Hi, I'm Rosemary Linnell (she/they) and I'm a self-taught illustrator who specialises in quirky images and visual storytelling.
I am passionate about standing up for what is right, whether that is climate justice, queer rights or speaking out against genocide. I believe that art allows us to show others a different way of seeing the world, and to break down barriers. I am a proud human artist.
I've been drawing my whole life – albeit with varying degrees of
success – but as a child I was also obsessed with science and the
natural world. My inability to choose one discipline over the other
eventually led to a BSc degree in Geography from the University of
Edinburgh, where my dissertation focused on the travel writings of an
eighteenth-century explorer!
When I left university, I wanted to
continue my love of complex ideas, but rather than going into lab work
or research, I was looking for something that would also flex my
creative muscles. While at Edinburgh I had worked part-time on the
university’s student magazine, so I thought I would give publishing a
shot. I landed a week’s work experience placement with a magazine
publisher, which led to a six-month placement, and I was hooked.
Over
the past 20 years I have worked in production, editorial and design,
with brief forays into animation and video/podcast production. I have
worked on publications across multiple disciplines – from trade
exhibitions to corporate law, from medicine to finance – and have
loved all the things I've had the opportunity to learn along the way,
both design-related and not! I have developed my design skills on the
job, and fed all of that knowledge into my illustrations. I love that
my work is constantly evolving and I’m excited for whatever comes
next...
I take inspiration from so many places (my bookshelf is ever-growing, much to the despair of my partner!), but my current list includes: Terri White, Maya Fidawi, Annie Atkins, Oliver Jeffers, Lee Pollard, Mona Chalabi, Sam Rudd, Flora Baker, Sophie Labelle, Jennie Jacobs, Alice Stevenson, Wren James, Billy Ruffian, Adam Ceramic, Sue Lewington, Isobel Ross, Chloe Douglass, Marloes de Vries, Clover Robin, Tom Gauld, Angharad Reed and many more...
My middle name is Tyrie, a gender-neutral family name that has been passed down through several generations. It was my great-grandmother’s maiden name and I share it with my mother, my late uncle and several distant cousins. Though my dad always jokes it’s because I was born to be arty...
Over the past two decades, I have worked with lots of organisations, whether as illustrator, designer or editor. These are some of them:
Absolutely – I'm always interested in hearing about new opportunities! Let me know what it’s about, your budget, your deadline, and any other relevant information I might need to understand your project. Click the button below to fill in my contact form and I will get back to you as soon as I can.
Get in touch
Not yet, but watch this space!
I take on a few select, paid commissions every year. As every commission is different (in terms of subject matter, scale, licensing etc), I don’t have a one-size fits all model. If you have something in mind, please feel free to reach out and I’ll see if I can help.
Whether I am working with text or images, I look to understand the key message that you are trying to convey, and to help you find the best way to illustrate it. In addition, I make sure that my output balances the needs of the audience at which it is aimed, any technical constraints and any business requirements. I will work with you to deliver what’s needed in the timeframe (and to the budget) required.
When it’s a charity where every staff member works for free (artists shouldn’t be the only one volunteering) and it’s a cause that I support, I would be happy to consider working for free. Do get in touch and let’s see what we can do.
In other cases: paying someone for their time shows you understand their time is valuable and you respect it. If you feel my work and time should be unpaid, then I’m afraid we’re not a good match.