Leanne Coelho loves drawing quirky, whimsical characters with silliness and depth.
We are over the moon to add Leanne Coelho to talented collective of artists! Leanne loves drawing quirky, whimsical characters with silliness and depth, inspired by nature, fantasy and the small things that make a big difference. Leanne is drawn to crayons, coloured pencils, sketches and collage. She grew up in South Africa and Portugal where her scribbles and stories earned the high honour of a place on her parent’s fridge.
As a grown-up, Leanne settled in Hertfordshire, where she met her wife, their cat and her love of illustration. Leanne studied graphic design and went on to have an eclectic work experience as a self-taught illustrator.
She completed a picture book course through Curtis Brown Creative in 2020 and was a 2022 AOI mentee and a 2024 Pathways Into Children's Publishing mentee. As an LGBT+ artist, she finds great importance in creating diverse pictures and stories that encourage resilience, imagination, empathy, courage, curiosity and a sense of wonder in the world.
Do read on to find out more….
What would you say is your best piece of work / collaboration to date, and why?
I think my best piece of work and collaboration was with Tring Art Group and the Natural History Museum in Tring. Creating a piece for the Tring calendar showing the library in the NHM. It was amazing to be given the chance to research, visit and create a piece of artwork reflecting the extensive collection of books, research and work that the NHM does. Incorporating the animals that Walter Rothschild would have kept into the library scene was a lot of fun!
Where do you like to go to be inspired, or how do you find your inspiration?
I love escape rooms, sensory experiences like Wake the Tiger in Bristol, Frameless and Bubble Planet in London, any immersive experiences or interactive exhibition that lets me wander into a new world, just for a bit.
Is there anything you'd say you would be a good advocate for? Please elaborate if so.
LGBTQIA+ representation, as part of the community it is important to me to show everyone in our world. I'm also passionate about nature, the environment and encouraging the idea that being little doesn't mean you can't do a lot.
What would you say sets you apart from other illustrators?
Something you feel is unique to you. My sense of wonder in the world, being constantly curious, easily being able to see things from a child's perspective and understand how they might see the world and their amazing, and often, underestimated place in it.
If you have done paid commissions prior to joining the agency, what would you say is something that clients repeatedly come to you for (up to now)?
Previous client's I've worked with have said I'm friendly, easy-going, a good listener, they've liked that I've understood a brief well and have been pleasantly surprised by the things I add into the work that they didn't expect (an additional background character or fun little sub plot happening etc.).
How would you describe your style?
Whimsical, quirky, cute, full of character Please give a scenario of a project that would mean the world to you, if you were offered it - something that connects to something meaningful to you I would love to write and illustrate my own stories, I would also be very excited to illustrate a story based on some of the songs from the Matilda musical, Alice in Wonderland or The Owl and the Pussycat.
Are you working on any personal projects you can share with us?
I am working on a story about a mole, another about a group of animals and another about a grumpy monster.
Finally, if you were to illustrate a book related to a real life person, who would that be?
I would like to illustrate a book about Maya Angelou, I would also like to illustrate a book about the LGBTQIA+ people who have changed the world.
If you’d like more info, please contact: [email protected]
At illo agency, we pride ourselves in representing a collation of global illustrators, distinctly diverse in creativity and uniquely celebrated by like-minded clients across a range of commercial markets.