Although looking at her work you wouldn’t ever believe she struggles with the human form, she makes it look so easy.

I sort of gravitate to drawing animals people are just, hard’ she goes on to tell me about the life drawing classes she occasionally attends, pushing herself out of her comfort zone. I ask if she uses humour in her books ‘Yeah, and that’s actually been quite surprising to me, I don’t necessarily draw to be funny, but my characters usually have funny expressions. So what about future projects? Claire can you hear me? Claire? ‘Yeah I can hear you, I just can’t tell you anything’ NOOOOOOoooo But I want to know, we all want to know, OK OK fine, but I want to be the first to know.

But I don’t think she has to try too hard her style is coming through nice and clearly. ‘I’m still trying to figure out my style, which is an ongoing process you can’t just sit down on a Sunday and be like ‘What’s my style?’ and then by 6pm you have it nailed.’ I query her style of drawing, which presents itself as being beautifully clean, with an easy linear feel to it, she has a great knack of honing down subtle expressions through her character body language and facial expressions, not an easy thing to do. ‘But many illustrators-artists observe this life which surrounds them, studying form, proportions, and a whole manner of things, I understand that now.’ ‘My mum says that she suggested that I do illustration as a course-which I don’t remember, but apparently I said “ but all I do is draw the things around me” Claire recalls, smothering a thick layer of modesty on top. She had a hide away under the stairs made by her Dad, all encompassed with shelves and desk to draw on when she was younger, I had a closed off den surrounded by a diahorrea of 70’s patterned carpet and walls. Claire and I are sipping on our Starbucks coffees, intermittently speaking about how and when she started drawing, which gives Big Ben a pass to bash hell for leather into my ears again, I can relate to a lot of the things she talks about.

At the table claire powell