hello & WELCOME!
I’m Rachel Corcoran; a freelance self-taught illustrator from Dublin, Ireland. I provide illustrations mainly for children’s and young adult publications, and I illustrate delicious food concepts for clients around the world. I also run my own online shop where I sell my illustrated paper products to customers worldwide. Before my illustration career, I was an art historian and archaeologist; and my love and knowledge of long-forgotten worlds is captured within my work.
Utilising both digital and traditional mediums has helped me to establish a characteristic style, which has been described as “a mix of pretty with a healthy dash of wit.” My illustrations are inspired by my love of history, vintage ephemera, and story telling. This fascination manifests in my choice of subject matter; and my preference for muted tones and tarnished textures. My work is imbued with narrative and nostalgia - fueled by personal memories, and my love of reading books which are set in times long ago. I prefer to avoid textbook realism and instead play with shapes, forms and perspective. When I’m not illustrating, I love to bake with my fluffy helper Billie the cat; garden without meeting those really big spiders; and daydream about finding the perfect pillow.
My favourite book as a child was ‘Martha B.Rabbit,’ by Shirley Barber. The illustrations were mesmerising in their detail, and the story was both cosy and cheerful, and dark and scary. To date, I have been fortunate to illustrate over 20 publications. It is a dream one day to illustrate picture books and my own stories, and to also illustrate and design a chocolate box or biscuit tin! I particularly love to illustrate delicious foods, pretty flowers, curious characters, charming buildings, vintage objects, and historical subjects. View my full résumé for further information.
selected CLIENTS
The O'Brien Press, Penguin Random House, Dubray Books, Usborne Books, Merrion Press, Vintage Tea Trips, Kerry Group, Royal Mail, Trader Joe’s, Airfield Estate, Fáilte Ireland, The Irish School of Animation.
let’s work together
If you would like to work with me on an upcoming project, please email me at rachillustrates@gmail.com
Kindly note that I am currently unable to accept personal commissions or self publishing projects. Read here for more info.
Check your spam folder if you do not receive a reply within 5 days - thank you.
Follow my illustration journey on instagram & youtube
Created with human intelligence
All my illustrations and designs are created by myself using both traditional and digital media. The digital media consists of an iPad and stylus for digital drawing, and editing programmes such as Photoshop. I do not use any AI generated images or inspirations in my artwork. I am proud to say my work is created with human intelligence, and I have designed a badge to highlight this important issue in an age where the prevalence of the human artist is sadly diminishing.
