If you aren’t familiar with Ruth Burrows brightly-colored show-stopping illustrations, you are in for a treat!

Ruth Burrows can be found at work daily in her open studio located in the busy Lincolnshire market town of Sleaford, UK. Having spent over twenty years living and working in the Middle East as an event designer, Ruth now works full time as an illustrator as well as running a fully stocked art shop! You can learn more about her at her website or follow her on Instagram or Facebook.

SPOTLIGHT ON ARIANA GRANDE and SPOTLIGHT ON CYNTHIA ERIVO are both picture book biographies illustrated by the incredible Ruth Burrows. Both books are also dual authored by Hunter M. Green and Elizabeth Dennis. Both books also capitalize on the popularity of Wicked (and who can blame them?). Both books are written in a second person point of view asking young readers how they might be like these celebrities. They proceed from there to give highlights of biographical information that would inspire young fans. Ariana’s story is mostly told in shades of pink and Cynthia’s story is mostly told in shades of green, but each one captures the likeness of the ladies perfectly. It’s no easy feat to make an illustration look like the real person and still retain an artistic interpretation in each spread.

Welcome Ruth!

Me: You are an incredibly talented illustrator of many things, including picture books. Can you tell us a little bit about your creative journey? When did you start creating art? How did that lead to where you are now as the illustrator of this book?

Ruth: Thank you so much! I have always had a creative career and I initially studied Theater Design. I then went on to work as an event designer for many years. When the world slowed down in 2020, I took the opportunity to concentrate on my illustration work and managed to get taken on by a great agent.

Me: The illustrations you did for both of these books are perfect. I love how you were so able to capture the essence of both women. Can you talk about your illustration process a little bit? What media did you use to create the illustrations in this book? Are you mainly a traditional artist or digital artist (or a blend of both)?

Ruth: Thanks again. I think my past experience in theater and events is really useful when working on these kind of illustration projects. It’s not too dissimilar to designing and creating visuals for sets and costumes! I do work both traditionally and digitally and sometimes mix the two. I used Procreate, a digital drawing app on the iPad for this project, it helps to have a highly editable style so you can play around with the details like the jewelry and nails!

Me: I adore the musical of WICKED and loved the first movie version. I thought Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande were perfect for the roles. What drew you to illustrating their biographies? Are you a fan of WICKED as well, or of the ladies themselves?

Ruth: I absolutely loved the film. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande are not only phenomenally talented, they are strong women and great role models for young people. Those are the type of humans I love to draw!

Me: I love your choice of colors (they’re so vibrant!) and how you highlighted green in Cynthia’s story and pink in Ariana’s story. Are you always so intentional in your color choice? Do you have favorite colors you find yourself drawn to in your illustrations?

Ruth: I get a lot of work based on my use of color and it is often commented on. I use color instinctively and somehow just know how it will fit together. I wouldn’t normally be so intentional with the choice, but this project called for it!

Me: You excel at capturing real people in illustration: from Stephen Fry to Yayoi Kusama. Yet you have illustrated several picture books specifically about musical individuals, Taylor Swift and Harry Styles included. Are you drawn to musical talent in particular? Why do these particular picture book biographies appeal to you?

Ruth: I’m honestly not sure how that happened but I love the problem-solving aspect of illustration. The client wants a depiction of a famous person, but you have to keep your own style and approach intact. That is sometimes tricky but I love finding ways to make it work.

Me: What is one thing that surprised you in illustrating these stories?

Ruth: I loved learning about the early life of both women. Of course, you end up going down a rabbit hole when researching. It’s not just images you’re looking at; I try to find out the details behind the celebrity lifestyles!

Me: Any advice for other aspiring picture book illustrators?

Ruth: Draw every day, work hard and be kind!

That is great advice Ruth. Thank you so much for stopping by my blog today.

Dear readers, both of these books are published next week. The illustrations are definitely eye-catching and both biographies use a unique approach to a well-known topic. Trust me when I say you’ll want to keep an eye out for them.