A colorful children's book illustration style drawing of a black and white bird with a bright red beak, with various flowers, leaves, and a large tree trunk in the background, sprouting from the bird's footstep.
Violet handwritten text logo in a playful font reading "Jo Hawkey Illustration".

From academic neuroscientist to writer-illustrator of quirky stories for children!

Have a look at some of my whimsical characters and creations here and feel free to get in touch! I’m currently looking for a publisher for my debut children’s book.

A pen and watercolour children's book style illustration of two foxes with glowing eyes and sharp teeth watching a tiny mouse stroll past holding a lantern and carrying a large sack of letters.
A hand-drawn young girl with braided hair and a determined expression holding a protest sign that reads "Protect the Moles!" with a graphic of a foot kicking a molehill crossed out.
A colourful children's book illustration style pigeon with a blue head, pink beak, and emerald and violet feathers on its chest, jumping up in the air, and displaying a joyful expression.
A large, whimsical insect with a human-like face perched on a rock, facing a small girl holding a toy mouse. The creature has exaggerated features, including a long nose, big eye with eyelashes, and antennae. The girl is standing on bright green grass with pink and red flowers, wearing pink pajamas with dark hair, facing upward at the insect, gently raising her arm holding the toy mouse.
A young witch with green skin and curly black hair, wearing an oversized black hat and cloak. She holds a small oak branch with green leaves. Drawn in a children's book style with watercolour, pen and pencil, against a watercolour red background.
A whimsical watercolour children's book illustration of a pigeon with emerald and violet feathers around its neck, pink legs, and a pink beak, hopping against a white background.\
A purple, fluffy bird with small eyes and a yellow beak sitting inside a cracked yellow eggshell with broken pieces around it. Hand-drawn with watercolour and coloured pencils.
Illustration of various cartoon mushrooms with faces showing different expressions, from grumpy to joyful, growing from soil with small green sprouts.

Personal Projects

  • A children's book style illustration of a toad dressed as a magical astrologer, sitting on a rock near a pond at night. The toad is teaching the tadpoles in the water, by opening a magical window to the sky, revealing a shiny moon and stars.

    The Toad Astrologer

  • A fantasy illustration of a small fairy with oak leaf wings and a mushroom hat standing in a forest clearing surrounded by a fairy ring of yellow mushrooms, holding a mushroom walking sticks, with tall trees and dense green foliage in the background.

    Mushroom Fairy

  • Watercolor illustration of Beatrix Potter as a child, surrounded by pets, sketching and watercolour painting in her room, with a window showing trees outside, and a separate scene of her in the woods observing mushrooms.

    Page from Beatrix Potter biography

  • A watercolour comic strip about a man swimming in a lake. He notices a bug struggling in the water, tries to help it by carrying it to the edge on his hand. This is too awkward so he places it on his head instead and swims the bug safely to the edge.

    Marlon and the Bug

  • A page of children's illustrations of a young girl dressed as a princess in a blue dress and a tiara. They show her admiring some woodlice beneath a rock, watching a snail crawl across her hand, and bending to watch worms come out of the mud.

    Spellbound Princess

  • Watercolour illustration of a cosy bedroom with two hedgehogs in bed. One sketches and the other reads, lit up by their bedside lamps; there are lots of irregularly placed frames with nature art on the wall above them.

    Cosy Hedgehogs

Pidgey-Doo is the story of a pigeon who loves to flap and skip and hop and coo, and sing her special song! But… only when she is alone in secret where no-one can hear. She’s too afraid to be herself around other pigeons. What happens when her secret place is discovered?

Yellow text on black background reading "Pidgey-Doo!"
A colourful children's book illustration style pigeon with a blue head, pink beak, and emerald and violet feathers on its chest, jumping up in the air, and displaying a joyful expression.
A watercolour illustration of a happy pigeon with emerald and violet neck feathers, spreading its wings, amid a vibrant garden with various flowers, a radiant sun in the sky, and a rainbow background.
A watercolour children's book illustration of a pigeon carefully checking the surroundings as she creeps into an archway created by a bramble bush next to a garden fence. Some small mushrooms grow at the pigeon's feet as she enters the archway.
A whimsical watercolour children's book illustration of a pigeon with emerald and violet feathers around its neck, pink legs, and a pink beak, hopping against a white background.

Pidgey-Doo is seeking a lovely publisher who can give her a home.

Sketchbook!

Here are some pages from my sketchbook! I love drawing from life out and about, from memories, or just creating silly little characters from my head.

