Will Hughes is an illustrator and cartoonist from Malvern in Worcestershire. He studied at Hereford College of Art and the University of Edinburgh where he got a degree in Illustration. He mainly works in ink and watercolour because he likes how that lends itself to quick and lively illustrations with hopefully some character and humour. He has had seven published books, including one that he wrote and illustrated ‘What Not To Give An Ogre For His Birthday’. This was published by Little Door Books and, as you might imagine, tells the story of two children trying to find a present for an ogre who is particularly hard to buy for. Other books he has illustrated include the ‘Uncle Pete’ series written by Dave C Flanagan and ‘Peetje and Flieflo and de VerdWaalde Superstinker’ written by Mathilde Stein and published in the Netherlands by Lemniscaat.
Will was part of the Picturehooks Mentoring Scheme where he was mentored by the author and illustrator Petr Horacek. It culminated in an exhibition at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art in 2019. This experience had a big impact on how he works as it encouraged him to use a much broader range of materials and techniques, including collage, alongside the ink and watercolour that he has always used.
