zara picken

Zara Picken's work - retro-tinted with textured blocks of colour - combines digital and handmade elements. Projects begin with pencil drawings and are completed using Photoshop in a distinctive style. Her work is ideas-led, approaching each brief with an open mind and focusing on conveying concepts and messages with a striking aesthetic.

Zara has been working professionally as an illustrator since graduating from the University of the West of England with a First class honours degree in Illustration in 2008. Zara's work is influenced by mid-century modern design and has a passion for old paper-based ephemera. She also finds inspiration in vast collections, large cities and obscure music.

In her spare time, she enjoys being a technology geek, playing bad cover versions on the ukulele and improving her coffee-making skills. Zara Picken is based in Bristol, England.

Previous clients include: Waitrose, The Guardian, Northstar Publishing, BBDO, Redwood Publishing and Sainsbury's Magazine.