ABOUT

Photograph of a woman with illustrated exotic animals, including a squirrel, tiger, peacock, and various tropical birds, in front of a watercolor-style jungle background with palm trees.

An illustrated life

Ever since I was a child, I’ve loved to draw. Encouraged by my father and fascinated by the work of Ronald Searle and Anatole Ur, I spent hours copying their art and creating my own pictures. From an early age, I knew I wanted to illustrate children’s books.

open book spread showing a Ronald Searle illustration of a colourful bird sitting over a square egg

Ronald Searle’s satirical drawings enthralled me as a child.

open book spread showing a colourful illustration of a raven standing on top of the hump of a camel by Anatole Ur

Anatole Ur’s colourful illustrations for ‘Kalilah & Dimnah - Fables from the Ancient East’

childs drawing of a yellow dragon with glitter in his tummy

Glitter Dragon by Heather Allen (age unknown)

Pursuing my illustration dream, I earned a BA (Hons) in Children’s Book Illustration, graduating from the North East Wales Institute of Art & Design in 2001. Shortly after, I was thrilled to be offered a publishing deal with Meadowside Books alongside author Alec Silifant. Our book Little Green Monsters was released soon after, and in 2004 I was honoured to be shortlisted for the Booktrust Early Years Award. While I didn’t win, being recognised in this way was an achievement I was genuinely proud of.

A young woman with blonde hair smiling at the camera, holding a children's book titled 'Little Green Monsters'. She is in a library with bookshelves in the background.
Book cover of 'Little Green Monsters' by Alec Sillifant, illustrated by Heather Allen, featuring a colorful cartoon rooster with exaggerated features.

You’d think such a promising start would boost my confidence, but with the naivety of youth I struggled to understand how to run my own business and secure regular work. I felt like I was failing… even though I was really just at the starting line. I think I wanted the perfect career from the get-go, and of course real life just doesn’t roll like that.

After retraining as a graphic designer in 2005, I went on to build a successful 20-year career in marketing design. Throughout that time, illustration quietly stayed by my side through freelance work, printmaking, and personal projects.

Above: examples of my graphic design and printmaking

Now, older, wiser, and confident in my abilities, I’m ready to resurrect the children’s book illustration career I once walked away from. I’ve got stories up my sleeve and hope to author and illustrate my own books, with the right publisher. I’m ready for illustration to take centre stage once more and I’m excited about what the future holds.

A smiling man and woman in matching yellow coats on a wet windy coastal walk

In a nutshell, I love to draw, design and doodle. As a designer, I’ve worked for publishing giant HarperCollins, Cornish clothing companies Seasalt and Frugi, and I currently work for healthcare communications agency Scientific Group.

When I’m not designing, you’ll usually find me on a coastal walk with my partner, Will (matching yellow jackets entirely unintentional), or cuddling boney greyhounds — the best dogs ever!

Heather Allen smiling with two black greyhounds

MY CREATIVE FAMILY