Michael Foreman was born in Suffolk in 1938. He went to Lowestoft School of Art and later to the Royal College of Art, where he won a scholarship to the US. After graduating, he lectured at St Martin’s School of Art and then went to Chicago where he worked as Art Director of Playboy. The following year he moved back to London and worked as Art Director on King. In 1967, he returned to lecturing and has since worked at the London School of Printing, the Royal College of Art and the Central School of Art in London. Michael has illustrated books by Charles Dickens, William Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde, Roald Dahl and Rudyard Kipling. He has also designed Christmas stamps for the Post Office, and he regularly contributes illustrations to American and European magazines. Exhibitions of his work have been held in Europe, America and Japan. Michael Foreman is the award-winning illustrator of over 170 books, 20 of which he has written himself. He has twice won the Kate Greenaway Medal.On his work 
Michael Foreman produces sensational watercolours but says: ‘It’s all in the drawing. It’s a question of creating another world, believable in its own right. I think I was very lucky to have started art school so young when they actually taught Art. It was a rigorous training – not just painting and drawing from life – but hours of anatomy and perspective … it really taught you to understand what you were looking at.’‘I keep trying to make things more real, not in a literal, photographic sense, but in an emotional sense, telling a story by capturing the essence of the situation, giving it some meaning.’ ‘As a student I did a lot of freelance work, learning to respond instantly to text by drawing for newspapers and even, at one point, working for the police, drawing female suspects in the days when Identikit only catered for men. I was lucky enough to get a travel scholarship which took me all around the world, working as a ‘commercial artist’ on all sorts of projects, drawing landscapes, architecture, wildlife, everything. That was an education in itself.’
Inspiration
‘I used to read all the comics, because my Mum ran the village shop and I delivered the newspapers, but I grew up completely without books. This was an advantage when I started as a book illustrator as I was able to approach the old classics without being influenced by anyone else’s interpretation. Though when I’m working on books with a historical background I would admit to being influenced by the work of certain painters.’Edward Ardizzone – creator of Little Tim.Dutch painters Brueghel and Bosch – for their period detail, especially in crowd scenes.
Films
War Game.1961 Comic Alphabets: Their Origin, Development, Nature (illustrator) Routledge & Kegan Paul1961 The General (joint illustrator) Routledge & Kegan Paul1962 Poems by Children 1950-61 (illustrator) Routledge & Kegan Paul1963 The King Who Lived on Jelly (illustrator) Routledge & Kegan Paul1964 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (illustrator) Allen & Unwin1966 Huit Enfants et un Bebe (illustrator) Abelard-Schuman1966 Making Music (illustrator) Longman1966 The Bad Food Guide (illustrator) Routledge & Kegan Paul1967 I’m for You, and You’re for Me (illustrator) Abelard-Schuman1967 The Perfect Present (author/illustrator) Hamish Hamilton1967 The Two Giants (author/illustrator) Brockhampton Press1968 Let’s Fight! and Other Russian Fables (illustrator) Pantheon (U.S.)1968 The Great Sleigh Robbery (author/illustrator) Hamish Hamilton1969 Don’t Rely on Gemini (jacket illustrator) Macmillan1969 Essex Poems, 1963-67 (illustrator) Routledge & Kegan Paul1970 Adam’s Balm (illustrator) Bowmar (U.S.)1970 Horatio (author/illustrator) Hamish Hamilton1970 The Birthday Unicorn (illustrator) Gollancz1971 James and the Giant Peach (adapted from part of the story) (illustrator) Penguin1971 Moose (author/illustrator) Hamish Hamilton1971 The Living Arts of Nigeria (illustrator) Studio Vista1972 Dinosaurs and All That Rubbish (author/illustrator) Hamish Hamilton1972 Fischer vs Spassky: Reykjavik 1972 (illustrator) Penguin1973 Alexander in the Land of Mog (illustrator) Brockhampton Press1973 Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator (illustrator) Allen & Unwin1973 Mr Noah and the Second Flood (illustrator) Gollancz1973 The Living Treasures of Japan (illustrator) Wildwood House1973 The Pushcart War (illustrator) Hamish Hamilton1974 War and Peas (illustrator) Hamish Hamilton1975 Private Zoo (illustrator) Collins1975 Rainbow Rider (illustrator) Collins1976 All the King’s Horses (author/illustrator) Hamish Hamilton1976 Hans Andersen: His Classic Fairy Tales (illustrator) Gollancz1976 Monkey and the Three Wizards (illustrator) Collins1976 The Stone Book (illustrator) Collins1977 Granny Reardun (illustrator) Collins1977 Panda’s Puzzle, and his Voyage of Discovery (author/illustrator) Hamish Hamilton1977 Teeny-Tiny and the Witch-Woman (illustrator) Andersen Press1977 Tom Fobble’s Day (illustrator) Collins1978 Borrowed Feathers and Other Fables (joint illustrator) Hamish Hamilton1978 Mickey’s Kitchen Contest (illustrator) Andersen Press1978 Popular Folk Tales: The Brothers Grimm (illustrator) Gollancz1978 The Aimer Gate (illustrator) Collins1978 The Princess and the Golden Mane (illustrator) Collins1978 The Selfish Giant (illustrator) Kaye & Ward1979 Alan The Three Golden Heads of the Well (illustrator) Collins1979 How to Catch a Ghost (illustrator) Holt (U.S.)1979 The Girl of the Golden Gate (illustrator) Collins1979 The Golden Brothers (illustrator) Collins1979 Winter’s Tales (author) Benn1980 After Many a Summer (illustrator) Folio Society1980 Alan Garner’s Fairytales of Gold (illustrator) Collins1980 City of Gold and Other Stories from the Old Testament (illustrator) Gollancz1980 The Faithful Bull (illustrator) Hamish Hamilton1980 The Pig Plantagenet (illustrator) Hutchinson1980 The Tiger Who Lost his Stripes (illustrator) Andersen Press1981 Fairy Tales (illustrator) Pavilion1981 Over the Bridge (illustrator) Viking Kestrel1981 Panda and the Old Lion (author/illustrator) Hamish Hamilton1981 The Nightingale and the Rose (joint illustrator) Kaye & Ward1981 Trick a Tracker (author/illustrator) Gollancz1982 Land of Dreams (author/illustrator) Andersen Press1982 Long Neck and Thunder Foot (illustrator) Viking Kestrel1982 Sleeping Beauty and Other Favourite Fairy Tales (illustrator) Gollancz1982 The Crab That Played with the Sea (illustrator) Macmillan1982 The Magic Mouse and the Millionaire (illustrator) Hamish Hamilton1983 A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story of Christmas (illustrator) Gollancz1983 Poems for 7-Year-Olds and Under (illustrator) Viking Kestrel1983 The Brontosaurus Birthday Cake (illustrator) Methuen1983 The Saga of Eric the Viking (illustrator) Pavilion1983 Treasure Island (illustrator) Puffin1984 A Cat and Mouse Love Story (illustrator) Heinemann Quixote1984 Cat and Canary (author/illustrator) Andersen Press1984 Panda and the Bunyips (author/illustrator) Hamish Hamilton1984 Poems for 9-year-olds and Under (illustrator) Viking Kestrel1984 Poems for Over 10-year-olds (illustrator) Viking Kestrel1985 I’ll Take You to Mrs Cole (illustrator) Andersen Press1985 Nicobobinus (illustrator) Pavilion1985 Poetic Gems (illustrator) Folio Society1985 Seasons of Splendour: Tales, Myths and Legends of India (illustrator) Pavilion1985 Shakespeare Stories (illustrator) Gollancz1986 Ben’s Box: A Pop-up Fantasy (author/illustrator) Hodder & Stoughton1986 Early in the Morning: A Collection of New Poems (illustrator) Viking1986 Letters from Hollywood (illustrator) Harrap1986 Panda and the Bushfire (author/illustrator) Hamish Hamilton1986 Tales for the Telling: Irish Folk and Fairy Stories (illustrator) Pavilion1987 Ben’s Baby (author/illustrator) Andersen Press1987 Brontosaurus Superstar (illustrator) Magnet1987 Daphne du Maurier’s Classics of the Macabre (illustrator) Gollancz1987 Fun (illustrator) Gollancz1987 Just So Stories (illustrator) Viking1987 The Complete Adventures of Charlie and Mr Willy Wonka (illustrator) Unwin Hyman1987 The Jungle Book (illustrator) Puffin1988 Edmond Went Far Away (illustrator) Walker1988 The Angel and the Wild Animal (author/illustrator) Andersen Press1988 The Curse of the Vampire’s Socks and Other Doggerel (illustrator) Pavilion1988 The Magic Ointment and Other Cornish Legends (illustrator) Macmillan1988 The Night Before Christmas (illustrator) Viking1988 Worms Wiggle (author/illustrator) Carnival1989 Land of the Long White Cloud : Maori Myths, Tales and Legends (illustrator) Pavilion1989 Once Upon a Planet (illustrator) Puffin1989 The Sand Horse (illustrator) Andersen Press1989 War Boy: A Country Childhood (author/illustrator) Pavilion1990 Michael Foreman (author/illustrator) Beetles1990 Michael Foreman’s Mother Goose (editor/illustrator) Walker1990 Michael Foreman’s World of Fairy Tales (editor/illustrator) Pavilion1990 One World (author/illustrator) Andersen Press1990 The Brothers Grimm: Popular Folk Tales (illustrator) Gollancz1991 Busy! Busy! Busy! (illustrator) Andersen Press1991 Michael Foreman’s Nursery Rhymes (editor/illustrator) Walker1991 The Boy Who Sailed with Columbus (joint author/illustrator) Pavilion1991 The Puffin Book of Twentieth-Century Children’s Stories (illustrator) Viking1991 The Puffin Book of