I’m Emily MacKenzie, an award winning author-illustrator based in Edinburgh.
I grew up in rural Northumberland in the North East of England. My childhood was spent looking for rabbits and hedgehogs in the forest near my home, building dens, climbing trees and making a colourful painty mess as much as possible.
I moved to Scotland in 2001 to study Graphic Design at Edinburgh College of Art and worked as a designer for several years. In 2011 I went freelance to concentrate on illustration projects and pursue my dream of illustrating children’s books.
My work is very much influenced by my childhood, as well as using observations of everyday scenarios and documenting things my children get up to in my sketchbook as fuel to spark new character and story ideas.
I love working with a mix of materials including watercolour inks, coloured pencil, brush pens and crayons, and enjoy screen printing when I can.
Published by Bloomsbury Publishing.
Published by Bloomsbury Publishing.
In 2014, whilst waiting for my first book to come out, I created a colour chart poster titled 50 Shades of Scotland, celebrating my love of the country and all the colours I associate with it. The series has since expanded to include England, USA, Wales and Ireland. Prints and postcards of my work are available to buy from a number of stockists and my online shops.
I love doing events and over the years have worked with many schools, bookshops, libraries and literary festivals. I have gained lots of experience running drawing and craft workshops, giving readings and painting bookshop windows themed around my books and characters.
It’s always lovely to hear about new event possibilities (in person and online) so please get in touch if you would like to book a session or require more information.
You can find me listed on the Scottish Book Trust Live Literature Database and I tend to work to their fee structure – for more information please send me an email or visit the Scottish Book Trust website.
For children's book enquiries please contact my agent, Lucy Juckes: lucy@jennybrownassociates.com
If you’d like to contact me about other projects please email me at: emilymackenzie01@gmail.com
To order prints visit my shops at:
You can find me on Instagram at: emilymackenziedraws
I will soon be launching my newsletter! I plan to share a mix of work I’ve made and things I’ve found inspiring, alongside news about book launches and artwork for sale. If you’d like to be on my mailing list please join using the form below, and be sure to check your junk folder for a confirmation email.
All artwork & texts © Emily MacKenzie, All Rights Reserved. Site by PappasBland.