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John Shelley - Illustrator

@studionib.bsky.social
2.5K followers 1.6K following 651 posts

Illustrator and author for children's publishing and the wider design business. #KidLitUK #illustration linktr.ee/studionib

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John Shelley - Illustrator @studionib.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Mervyn Peake - 'At the Warrington', 1938. Currently up for auction. #mervynpeake
Sketch of a woman holding a glass in a pub, in 1930's clothes, by Mervyn Peake.
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John Shelley - Illustrator @studionib.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Enough is enough. Devastating wildfires are threatening our communities, our wildlife, and our landscapes 🌳 We need the UK Gov to back our amazing fire fighters and invest in a real national wildfire prevention plan. Join me and sign the petition here: you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/te...
you.38degrees.org.uk
Protect nature for the future: make wildfire prevention a national priority
Enough is enough. Devastating wildfires are threatening our communities, our wildlife, and our landscapes 🌳 We need the UK Gov to back our amazing fire fighters and invest in a real national wildfire ...
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John Shelley - Illustrator @studionib.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
If you're in #Norwich today, I'm DJing cruising downtempo and house at #LookTwice on Lower Goat Lane, the city's coolest art/lifestyle shop & gallery ( looktwice.co.uk ) all day until 5pm, all vinyl. Do drop by!
Flyer for two DJ Jellydrops gigs
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John Shelley - Illustrator @studionib.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Here's an old blog post about the creation of 'Stone Giant', I can't believe it's over 10 years since I worked on the hardback edition, time flies! The new paperback edition is out now :) johnshelley.blogspot.com/2013/10/ston... #kidlit #kidlitUK #books
johnshelley.blogspot.com
Stone Giant
The Giant has awoke! Cover, US edition Cover, Japanese edition Stone Giant - Michelangelo's David and How He Came to Be , written...
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John Shelley - Illustrator @studionib.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Today’s the official release of "Stone Giant - Michelangelo’s David and How He Came to Be" in paperback. Words by Jane Sutcliffe, illustrations by your’s truly. If you missed the hardback edition, now’s your chance! Charlesbridge publishers, ISBN 978-1-58089-296-4 #kidlit #kidlitUK #picturebook
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John Shelley - Illustrator @studionib.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Post a character you think is cool and give no explanation why:
Illustration by John Shelley of an 18th century adventurer, in frock coat and cocked hat, one foot on a treasure chest, the other holding a large telescope to his eye. Rolled Maps under his arm, sea gull sitting on telescope.
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John Shelley - Illustrator @studionib.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
act.everyonehateselon.com/p/meta-chase...
act.everyonehateselon.com
Send a reminder to Meta: you have to respond
Use this to send a final chance email to Meta if you've emailed them and they've not responded to your smart glasses objections.
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The Guardian @theguardian.com · 10/09/2026
Have scientists finally detected dark matter? - video
theguardian.com
Have scientists finally detected dark matter? - video
For decades physicists have been puzzling over the enigma of dark matter. We think it makes up 85% of the matter in the universe, but the mysterious substance cannot be seen or detected, and we know about it mainly through observations of the gravitational effects it has on other things. But now scientists believe they may be a step closer to detecting it. Science editor Ian Sample explains to Madeleine Finlay why, if confirmed, the finding could completely transform our understanding of the universe. And Dr Samuel Erikson, senior research associate at the University of Bristol, and first author of the research paper, explains how the finding has been received in the physics community
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John Shelley - Illustrator @studionib.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
38d.gs/jpcf
38d.gs
An open letter in support of the volunteers and staff at the RNLI
This is a disgrace. Brave RNLI volunteers being called scum for risking their lives to save others at sea is just plain wrong. So I've signed an open letter of thanks for the RNLI letting them know th...
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John Shelley - Illustrator @studionib.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Artists, quote with your blue art! From the picture book 'Halloween Forest' (HolidayHouse publishers, words by Marion Dane Bauer) #kidlit #kidlitart #kidlitUK
picture book illustration of a child in black clothes, walking down a forest path enclosed by a line of trees.
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John Shelley - Illustrator @studionib.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Many thanks to the Playhouse Bar for last night's gig. Special thanks to the lady who found my locking screw on the floor after my headphones fell apart! (thankfully not broken, just dissassembled due to the loose screw!). Lesson learned - always check equipment before DJing! #Norwich #DJJellyDrops
photo of dissassembled DJ headphones in front of turntable set-up.