Twentieth-Century Verse (illustrator) Viking1991 The Young Man of Cury and Other Poems (illustrator) Macmillan1992 Fantastic Stories (illustrator) Pavilion1992 Jack’s Fantastic Voyage (author/illustrator) Andersen Press1992 Spider the Horrible Cat (illustrator) Pavilion1992 The Arabian Nights (illustrator) Gollancz1992 The Echoing Green (illustrator) Viking1992 Wyvern Winter (illustrator) Andersen Press1993 A Fish of the World (illustrator) Pavilion1993 Funnybunch: A New Puffin Book of Funny Verse (illustrator) Viking1993 Grandfather’s Pencil and the Room of Stories (author/illustrator) Andersen Press1993 The Beast with a Thousand Teeth (illustrator) Pavilion1993 The Long Weekend (illustrator) Andersen Press1993 There’s a Bear in the Bath (illustrator) Pavilion1993 War Game (author/illustrator) Pavilion1993 Wyvern Spring (illustrator) Andersen Press1994 Arthur, High King of Britain (illustrator) Pavilion/The National Trust1994 Dad! I Can’t Sleep (author/illustrator) Andersen Press1994 Sarah and the Sandhorse (illustrator) Andersen Press1994 The Fly-by-Night (illustrator) Pavilion1994 The Sea Tiger (illustrator) Pavilion1994 Wyvern Fall (illustrator) Andersen Press1994 Wyvern Summer (illustrator) Andersen Press1995 After the War was Over (author/illustrator) Pavilion1995 Peter’s Place (illustrator) Andersen Press1995 Shakespeare Stories II (illustrator) Gollancz1995 Surprise! Surprise! (author/illustrator) Andersen Press1995 The Little Prince (illustrator) Pavilion1996 A Child’s Garden of Verses (illustrator) Gollancz1996 Peter Pan and Wendy (illustrator) Pavilion1996 Robin of Sherwood (illustrator) Pavilion1996 Seal Surfer (author/illustrator) Andersen Press1996 The Little Reindeer (author/illustrator) Andersen Press1996 The Songs My Paddle Sings: Native American Legends (illustrator) Pavilion1996 There’s a Bear in the Classroom (illustrator) Pavilion1997 Angel and the Box of Time (author/illustrator) Andersen Press1997 Creation: Stories from Around the World (illustrator) Walker1997 Farm Boy (illustrator) Pavilion1997 Look! Look! (author/illustrator) Andersen Press1997 The Knight and the Squire (illustrator) Pavilion1997 The Little Ships (illustrator) Pavilion1998 Chicken Licken (illustrator) Andersen Press1998 Cockadoodle-doo Mr Sultana! (illustrator) Scholastic1998 Jack’s Big Race (author/illustrator) Andersen Press1998 Joan of Arc of Domr魹 (illustrator) Pavilion1999 Kensuke’s Kingdom (illustrator) Heinemann1999 Michael Foreman’s Christmas Treasury (author/illustrator) Pavilion1999 The Little Red Hen (author/illustrator) Andersen Press1999 The Merrymaid of Zennor (illustrator) Orchard1999 The Rainbow Bear (illustrator) Doubleday1999 The Shining Princess and Other Japanese Legends (illustrator) Andersen Press1999 The Story of Millennia the Angel: A Fable of Hope for a New Generation (illustrator) Orchard1999 The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (illustrator) Pavilion2000 Billy the Kid (illustrator) Pavilion2000 Cat in the Manger (author/illustrator) Andersen Press2000 Memories of Childhood (author/illustrator) Pavilion2000 Rock-a-doodle-doo! (author/illustrator) Andersen Press2000 The Lady and the Squire (illustrator) Pavilion2000 Why Bear has a Stumpy Tail and Other Creation Stories from Around the World (illustrator) Walker2001 Out of the Ashes (illustrator) Macmillan2001 Saving Sinbad (author/illustrator) Andersen Press2001 The Wind in the Willows (illustrator) Pavilion2001 Tom and the Pterosaur (illustrator) Walker2001 Toro! Toro! (illustrator) Collins2002 Bedtime Stories (illustrator) Chrysalis2002 Cool! (illustrator) Collins2002 Dinosaur Time (author/illustrator) Andersen Press2002 Evie and the Man who Helped God (author/illustrator) Andersen Press2002 Michael Foreman’s Playtime Rhymes (author/illustrator) Walker2002 The Last Wolf (illustrator) Doubleday2002 The Sleeping Sword (illustrator) Egmont2002 Wonder Goal (author/illustrator) Andersen Press2003 Bobby, Charlton and the Mountain (illustrator) Andersen Press2003 Cat on the Hill (author/illustrator) Andersen Press2003 Hello World (author/illustrator) Walker2004 Dolphin Boy (illustrator) Andersen Press2004 Gentle Giant (illustrator) Collins2005 Can’t Catch Me! (author/illustrator) Andersen Press2006 Mia’s Story (author/illustrator) Walker2006 Norman’s Ark (author/illustrator) Andersen Presshttp://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/features/magicpencil/foreman.htmlhttp://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/features/magicpencil/foreman_img_text.htmlhttp://news.independent.co.uk/people/profiles/article3211124.ecehttp://www.chrisbeetles.com/pictures/artists/Foreman_Michael/Foreman_Michael.htm
