Ross Collins
Ross Collins was born in Glasgow in 1972. He claims that he ‘would eat anything and resembled a currant bun’. His primary and secondary education took place in Shawlands, in Glasgow. Throughout school he was fond of drawing, the bionic man and swinging back precariously on chairs. After school he went to the Glasgow School of Art and graduated in 1994 with a 1st class degree in Illustration. He says he was pleased to leave. He then spent two years in London, cultivating (in his words) an ‘exotic image of a Scotsman scribbling abroad’, before returning to Glasgow. He now spends his time illustrating picture books, watching cartoons, cat juggling, and swinging back precariously on chairs. Ross has illustrated over seventy children’s books and written eight of them himself, including Supposing, A Busy Night and The Elephantom. Ross has gained several awards for his books including:
- 1st place in the Macmillan prize for The Sea Hole
- A Scottish Arts Council Book Award 1999
- Blue Peter Book Award nominee
- The Elephantom was shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal in 2007