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John Shelley - Illustrator @studionib.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Friends in #Norwich, just a little notice that tomorrow, Saturday 5th Sept, I'll be playing the sunset slot at the Playhouse Bar from 5.30-7.30pm, between Barman Joe and Tony Biscotti. It will be chill! #DJevent
Flyer for DJ gig at the The Playhouse Bar, Norwich on 5th September, showing DJ Jellydrops character in front of a setting sun.
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John Shelley - Illustrator @studionib.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
What a lovely surprise in the post today! ‘Stone Giant’, my non-fiction picture book with the late Jane Sutcliffe on Michelangelo’s creation of the statue of David, has a new paperback edition! @charlesbridge #picturebook #Michelangelo #bookrelease #kidlitART #kidlitUK #kidlit
paperback copies of the picturebook 'Stone Giant' by Jane Sutcliffe and John Shelley (Charlesbridge publishers)
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John Shelley - Illustrator @studionib.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
As these data centres need so much water, I suggest they build them at the bottom of the sea, preferably in the Mariana trench, or maybe use Rocket Boy's fireworks to set them up on Mars, I hear there may be water there :) . c.org/PbzvvV9hTH
c.org
Sign the Petition
Stop the South Norwich data centre construction
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John Shelley - Illustrator @studionib.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Show how you paint old people... Well here's an old one (illustration that is) - from '12の月たち' (The 12 Months), my picture book retelling of the Slovakian fairy tale, translated by Sho Suzuki and published by Miki House & Kodansha in Japan. #kidlitART #kidlitUK #picturebooks
Fairy tale illustration of an old woman wrapped in a fur coat, walking in a snow scene, about to be engulfed by the winter wind.
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John Shelley - Illustrator @studionib.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
I've signed the petition calling on the Government to make wildfire prevention and climate resilience a national priority. Join me and help protect the places we love. campaigns.nationaltrust.org.uk/page/196457/...
campaigns.nationaltrust.org.uk
I've signed. Will you? Add your name to help make wildfire prevention and climate resilience a national priority, and stand with the communities affected by wildfires.
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Gregory Norminton @gregorynorminton.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Let's get this petition to 100,000 by the weekend.
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Charlene Chua @charlenedraws.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
😢 I don't know very much about her or her music (other than her big hits), but her contribution to children's books will be remembered.
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Tim White @twmcltd.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
I hope you like this too. On the day when Ukraine celebrates its (re)birth and 35 years of independence from Moscow's tyranny, how appropriate for Kyiv to be visited by a phalanx of storks, putting on a different sort of show for the people of Kyiv.
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John Shelley - Illustrator @studionib.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Oh goodness! just turned on #BBCRadio4 and 1/2 way through and it's all about illustration! Posy Simmonds and Chris Riddell amongst the interviewees. #bbc #illustration #kidlitART #kidlitUK
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John Shelley - Illustrator @studionib.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
As a separate thing to my illustration career, I've started a JellyDrops Instagram account just for DJing / music updates, including info on my next gig this Saturday afternoon at #LookTwice in #Norwich. If it's of interest, give me a follow! www.instagram.com/dj_jellydrops/ #Jellydrops
DJ Jellydrops logo
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John Shelley - Illustrator @studionib.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
11 days ago Jason Arday resigned, saying he was at his limits. The press wrote 188 more articles. 9 days later Jason Arday was found dead. Enough is enough: Demand an urgent inquiry into the role the media had on his death: you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/de...
you.38degrees.org.uk
Sign the petition: demand an inquiry into the culture of the press after Jason Arday's death!
Tragically, Professor Jason Arday has died after a vicious and deeply personal campaign of press attacks over the last few weeks. The Government must urgently launch an inquiry into the culture and b...
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John Shelley - Illustrator @studionib.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
Well that was fun! Thank you to everyone who came to #ThePlayhouseBar in #Norwich last night, and to the lovely welcoming staff. It was great to be back on the old ones and two's DJing in public again, the grooves went down welI think! It's been a long time, there'll be another soon :)
Photo of John Shelley DJing as Jelly Drops at The Playhouse Bar, 8th August 2026.
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John Shelley - Illustrator @studionib.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
It's 20 years since I last DJ'd in Tokyo, but in recent months the time seemed right to get a couple of old turntables in again. Tonight I'm playing my first gig in a long, long time, and my first ever in the UK. It will be very chilled, if you're in #Norwich drop by! #djevent
Flyer for DJ Jelly Drops at the Playhouse Bar, Saturday 8th August 2026. 8pm-midnight. Chilled grooves & house
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John Shelley - Illustrator @studionib.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
If you see this, post a monster! From the Sketchbook.
Pen sketch of a friendly monster.
