Author / Illustrator Profile
David Melling
David Melling was brought up
in Oxford with his two sisters and brother. His interest in art began at a
very early age as his father was a sculptor and David would spend many hours
watching his father work. David’s father would often borrow David’s books for
reference and then hand them back later covered in bits of plaster!
After completing a diploma in photography David worked as a photography assistant and freelance photographer. During this time David worked for animation studios as an assistant illustrator and as an animation artist. His animation work included films for video and cinema release such as Father Christmas and Grandpa by Raymond Briggs, Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter and Prince Cinders by Babette Cole.
David quickly discovered that illustrating books was his passion. He loves to inject humour into his work - animals with mischievous expressions, characters appearing in his books in unusual places. David has worked with many different authors such as Ian Whybrow, Vivian French, Mike Haines and Hiawyn Oram.
After a brief spell teaching English in Rome and travelling in Australia, Morocco, Thailand, USA, France, Italy, Austria, Hungary, Slovenia and Croatia, David has settled near Oxford. He is married with a daughter.
Shortlisted Title
2003 - The Kiss That Missed