FAQ’s

Working With You

At present, I am working with individuals who require specific artwork for a particular project, such as cover illustrations and artwork for a textile design company who produce products for a large American department store. 
 
I would like to work with book publishers to create picture books as well as creating licensed artwork for products such as jigsaws, greeting cards and gifts.
No.  Publishing houses prefer to work with their own appointed illustrators, and I would rather go through this channel rather than individual projects.   
Yes! I welcome all enquiries.  Please reach out through my contact form on my website.  
Yes.  Two of my current clients are based in the United States.

Picture Book Projects

I will illustrate all formats required for the project. 
 
Yes.  My folio is picture book centred at the moment but I am interested in the developing area of illustration for older children as well as black and white artwork for Early Readers and Chapter Books.  Thanks to my background as a teacher, I am also interested in working in educational books and non-fiction but I am very much at the start of my publishing career and these would be areas of development for me. 

Process & Timeline

I create all my artwork using procreate.  I draw freehand digitally and create all my scenes and characters through research and observing references.  My foundation is traditional drawing training from art school, and as a teacher of Art and Design I firmly believe in the fundamentals of drawing. 
 
With a client, I take the following procedure from the brief:
 
 
The timeline will depend on the number of illustrations and the requirement of the brief.
Through discussion and preparatory sketches we should both have a good idea of the direction of the artwork before finalisation so revisions should be minimal.  Any major changes in the brief would result in beginning the process again and would be billed as such, including a kill fee of 30% for the original project work.  From the ‘rough’ stage of the artwork, a few tweaks are expected and included.

Pricing & Payment

Pricing depends on the scope of the project and will be charged with an estimate of time required.
As a guide, based on an 8 hour working date, my fees are £190 for a half day and £380 for a full day.
Once the project has been agreed, a deposit of 20% would be required.  An invoice will be supplied with the Letter of Engagement, and the balance on delivery of the approved final artwork.

Rights & Usage

As a freelancer, I am the default owner of the copyright of any artistic work I create.  Any changes to this would be agreed in a contract between myself and the publisher/client.  
 
I retain the copyright of any artwork I have shared on my own website and social media.
This will be agreed on the scope of the project.  Use of the illustrations for marketing and social media would be agreed on a project by project basis.  

Who is Sheri Lennon?

Drawing and producing art has been the thing I do, since I was old enough to understand the process.  My older brother is so good at drawing too, and I remember he drew an eagle at the dining table of my grandparents house when he was about 6 years old and I was 5.  I remember my mum being so proud I just felt I had to get in on the action!  My mum, grandad and Uncle all loved drawing and they actively encouraged me to create, to always work freehand (no tracing) and to keep trying to get better and better! 
Catherine Rayner’s work was instrumental in getting me into picture books when I first saw her ‘Sylvia and Bird’ artwork on display at the National Gallery in Edinburgh.   It was just joy.  I had never considered this path for my work and it came at a time when I was really needing a new focus.   Another major influence is the work of Brittany Jackson.  I love her characters and the connection they have with the reader. 
 
I do love the skill and detail of traditional picture books and have a daily conflict on not to go down that path with my work as it doesn’t really fit in today’s market. 
Sometimes when I’m drawing, little characters seemingly fall out of my pencil.  It’s always a lovely surprise.  I end up drawing things I didn’t sit down to draw.  This often happens when I’m supposed to be working on something else. Or if I am a little bored by something I’m meant to be doing.