Pauline Ellison in the 1970s
Painter and illustrator, Pauline Ellinson, was born 1946 in Keighley and educated at Keighley Grammar School. She then studied initially at Bradford Art School, before going on to advanced studies at Leicester and Cambridge, the latter with its prestigious illustration courses.
She moved to London in 1967 and began a freelance career as a commercial illustrator. She quickly gained commissions, which included work for The Times Saturday Review, Radio Times, Harpers, Good Housekeeping, Nova, The Observer and The Sunday Times. She gained a strong reputation for commissions involving animals, often in quirky and witty costumes, and her book illustrations for Grimm’s Fairy Tales, published by Routledge and Kegan Paul in 1981, are particularly striking (see examples below).
Pauline has exhibited her artwork in London, USA and Oxford. She was awarded two Design & Art Directors Silver Awards for her illustrations.
Her book illustrations include:
The Dark Lord of Pegersick (1976) by Richard Carlyon.
A Love of Flowers (1971) by H.E. Bates.
Earthsea Trilogy (1975) by Ursula K. Le Guin.
Grimm’s Fairy Tales (1981) Routledge & Kegan Paul edn.
Master Maid (1997) retold by Aaron Shepard
‘Little Briar Rose’, from the ‘Grimm’s Fairy Tales’ illustrated by Pauline Ellinson
Read the interview with Pauline at Pauline Ellinson