¡Hola! I’m José, a Spanish illustrator from Granada, currently living in Cambridge (UK), where I graduated from a MA in Children’s Book Illustration at the Cambridge School of Art (2023).
My belief is that illustration serves society as a form of pictorial expression with infinite possibilities.
I enjoy teamwork, with a focus on listening to input from others, and adapting myself to a project’s needs. I embrace fresh challenges, along with any opportunity to create personal projects.
My work is predominantly illustrated using watercolour, with further experimentation using mixed media. Introducing nature themes and a sense of place to my stories helps evoke a range of emotions in the reader, such as joy. I use illustrative devices such as body language and composition to create characters that are energetic and emotional.
I am primarily interested in working on fiction picturebook projects, with a focus on crossover picturebooks appealing to both children and adults. I am also keen to explore comics and chapter books through illustrating action adventures, and adapting my work to non-fiction too, such as books about music, history, nature or dinosaurs!
If you want, you can contact me by email: joseluis@tejerostudio.com or follow me on Instagram
–Clients: Tarma Estudio Gráfico, Editorial Avicam, Greyman Studios, Universidad de Granada, Ambitious Creative Co, Avant Editorial, Principia Magazine, Terceto Comunicación, Ayuntamiento de íllora, Junior.it
–Publishings: ‘El cómic como nueva estrategia de comunicación de la Arqueología’ XVIII CIAC Mérida. ‘Recuerdos de Alomartes’, Avicam. ‘La imaginación de Ana’, Avant. ‘Guías para la integración metropolitana sostenible de los sistemas de metro ligero’, UGR
–Exhibitions: ‘Wild and civilised’ CassArt, London. ‘Premios Alonso Cano a la Creación Artística’, UGR, Granada. ‘Commemoración aviación española’, Fundación Rodriguez Acosta, Granada. ‘Nápoles’, Ayuntamiento de Íllora.
-Awards: Shortlisted Community Arts Awards 2024. Highly commended ‘Creative Conscience Awards 2022’.Highly commended ‘Premios Alonso Cano’ UGR Granada 2016. The project ‘I don’t want to be a carpenter’ selected for the ‘DPICTUS Unpublished Picturebook Showcase 2023’, jury’s favourites, 9 publishers votes.
–Languages: Spanish, English, Italian
I wanted to share some sketches I made during my stay in Venice in 2015. There are drawings made at the ‘Galleria dell’Accademia di Belle Arti’, the ‘Scuola grande di San Rocco’ and the ‘Galleria Internazionale d’Arte Moderna Ca’ Pesaro’. I show two pages which represent ‘San Marco libera uno schiavo’ by Tintoretto and ‘Convito[…]
I had the opportunity to travel to Iceland in December and discover this amazing land. I went very well accompanied and it was one of the best trips of my life. Besides being an outstanding trip in which I discovered unique landscapes, it was also a pleasure for my senses, especially to my sight.[…]
May was an exciting and at the same time, sad month. As I live in Manchester, I was very close to the attacks on 22th May, which deeply affected lots of us, but we saw the spirit of this city with its reaction of solidarity. From here I would like to show my support for[…]