A pencil sketch of five children carrying very large backpacks and school supplies, walking in different directions. The drawing is titled 'La Rentrée!' and dated 01/09/2025.
A watercolour sketch depicts a peaceful lush green riverside area. In the foreground a young girl runs around her dad while her grandpa chases her playfully. In the background, a person with a pink hat sits reading, and a rower passes on the river.
A watercolor illustration of a young child with large eyes and big blue hat, crouching on the ground, wearing purple overalls a yellow shirt and red shoes, looking at worms in the mud.
Watercolour and pastel sketch of a pig character wearing blue overalls and yellow boots, standing with hands on hips.
A pen sketch of three child characters: one sitting on a flying leaf with a scared expression, another stands with a happy expression, with large glasses and stripy shirt. The last has her hair in two buns and blows dandelion seeds.
Pen and crayon sketch of two children captivated by a water fountain with pink lights on the ground. One has curly hair and is crouching reaching for the water, the other is wearing a helmet and is bent over the fountain staring at it intensely.
A watercolour sketch of a child climbing on a pile of large rocks, with their grandma searching a crevice underneath the rocks. There are two green lizards one the rocks seemingly hiding from them.
A colourful pencil cartoon of a beaver. The first panels shows the beaver making tea, looking deeply into the cup and smelling the aromas. The final illustration is the beaver amazed by the entire universe within the cup - stars, planets, oceans etc.

Who is Jo? What do they want?

After gaining a PhD and working as a neuroscientist, I decided to switch it up and follow my heart, chasing my childhood dream of becoming an illustrator. Now, I bring my scientific curiosity and attention to detail into crafting whimsical, heartfelt visuals with a focus on children’s books.

My work is inspired by the wonder of childhood, the natural world, and the power of imagination. I love exploring scale, how we can feel simultaneously very big and very small within our world; how we can stand up to those who are big and stand up for those who are small. As a queer trans artist, I love to work towards empowering children to be themselves and know they are perfect with all their differences, weirdnesses and quirks.

I really enjoy working the old-fashioned way, with watercolours, pencils and ink on paper. But I also make use of digital methods when required. Earlier this year I followed the Good Ship Illustration picture book course to improve my knowledge of the industry.

I’m currently seeking representation and publishing opportunities as I build my debut children's book project. Outside of children’s illustration, I’m also open to collaborations in other areas, from science communication to book cover design, as my practice evolves.

A person with curly hair wearing a pink jacket and graphic t-shirt, smiling and looking to the left, with an outdoor gathering and string lights in the background during sunset.
Contact me!
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White handwritten text logo in a playful font reading "Jo Hawkey Illustration".

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jo.hawkey.illustration@gmail.com

More @drawtober ! Prompt 5: Troll Toll! 🧌 🌈 Even bridge trolls aren't accepting cash anymore. Times are changing, you need to keep up. Don't be like this old lady and her dog holding up the line. Didn't have any inspiration at first but thought t
EVERYONE GATHER ROUND, I HAVE AN ANNOUNCEMENT! 🥳📢 Gather please. I said gather... Thank you. Now, I've been feeling that this internet thing is going to be big so I decided to jump on that train before the hype goes down. So I've launched a webs
@drawtober Prompt 4: Spellbound Princess! This little princess loves to escape from her royal duties to see what she can find out in the palace grounds, buried in the mud! She is completely spellbound by the magic and wonder of nature, by anything c
Prompt 3 of @drawtober - Mushroom Fairy! 🍄 This mycelial marauder emerges at the beginning of autumn from a deep sleep underground, to wander the forest, simply enjoying the sounds of the soft breeze through the treetops and the crunch of dry leave
A mysterious toad emerges from the night, adorned in a fine golden robe and hat, ancient book and compasses in hand. All the tadpoles gather round to hear what this travelling stranger has to say. The teacher begins to speak and demonstrate with pass
Another couple of sessions sketching while listening to CDs of music I've never heard at @leschampslibres library here in Rennes! The first two pages are from this afternoon listening to A ta merci by Flora Fishbach @ffishbachh The next pages are f
Here it is! A teeny mouse walks through the night with only her candle to light the way, trying to get all her letters delivered in time (or most of them!). She marches on despite the danger that may lurk in the darkness because she is duty-bound! Th
Jane Goodall 1934-2025 I spent the day making these watercolours of Jane Goodall, as my little tribute/memorial to one of the most amazing and brilliant people of recent history. Her commitment to nature conservation and generally trying to make the
This is a gentle reminder to not eat blackberries after today, as the bramble bogle has urinated on them. Folklore tells us that after today, Michaelmas Day (29th of September), the blackberries on bramble bushes can no longer be eaten. One story i
A scene of courage and standing up to power and greater force than your own. A girl finds herself alone in an otherworldly realm, with only her trusty toy donkey for company. She is approached by an unfamiliar creature, are they malevolent or benevol
Little forest birdy! 🐦 Here is a little birdy walking through the forest. What a good little birdy she is. She just loves walking through the forest and seeing all the trees and flowers and things. 🥰 Reposting this painting from a while ago as no

Let’s chat!

Reach out about a project, collaboration or just to say hello!