Illustration

Eleanor Thomas

Open book with a colorful cover depicting a forest scene and a person walking by a river. The background is a soft pink surface.

A speculative Folio Society book cover for Christina Rossetti’s "Goblin Market" – gouache, neocolours and Procreate.

Hello! I’m Eleanor, an illustrator based in Cambridgeshire.

Across my work I love mark-making and its ability to add atmosphere. I enjoy working in multiple areas of illustration, though I have a particular love of storytelling and the power of narrative illustration, within children’s books and adult fiction alike. I illustrate with gouache and coloured pastels primarily and often refine details digitally; colour is an important part of my practice and I enjoy experimenting with analogous and bold palettes.

The natural world is a great inspiration to my work and I love to draw the sea and landscapes on location to inform my studio work.

I am also often found covered in charcoal, using a rubber to erase highlights to create dramatic lighting and atmosphere. Using this media, I am able to explore darker themes within my work; mental health and emotion are also very important to me.

Illustration to me is a way of expressing my emotions and I am always looking to connect with briefs on personal levels to elevate my outcomes.

Illustration of woman standing barefoot by sea with bag over shoulder
Illustrated book spread with various fruit
Illustrated book spread showing woman on bed holding young child in arms
Illustrated book spread showing woman swimming underwater
Illustrated labels for Weller Rum with whales and text
Illustration of small monument in tree-lined street
Illustration of monument in village
Illustration of woman wearing dark glasses looking in mirror with bird in cage and large candlestick
An editorial illustration for an article in "Breathe Magazine", focusing on slowing down by the seaside and enjoying taking in the atmosphere. I focused this illustration on beachcombing. A page from my sketchbook exploring the description of fruits within "Goblin Market". I used this page as research to then turn into endpapers for my final book outcome. A spread from my narrative brief, illustrating Lottie Mills’ "The Selkie" within her short story collection, "Monstrum". Final spread from my narrative project for "The Selkie" by Lottie Mills. I created a speculative rum packaging label based on the brief title of ‘sea shanties’. Stamford Eleanor Cross - part of a booklet brief illustrating the historical monuments of Eleanor Crosses and their locations. Geddington Eleanor Cross – another part of the booklet I created for Eleanor Cross history. I decided to keep a bold colour palette to create contrast between the illustrations. A charcoal piece part of a sequence of images illustrating Angela Carter’s "The Lady of the House of Love" from "The Bloody Chamber".