On the illustration process, collaboration, and the age of AI
Emily House is a British author-illustrator based in Cape Town, South Africa, represented by Hen & Ink Literary. Her author-illustrated picture books include Treemergency!, Bonbon & Blanket, Earth Takes a Break, and Ode to the River, all published by Imagnary House. She also illustrates for other authors, with titles including The Dog with the Broken Wag and a series of books rooted in Hindu mythology. A Crystal Kite Award winner and SCBWI Regional Advisor for South Africa, she works across both the UK and South African markets. We spoke to her about the natural world, the illustration process, and what human creativity means in the age of AI.
You write and illustrate your own books, and you also illustrate for other authors. How different does the work feel depending on which hat you’re wearing?
I think the biggest difference is with the concept phase of the illustration process. With my own stories, I often start to visualise the characters and environments as I go through the writing process, so, when I move on to creating illustrations, I don’t find I need to do quite as much exploration and experimentation. When I’m illustrating for other authors, the manuscript is completely new to me, so I need more time to sit with the words, mull things over and see what reveals itself to me as I research and experiment around it.
What does your process look like from the first idea to a finished spread? Where do you typically start?
I have to force myself not to go with my first idea. So I try to experiment with each scene using small (thumbnail) quick sketches trying out different points of view and layouts. Quite often, I still end up with my first idea, or at least a version very close to it. Then, I take the thumbnail into a full-size sketch. Here I’m trying to make sure I that all the key elements of the scene are fully realised and in place. Once I’m happy, I will send off the sketches for approval and make any revisions requested. Then, it’s time for colour and the finished spread.
Your books tend to engage with the natural world; rivers, trees, the environment. Is that a deliberate editorial choice or just where your interest and imagination naturally go?
I think it’s just what I am naturally drawn to. I’m lucky enough to live in Cape Town, where nature is everywhere I look – and I do think writers are heavily influenced by what they are surrounded by – but the outdoors has always been my happy place and an endless source of inspiration.
Perhaps a difficult one, but can you identify one illustration across all your books are you most proud of – and why that one?
That IS a tricky question! I think, like most creatives, I’m my own worst critic and I struggle to find an illustration that I am totally happy with. There is one illustration in my book, Treemergency!, which I always return to and has stayed in my portfolio for some time, so I think I must really like it. I’m not sure why, but I think it might be the atmosphere I’ve managed to capture more than anything else.
AI image generation is causing some anxiety among writers and illustrators. How are you experiencing that conversation, and has it changed how you think about your work or your career?
Whether we like it or not, AI is here to stay and there will always be those who choose to use AI rather than hire an illustrator. At the moment it’s quite obvious to see an AI generated illustration but as the machines develop I expect that will change. I have started putting clauses in my contracts stating that my work may not be used to train AI. However, I remain hopeful that there are still enough people out there who value human-made creativity, originality and something with flaws and a soul and that illustrators are not becoming a dying breed. Time will tell!
What are you working on at the moment?
I’m in the early stages of illustrating a new title for Imagnary House which I think is slated for release in 2027. Then, I’ve always got some of my own writing on the go. At the moment I am revising a couple of manuscripts to get them in good enough shape to go out on submission. Wish me luck!
River, illustration by Emily House
Find Emily at emilyhousedesign.com and on Instagram @emilyhouse.design. For commission enquiries, contact her agent Erzsi Deák at Hen & Ink Literary.
Further reading:
- Interview with illustrator Ian Smith
- Interview with Children’s Editor at Penguin Random House South Africa, Shawna-Leze Meiring