The SAA are very pleased to be supporting the World Illustration Awards by sponsoring The SAA Agents Award for New Talent.
Month: April 2026 
Written by the legendary poet Benjamin Zephaniah, this joyful book has been brought to life by Nila Aye’s enchanting illustrations. From playful characters to whimsical scenes, Nila's illustrations capture the heart of Zephaniah's words in the most magical way.
Zara Picken created the most magical illustration for the English National Ballet's production of My First Ballet: Cinderella. Used across the advertising, publicity and merchandise of the production, Zara’s theatrical paper-craft illustration is richly layered, capturing the charm of this beloved and timeless story in a visually powerful way.
Colombian artist Gina has developed a full illustration system for dm-drogerie markt’s Spring 2026 campaign, Garden of Transformation, displayed across more than 2,000 stores nationwide in Germany.
The commission forms part of dm’s rotating artist programme, which invites a different illustrator every four months to reinterpret the brand’s visual identity at scale - Gina is the first Latin American artist selected for the series, extending its cultural and visual range.
Her concept transforms everyday retail environments into living ecosystems, where objects and beauty spaces evolve into organic, blooming forms. The campaign spans storefront façades, posters, postcards, shopping bags, and in-store applications, running until 26 June 2026 and unifying dm’s seasonal presence through a cohesive illustrated world.
Gina says, "Working on this project alongside the design team and my agent has been a deeply enriching journey. Being able to combine analog and digital techniques and to contribute ideas that were ultimately considered for a brand of this scale, has been incredibly rewarding. This commission brings together many of the things I love both as an illustrator and as a person. I hope that those who encounter it feel energized by the colors, uplifted by the visuals, and carry with them a sense of joy and positive energy."
British nature and wildlife illustrator Andrew Hutchinson gives the Yorkshire Tea packaging a refresh.
Back in 2011, Andrew Hutchinson painted an idyllic rural Yorkshire scene which has adorned the Yorkshire Tea box ever since. With a refresh of the brand taking place across 2025 and 2026, branding agency Turner Duckworth commissioned Andrew to refine the popular image by adding and altering some of its elements to fine tune the packaging for two product variants. We asked Andrew about the variety of tiny paintings he created for the refresh and the creative decisions made along the way.
How did this project come about?
I produced the existing Yorkshire Tea box illustration back in 2011 when the company decided they wanted to redesign their box without losing the very strong overall Yorkshire Tea look. Turner Duckworth approached me via my agency, IllustrationX, in 2024 regarding the refresh.
What was the brief?
The brief for this job was to refresh the existing design without spoiling an already popular image. Because of this, any alterations had to be made very subtly. The idea was to give each of the variations of Yorkshire Tea – Decaf, Hard Water and the Original – its own unique identity. A selection of small additions, themed around the branding colour of each tea variation – red for Original, blue for Decaf and green for Hard Water – would be painted, which could be sensitively inserted into the design. For Decaf, blue bells, a blue rucksack and flask and a blue tit were chosen; for the Hard Water, green ivy and a green tractor tie in with the colour theme. Variations were made in the foreground of each box by replacing the lamb with a different one on the Decaf and with rabbits for the Hard Water. Only a couple of tiny alterations were made to the Original box – a cricket ball and a robin. Customers do study these images very closely and I think part of the idea was to give them some new elements to look for.
What was it like to receive this brief?
I was very proud to be asked to work on this design again. Working with Yorkshire Tea has certainly been a career highlight.
What media and tools did you use?
I only use a brush and paint – no computers! The paints I use are acrylic and I paint on a hot press watercolour board. Once completed, my wife Louise scanned the artwork and sent it directly to the designers as digital files.
How was the content of the images decided upon?
The landscape of the box has remained the same as the original and was based on a variety of areas of Yorkshire selected to create a single non-specific Yorkshire landscape. For this job, the designers gave a very clear brief of the alterations they wanted to make and had a list of suggested elements to incorporate but were equally open to any suggestions or comments that I had, particularly about the wildlife elements. One of the elements they were particularly keen to incorporate was a tractor in each image, reflecting the relevant brand colour. Another aspect that the designers were keen to change was the cricket pitch. So, while the original box has a village cricket match in progress, the Hard Water design has dog walkers and hikers crossing the pitch and on the Decaf box there is a tractor mower doing some pitch maintenance.
The tone is relaxing, like having a cup of tea. How did you conjure this feeling?
