Projects
- THE FUNNY FARMThis is an idea for a 32-page Children's Book entitled 'The Funny Farm' written by Tiziana Bendall-Brunello (my wife) and illustrated by John Bendall-Brunello. We follow the antics of a group of farm animals who decide to sneak into the Farmers house while he's out but they don't realise that he's on his way back - just when the dancing has started ! This story is light and humerous and is written in poetry form and about 300 words in length.
Work history
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IllustratorFreelance Illustrator
- Cambridge, United KingdomFreelance
John is the youngest of nine children - bought up in a chaotic household just outside Cambridge growing up with numerous pets including mice, guinea-pigs, cats and rabbits.
When he was growing up John and his siblings often visited an aunt in her rambling house in Cambridge where she kept chickens, geese that furiously attacked you if you ventured too near, a turkey and even a cow at one time !
John drew from quite a young age - doodling cartoon likenesses of his teachers in notebooks at school , before eventually putting his talents to good use at the local college of art in Cambridge, studying illustration and design.
Since leaving college in 1981, John concentrated on improving his illustration skills working for educational publishers such as Oxford & Cambridge University Press, followed by his first full colour children’s book for Orchard Books in 1985.
Since then he has had over 100 children’s books published in England and the US, (with co-editions in many other countries worldwide).
John has a great love of drawing - in particular animals and children, capturing movement and life within simple and bold compositions. He has over 30 years experience as a children's book illustrator, working with the top publishers in both the UK and the USA with co-editions in nearly every country in the world.
He has illustrated books written by some of the most prestigious authors of children's books today including Dick King Smith (Babe, etc) Martin Waddell (Can't You Sleep Little Bear, Farmer Duck, etc), Sally Grindley & Malachy Doyle, amongst many others.
Sales of individual titles such as the ever popular My Goose Betsy (Walker Books) and I Love You This Much (Zonderkidz) have sold over 120,000 copies each, whilst his work in series such as 100 Days of Cool (MathStart series - Harper Collins, USA) has reached over 1.5 million readers.
Aside from illustration, John has numerous other interests, including chess, and traveling to far-flung places such as Kerala in Southern India (gently floating down the backwaters in a rice boat !) and the Maldives (snorkelling with baby sharks and turtles!!)
He lives part of the year in Cambridge and part in Cannes in the South of France with his Italian wife who has recently become a children’s writer alongside her day job of fine-art ceramicist.
Skills
- Illustration
- Book Illustration
- Digital Illustration
- Editorial Illustration
- Drawing
- Abobe Illustrator
- Print Design
- Hand Lettering
- Typography
- Live Illustration