Advocate Art would like to introduce you to Rosemary Shojaie. Graduated from Cambridge School of Art, Rosemary loves to illustrate classic literature and we also think her style suits childrens fiction as well! Learn more about Rosemary below, or see more of her work in her portfolio on the Advocate website.

I was born in 1987 and spent most of my childhood growing up in upstate New York.  I received my bachelor’s degree in biology and a minor in Latin, but I decided to change paths entirely to move to England and pursue a career I had always dreamt of.  I recently completed my MA in Children’s Book Illustration at the Cambridge School of Art.  It has been wonderfully refreshing for me to write and illustrate my own story ideas for younger children; I am also especially keen on illustrating classic literature and stories from the opera.

If I wasn’t an illustrator, my ideal second career choice would be playing (violin) in an operatic pit orchestra!  The piece of music closest to my heart is the opera La Bohème by Giacomo Puccini.  In my spare time, some of my favourite things to do include learning languages, playing my violin, reading, travelling, cycling and learning how to sail.

I am currently experimenting with different media and techniques, including pastel, gouache, pencil and collage.  I hope to continue to bring a level of sensitivity, detail and atmosphere to all of my future work.