The lighting and colour had to remain consistent from the original box and across the three designs, so any additions obviously had to tie in with this. I hope the warmth of the colours and intimacy of the design creates this comfortable feel.
Tell us about the little stoat?
The stoat was not particular to these designs but has appeared on all my Yorkshire Tea boxes – my signature if you like. I always try to include some animals in the artwork and stoats love dry-stone walls. It was a bit of a last-minute addition on the original design and could have been painted out but, as it was, the designers loved it and it stayed. All the artwork I produced for the additions was done on white for the designers to incorporate into the images digitally.
What were the main challenges?
All the additions made to the box, for consistency, had to be painted at the same size as the original artwork; one quarter up. This meant that some of the elements were tiny with the tractors being no bigger than my thumbnail. And, although I am a miniature painter, something like an ivy leaf, a bluebell and even some of the figures were so small I could not have done them without using a large magnifying lens.
What were your favourite elements to paint?
I particularly enjoyed working on the ivy that drapes over the wall of the Hard Water box and was particularly pleased that it sat so well in the picture.
What was the collaborative process like?
All the designers I have worked with over the years on Yorkshire projects have been a pleasure to work with; supportive and open-minded. And once the roughs had been approved were always great at leaving me just to get on with my painting.
And do you enjoy a cuppa while working?
Of course, I drink Yorkshire Tea and always have a brew when I am working. Tea-time usually starts at 10:30 when everything stops for Ken Bruce’s Popmaster quiz.
What’s your verdict on the outcome?
I was delighted with this job and it’s always a special thrill when you see your artwork on the supermarket shelves.
Read more on this project here.
Miranda created this super fun search and find illustration for The Observer’s Easter ‘Observer’s Needed’ post. Some of the things to spot include: an Easter bonnet, a toadstool, a bumble bee, and a fried egg!
Miranda said "The brief was to create a moment for everyone, young and old, to press pause and enjoy getting lost in the details. I had so much fun making this one, building a busy scene and hiding the ten elements within it."
Kate has beautifully illustrated a wonderful series of Little Puffin Clothbound Classics. They are pocket sized and adorned with gold foil-stamped designs, making them the perfect collectible items for a young person’s own little library.
Phosphor's Bill Sanderson recently completed this scratchboard illustration, which will be used as a header for an online newsletter in the farming industry. The section is called 'I hear' and the illustration will appear above any gossip and interesting news from the industry.
Bill works almost exclusively with scratchboard, with which he produces both black and white and full colour artwork. He has done drawings for many newspapers, journals, book publishers, designers and advertising agencies in Britain and also in Europe and the USA.
He was one of the team of artists and illustrators who contributed a stamp design (shipbuilding) to the Royal Mail Millennium celebration, and in 2005 he shared first prize in the V&A annual illustration Awards with the designer Steve Snider, for Book Cover and Jacket illustration.
Find more of Bill Sanderson's work in his Phosphor portfolio, and get in touch with Trina if you'd like to commission him.
Phosphor's Léon Moh-Cah has, once again, collaborated with School of Life, who publish one video a week on their YouTube on themes of self-understanding, calm and emotional maturity. Most recently, Léon has lent her hand to videos titled 'Stop Start in Love', 'When People Turn Love Down' and 'In Praise of Nice People'. See some stills from the videos below, or watch them in full on YouTube.
Léon is a French 2D animator and sketch artist, interested in the beauty of everyday life. Her animations have been screened and won awards across the world. Léon's practice, mixing digital and traditional techniques, uses daily observation and travels as a main source of inspiration.
After completing BAs in graphic design and animation in Paris, Léon went on to study an Animation Masters at the Royal College of Art. Then, following a year and a half of globe trotting as a digital nomad, she settled in Seoul.
Léon pictures her sketchbooks playing a more central part in her career in the near future, and she is currently gathering inspiration for a new short film.
Check out Léon's full portfolio here, or her animation portfolio here. If you'd like to commission Léon, get in touch with Trina at Phosphor.
James created this fantastic artwork for Where's the Pirate' the third book in this series.
"All aboard this pirate search-and-find book, packed full of fun pirate facts and friendly, colourful scenes showing treasure maps, gemstones, parrots, beaches, palm trees and much more. ..."
James has also illustrated , 'Where's the Dinosaur' and 'Where's the Digger'
While Adam is widely recognised for his Illustrated Histories series, his versatile style lends itself effortlessly to more corporate contexts, as seen in this striking cover for The New Athenian. His focus on people and architecture is reflected in the strong sense of detail across these samples.
