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Hannah Waldron is a London-based illustrator, creating books and artworks for clients including Routledge, Anorak Magazine, Polydor Records and The Big Chill festival. She graduated from Brighton University in 2007 and set up her own studio offering freelance illustration services.

Who or what influences your work?
At the moment I am observing a lot of my everyday surroundings and converting them into my drawings, so patterns and textures of familiar buildings, materials, fabrics and nature are all present. I tend to become fascinated with an idea, an atmosphere or a narrative and make multiple drawings based it using what I see in everyday life. I think I do this in order to allow me time to understand whatever I am contemplating.

Who are your clients and how do you like to work?
I am happiest working on a project that I can give depth and consideration, and make it mine. However, I think it is great to have a balance between doing such projects and shorter, more specific briefs where clients can challenge you and lead you to explore new avenues. Collaboration is something not to be without.

What do you like or dislike about the current style of illustration that’s around?
It’s a pretty mixed bag out there at the moment, and there’s room for a lot of different things to be going on which I like. I think as long as artists are making work that is fresh and exciting to them, then it’s great. Mainly I try not to really look too much at other illustration and just make work that makes sense to me and what I am thinking about and interested in.

Do you prefer to tie your illustration in with wider aspects of graphic design – eg typography and graphic design designing book covers?
I really enjoy doing it all, I’m very much into knowing how everything works. I make a lot of things so I enjoy projects where I get to vary what I’m doing - perhaps with printmaking or production or graphic design.

What are your ambitions over the next few years?
I am just finishing a book now, a narrative-based artist’s book for a small exciting press, but I’d love to do more book work - especially children’s books, both illustrating and creating my own books. This is something I will be focusing on. There are many things I would love to do, but all in good time. For the next couple of years I hope to enjoy creating work for good people and enjoy being young!

www.hannahwaldron.co.uk