David Roberts

Original book illustration by David Roberts is available for purchase from Children’s Book Illustration.

David Roberts was born in Liverpool. He always loved drawing from an early age and couldn’t wait to escape school to go to Art College. There he developed a keen interest in pottery and fashion and went on to study fashion design at Manchester Metropolitan University. After university he worked as a milliner and began to get work as a fashion illustrator but always felt his true calling was in children’s book illustration.

David signed up with Christine Isteed at Artist Partners in 1995 and finally realised his dream of becoming a children’s book illustrator when his first book, ‘Frankie Stein’s Robot’, written by Roy Apps was published in 1998. It was shortlisted for the Mother Goose Award for emerging illustrators.

Since then he has illustrated works by some of the most successful authors such as Philip Ardagh, Peter Bently, Daren King, Julia Donaldson, Jacqueline Wilson, Tom Baker, Chris Priestley and most recently Julian Clary on The Bolds series of books. David considers himself privileged and lucky to be doing a job he loves. His most recent works include Iggy Peck, Architect by Andrea Beaty, The Troll by Julia Donaldson and The Dunderheads by Paul Fleischman, which was shortlisted for the 2010 Kate Greenaway Award. In 2015 David was shortlisted again for the Kate Greenaway Medal with Tinder, written by Sally Gardner. David is also the creator of the Dirty Bertie character about a little boy with bad habits such as picking his nose and trumping loudly!

David’s work is exhibited widely and his The Wind in the Willows was part of the British Library exhibition, Picture This: Children’s Illustrated Classics which ran from 4 October 2013 – 26th January 2014.