.

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