Week 9 - Matt Robertson

The book has made its way to Norwich where it will be living for the next two weeks as Matt Robertson and Gemma Correll are practically neighbours! So for the first time the book was hand delivered instead of being posted (anything to reduce its carbon footprint!). So a little about week 9 and its fab artist, Matt Robertson...

Matt has always loved drawing, and following in the footsteps of his father and older brother he studied art at college. He went on to study Illustration at The Cambridge School of Art and it was during this time that his interest in picture books really began.

In 2011 Matt returned to The Cambridge School of Art and is currently in the second year of his M.A. in Children's Book Illustration. Represented by Advocate Art, illustration agency, Matt's past clients include The Sunday Telegraph, Random House and Harper Collins. His first book is due to be published in 2013.

Matt is a devoted bread maker and impatient gardener. He lives in the fine city of Norwich with his wife.

You can follow Matt on twitter and check out his fab work on his blog. And so the book stays in Norwich and gets passed on to the legendary pug lover, Gemma Correll. Until week 10...

Week 7 - Sam Usher

Hello! It's Week 7 and talented Sam Usher has just completed his week with the book. His mountains of roughs and colour tests are below and they all look fantastic. You'll notice he has a soft spot for toucans and birds, which he draws and paints to perfection. More of these can be found hiding on his twitter updates and on his website.

Sam spent most of his childhood reading, drawing and forgetting to do school work. He enjoys attending Literary festivals and school visits, especially when there's the chance to make a mess and annoy parents! His debut picture book Can You See Sassoon? was published in 2011, longlisted for the Greenaway Medal and shortlisted for the 'Read it Again!' award.

Sam currently lives in London and his spare time is spent cycling to museums and trespassing (but its all for the love of illustration!).

So the end of another week. Check out Sam's website and follow his trespassing antics on twitter. Now over to Christine Pym...

Week 6 - Alex T Smith

It's week 6 and the book has been in Coventry and staying with the ace Alex T Smith for a week. Alex has been tweeting and posting up pics of his progress and they look amazing. He's also the first to try a slightly different format to the previous illustrators which was very interesting to see (see pics below).

So a little info on the artist... Alex was born in 1985 and has drawn and written stories since he could hold a pencil. He graduated with a 1st Class Hons degree in Illustration in 2006 and having won second place in the Macmillan Prize for Children's Picture Book Illustration in his final year, Alex begin working on his first commission as he put his degree show up!

Since then Alex has gone on to work for a wide variety of clients not just in the publishing industry. As well as writing and illustrating his own picture books, many of which have won prizes and have been read on TV during the Bedtime Hour on the CBeebies channel.

Alex is also the creator of the CLAUDE fiction series for early readers. The first title, CLAUDE in the City was selected for the Richard and Judy Children's Book Club 2011 and was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize in 2012. The first three books in the series are now published in fourteen languages across the world and a further three books will be hitting the shelves from October 2012.

You can follow Alex on twitter, keep up to date with his work on his blog and see his portfolio here.

Week 7 see's Sam Usher receive the book back down in London again. Stay tuned for what he does next week.

Week 4 - Leigh Hodgkinson

It's week 4 and the book had the pleasure of having the wonderful Leigh Hodgkinson doodle and paint in it. Leigh graduated from the University of Hull in 1998 with a first in graphic design. She went on to study Animation Direction at the National Film and Television School. Leigh has worked in the animation industry since then making award winning animated short films amongst other more commercial projects. She is currently a represented director at animation company Beakus.

In 2004, Leigh worked as art director for the first series of Tiger Aspects “Charlie and Lola”, based on the books by Lauren Child.

Leigh is passionate about writing, making things and daydreaming. She has had a gaggle of vibrant picture books published and there are lots more to come! She is also hoping to dabble in the wonderful world of etsy to sell her crafty creations very soon. She works in a nice shed in her back garden in East Sussex. “Goldilocks and Just the One Bear” and “Magical Mix Ups – Friends and Fashion” both published by Nosy Crow are her latest books to hit the shops.

Check out how she did with her spread below. Even her 2 year old daughter Eebee contributed to the bear's journey! Follow Leigh on Twitter and check out her latest work on her blog!

Now time for the book to leave East Sussex and travel back up to London where it will be welcomed by Irish illustrator extraordinaire Chris Haughton.