Dictionary Illustrations

All the images in this Gallery are original works of art, painted straight on to very old dictionary pages. All images (c) Katy Dynes

I work as a full-time Illustrator, usually commissioned for childrens books, greetings cards, private commissions and pet portraits.
Outside of this work, I have always had a passion for reading, story telling and very old books.........
So........
After completing a wonderful, privately commissioned book using very old dictionary paper, I discovered I loved the look and feel of working on such incredible paper.
I have always experimented with different materials, taking pleasure in using old, broken or forgotten materials and upcycling or recycling them to try and make them beautiful and purposeful again. These are often materials with history and I love the idea of being able to add to their story.
I have been very fortunate to find or be given on their last legs dictionaries that I can take apart to work on. I bravely paint straight onto the paper and build up an image of a animal, bird or plant in watercolour and gouache.
They are all a pleasure to paint especially outside of my deadlined, often pressurised commercial work.