Melanie Walsh

As a child: I was born at home in Bushey Heath. As a child I used to spend a lot of time 'making things'. Sometimes when I was very little my mum would go into the kitchen only to find the contents of cereal packets poured into various bowls around the room as I had decided that I needed them for one of my projects. She didn't mind this though as she thought it was really 'creative'! I won my only art competition at school when I was nine. It was a picture about pollution.

As an adult: I did my foundation at Harrow School of Art and then went on to do the Illustration course there. Afterwards I went on to do the MA Illustration course at the Royal College of Art. When I left the RCA I worked as a textile designer and sold my first six designs to Agnes b for babywear. I soon found myself designing quite a lot of textiles for the children's market. A few years later I tried my hand at writing and illustrating a children's book which was published in 1996 just after the birth of my twin sons.

As an artist: I love working at home in my studio. It looks out onto the garden and I can see our guinea pig hutch just outside the window.

Things you didn't know about Melanie Walsh:

   1. At home we have a guinea pig called snowball. He has very long hair and we have to cut it in the sumer to keep him cool. Sadly his brothers have recently died.
   2. I have been vegetarian for 23 years.
   3. I wanted to be an architect when I was young and drew building plans for fun as a child!
   4. My favourite children's books are by Richard Scarry, Ed Emberley, Paul Rand and Taro Gomi.
   5. I like to hear the sound of the washing machine when I'm working.
   6. I hate dusting, vacuuming and tipping the kitchen waste bin into the compost. I try and avoid these things as much as possible. It also means that my partner does them quite a lot.
   7. I am terrible at spelling. I now know all about dyslexia as my son has it. Unfortunately I didn't get any help at school but you do now.
   8. I love films by Wes Anderson.
   9. My favourite colour is grey.
  10. I enjoy making and decorating cup cakes.

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Featured Books, with extracts by Melanie Walsh

My Green Day
Melanie Walsh
Tips for going green in everyday life are easily followed in this beautiful picture book introduction to conserving the world. Saving on fuels by making use of nature for things like drying clothes, composting, not wasting food, home cooking and...
Featured in: 3+ readers | 5+ readers
Format: Paperback - Released: 05/01/2012
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My Green Day
Melanie Walsh
Tips for going green in everyday life are easily followed in this beautiful picture book introduction to conserving the world. Saving on fuels by making use of nature for things like drying clothes, composting, not wasting food, home cooking and...
Featured in: 5+ readers
Format: Hardback - Released: 05/04/2010
Info   Extract   Wishlist   Compare Price   Buy