Brett Gowlett is the in-house Graphic Designer and Illustrator for 2Simple. He creates most of the graphics for Purple Mash - including creating the digitised image of Cody! - as well as the illustrations in the Serial Mash books. He's recently worked with Purple Mash Publishing on Top 10 Deadliest Animals, where Purple Mash users chose the subject and submitted their own top 10 lists to be featured in the book.

Alongside the 25 submitted lists, inside Top 10 Deadliest Animals, you'll also find QR codes that link to online quizzes, colouring activities, jokes, and a space for readers to add their own Top 10.

Read on to find out how Brett got started in illustration, how he gets started on illustration projects, as well as his top tips for aspiring illustrators. 👇

How did you get started in art and illustration?

I started drawing my favourite comic characters when I was about 5. I then would make my own stories when I got a little older.

Can you tell us one fun fact about you?

I was the singer in a rock band called Molasses! Molasses is the main ingredient of the lead guitarist's favourite biscuits.

What’s your favorite thing about being an illustrator?

It’s a lot of fun having an idea for a scene like “a squirrel and a ghost on holiday eating ice cream” and drawing it. Sometimes crazy ideas get fun results.

What is your favorite artistic medium and why?

There are so many, but currently I like drawing on coloured paper and using black ink brush pens with felt-tip pens for colour and white pens for highlights.

What are some of your most memorable illustrating projects and why?

I made a book based on bedtime stories I would make up on the spot to help my daughter get to sleep. It was special because now she is a little older, she helped me make the stories and characters too.

What was your favourite illustrated book when you were growing up?

I love Astrix comic books!

How do you approach an illustration job for a new book?

I read the book and find images on the internet that help inspire me and write a list of all the pictures I need to make. I always start on paper with a mechanical pencil. Then I like to use different tools both physical and digital. It could dip pen for inking the pencil lines or water colour paints or digital painting or vector software. For the TOP 10 Deadliest animals I inked them with a brush pen. Then I scanned the drawing and digitaly painted the colour on the computer.

Do you have any particular resources or tools that help you do your work?

I have a drawing tablet which is connected to a computer.

What advice or tips would you give to aspiring illustrators?

Keep a sketchbook and remember it’s ok to draw something you don’t think is good in it! It’s all about practice. Your sketchbook is a safe place - you can draw what you like.

If you weren’t an illustrator, what would you have been?

An Astronaut!

What was your favourite thing about your most recent project, Top 10 Deadliest Animals?

I find animals really fascinating and when you draw something you look at them in a different way. That I found fun!

Budding illustrators can practise and develop their art skills with some of the tools on Purple Mash - Draw pictures for a story in 2Create a Story, or try different art techniques in 2Paint a Picture. Try creating your own comic strip - why not use Top 10 Deadliest Animals as inspiration and choose your favourite deadly animal to draw? You can even create your own sketchbook on Purple Mash!