Axel Scheffler (born 12 December 1957)[1] is a German illustrator and animator based in London. He is best known for his cartoon-like pictures for children's books, in particular The Gruffalo and The Gruffalo's Child, written by Julia Donaldson. He has also authored/illustrated the Pip and Posy series of books for children.
Axel Scheffler | |
|---|---|
 Scheffler at the 2018 Frankfurt Book Fair | |
| Born | 12 December 1957 Hamburg, West Germany |
| Occupation | Illustrator, animator |
| Education | Bath Academy of Art |
| Notable works | The Gruffalo Room on the Broom Stick Man Zog |
| Children | 1 |
| Website | |
| axelscheffler | |
Early life
editScheffler was born on 12 December 1957 in Hamburg, West Germany.[2] He began studying the History of Art at the University of Hamburg but dropped out, deciding instead to work in alternative National Service, caring for the mentally ill. He moved to England in 1982, at the age of 25, to study visual communications at the Bath Academy of Art in Corsham, Wiltshire. The course also included being an international exchange student at Cooper Union in New York. During these years (1982–1984) that Scheffler decided to become an illustrator.[citation needed]
Career
editScheffler worked in advertising and publishing after graduating in 1985. During this time he lived at Streatham Hill in London and began illustrating for children's books. The first book he illustrated was The Piemakers by Helen Cresswell, in 1988. Since then he has contributed his distinctive illustrations for authors of children's books from Britain, Germany, and the Netherlands, including Julia Donaldson, Jon Blake, Paul Shipton, David Henry Wilson, Uwe Timm, Paul van Loon, and Toon Tellegen.[3]
Scheffler was commissioned by Faber and Faber to provide new illustrations for an edition of Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats which commemorated the 70th anniversary of the book and the 80th anniversary of the company. The original was published in October 2009.[4]
He illustrated Gordon Brown's 2006 Christmas cards and all seven Christmas 2012 stamps designed by Webb & Webb Design Limited for Royal Mail.[5]
Personal life
editScheffler lives in Richmond, London with his partner and daughter.[6]
References
edit- ^ Spreckelsen, Tilman; Kronthaler, Helmut (15 July 2013). "Axel Scheffler". nachschlage.net (in German). Retrieved 12 April 2020.
- ^ "Axel Scheffler who is he?". Axel Scheffler's official website. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
- ^ Lacey, Hester (December 2017). "Q&A with Gruffalo illustrator Axel Scheffler". Financial Times. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
- ^ "Axel Scheffler | Authors | Faber & Faber". www.faber.co.uk. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
- ^ "The Gruffalo's Axel Scheffler and Christmas stamps". BBC News. 12 December 2012. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
- ^ "Illustrator Axel Scheffler on The Gruffalo, artistic inspiration and Richmond life" Archived 8 February 2008 at the Wayback Machine. Roy Sharp. The Observer. 25 November 2006. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
External links
edit
- Axel Scheffler's official website (https://axelscheffler.com)
- Axel Scheffler at Library of Congress, with 45 library catalogue records
- Axel Scheffler, latest news, breaking stories and comment on The Independent
- Axel Scheffler, latest news, breaking stories and comment on the Evening Standard
- Axel Scheffler on the Financial Times