A collage of images of Hope Bullen (Illustrator and Creative) doing different things. The main image that is in the shape of an arch is of Hope standing in Norway on the top of Pulpit Rock. Her brown hair is in a pony tail, she has big sunglasses on, a Navy Tommy Hilfiger Jumper, shorts, and walking boots on. She is doing the peace sign. From left to right on top of the main image is Hope holding a surf board in Cornwall with her partner and a puppy golden retriever, they are both wearing wetsuits. The next image is of Hope and her Grandad, they are both holding coffees and smiling, Grandad is sat down and Hope leaning over him. The next one is of Hope and her Nan, they are sat on a rust coloured sofa that curves around a table which has afternoon tea on it. Slightly above is a picture of her late whippet Roxy's head faced to the right, she is brindle and has a grey nose. And above this is a picture of Hope reading her Children's Picture book "We are sunshine, rainbows and all the inbetweens". The page she is open on shows a rainbow of dogs. Hope is wearing bright pink trousers and rainbow socks. Weaving in and put out of the collage is a an array of orange, pink, and lilac flowers (peonies and tulips most notably) as well as wiggly shapes in the same colours.

Hey! My name’s Hope. I’m both an Illustrator on a mission to create Children’s Picture Books that blow socks off, and a Creative for a wonderful Startup based on the South Coast of the UK.

If I could sum myself up as concisely as possible (which probably is still quite waffley – but waffles are great, right? Especially when swamped with chocolate) it would be a concoction of cuddly animals, a walk with a coffee, charity shop nosing, video gaming, The Dog House with Nan, all topped off with a massive dollop of colourful, creative goodness, and curly brown hair!

Growing up

I was lucky enough to be adopted by my gorgeous Grandparents at the age of 2, and I grew up in a house with three cats 5 minutes walk to the beach (and to THE best fish and chips money can buy!) Through my experiences of being brought up in a non-conventional – but blooming brilliant – household, and as an adult struggling to find my place in the rigid 9-to-5, I believe it’s more important than ever to celebrate our differences. The world would be a super boring place if we were all the same, and children deserve to feel like they’re amazing no matter who they are, what they enjoy, or what they’re good at.

Picture Books and Illustration

They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but I think it’s so incredibly hard not to! I’m so drawn to books on the shelf that leap out at me – whether that’s because it’s the most colourful, or it’s so unique I can’t help but pick it up.

My favourite things to draw? It has to be a mixture of animals, places, and things that make children (and adults!) laugh. My biggest must is bright colours, which is no surprise as my wardrobe is brimming with them!

Random “Fun” Facts

I started knitting for the first time this year, and I’m in the process of making the world’s wonkiest scarf ~ When I was 4/5, the BBC featured my Tweenies picture ~ I’ve been a postie, and lasted less than 2 weeks (hats off to posties – thank you for delivering our letters and parcels through rain and shine!) ~ Our family dog Rox (absolute legend, rest in peace) inspired me to start drawing dogs ~ my fiancé proposed to me on the way down from our hike up Pulpit Rock in the Norwegian Fjords, he didn’t do it at the top because it turns out I was way more scared of heights than I realised (whoops!) ~ I have a university degree in Magazine Journalism ~ My current favourite colours are pink, lilac and orange (shock!) ~ If I could meet any animal, it would be an elephant ~ I hate it when I have to spontaneously come up with fun facts because I forget who I am and everything I’ve ever done!