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John Shelley - Illustrator @studionib.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
Sketching people on trains again? Yeah well, it's a habit. www.johnshelley.com/post/inside-... #sketchbook #スカッチブック
johnshelley.com
Inside the Window
In the last post I shared some train sketches of passing landscapes out the window, but you'll know I'm just as likely to be drawing what's going on inside the train carriage - i.e. the other passenge...
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John Shelley - Illustrator @studionib.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
A petition to call upon the Senedd to reject any badger cull in Wales urgently needs signatures. After a debate in the Senedd last week, A Reform UK motion was passed to consider a badger cull, but it's not binding yet - action is needed, please sign! petitions.senedd.wales/petitions/24...
petitions.senedd.wales
Petition: We call upon the Senedd to reject any badger cull in Wales.
England has slaughtered ¼ million badgers but STILL has a higher incidence of cattle TB breakdowns than Wales. Both countries have achieved reductions on all key metrics, but in Wales without any badg...
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John Shelley - Illustrator @studionib.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
'Hamlet'. Poster for a production by GMBH Yellow Helmets Theatre company, touring in Japan this month. イエローヘルメッツ劇団『ハムレット』のポスターです。今月上演されてます。AD市川きよあきさん。 #Hamlet #Shakespeare #Illustration #イラスト #poster #ポスター
'Hamlet' Poster illustration, showing the face of the King made up of a collage of profiles of Hamlet, his mother Gertrude, father-in-law Claudius, and Ophelia
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Gregory Norminton @gregorynorminton.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Ever since Adolf Hitler was turned down by the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts, fascism has been a refuge and consolation for the talentless. AI is their revenge on human creativity.
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John Shelley - Illustrator @studionib.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
A new blog post on sketching through train-windows... www.johnshelley.com/post/likely-... 英語のみですみません!#sketching #landscape #drawing #kidlitART #kidlitUK
johnshelley.com
Likely landscapes
I've been out and about over the last few weeks, here's some recent sketches through train windows. Often, I've been in carriages either too crowded to easily manoeuvre myself to draw other passengers...
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John Shelley - Illustrator @studionib.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
I want to revive my old blog, people have suggested Substack newsletters but I don't like their poor practices, supporting and profiting from extreme-right users. A question for my #kitltART and #kidlitUK friends perhaps, what would you recommend for more ethical alternatives?
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John Shelley - Illustrator @studionib.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
#kidlitART #kidlitUK
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John Shelley - Illustrator @studionib.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Dear friends, It's another scorching summer in these parts. Wherever you are, stay cool and have a splashing time! いよいよ本格的な夏の到来ですね! 身を守って、涼しくして、水しぶき時間をたのしんでください! #暑中お見舞い
Illustration of a group of frogs suspended in the splash and jet of a traditional old fountain.
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John Shelley - Illustrator @studionib.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
I should say this with a whisper... I don't like footie. It's not the game per se, it's the emotion of the big matches, e.g. WC. I don't want to engage with the tribal tension, the raw emotion it generates. The very thing that inspires fans, puts me off. Just tell me the result when it's over ;)
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Colin Smith @colinsmith.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
“Winter Moon at Toyamagahara", by Kawase Hasui, 1931.
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Josh Gondelman @joshgondelman.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
I know this is not the biggest concern going these days, but it stresses me out that basically every artist/writer/critic is now expected to create their own tiny empire instead of getting paid by any existing entity to perform a job they've worked to get good at!!!!
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John Shelley - Illustrator @studionib.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
'Spiral Town', #ThrowbackThursday to an old exhibition drawing. Feels somewhat appropriate in this heatwave! #illustration #KidlitART #KidlitUK
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National Gallery, DK @natgallerydk.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Freia www.europeana.eu/portal/record/2020…
Freia
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John Shelley - Illustrator @studionib.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Oh goodness, the moon and Venus tonight!
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John Shelley - Illustrator @studionib.bsky.social · 14/06/2026
Artist! Quote with your blue art! A spread from 'Magic for Sale' (words by Carrie Clickard, Holiday House Books for Children) #illustration #kidlitart #kidlitUK
children's book Illustration of a friendly classic white ghost flying above a jumbled shop stock room.
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Marianne Doherty @mariannedoherty.bsky.social · 24/05/2026
The best thing we can do as grown ups is to read kids’ books ourselves, share our own joys, chat with kids about the books we and they love, actively demonstrate the power that reading can give them, and create space for them to discover their own relationship with reading. 4/4
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John Shelley - Illustrator @studionib.bsky.social · 24/05/2026
Happy 85th Birthday Bob Dylan. You probably don't remember when we briefly met in Joan Rhodes' cafe in London's Crouch End in the mid '80's, but here's an old blog post about the happy occasion. johnshelley.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-... #crouchend #bobdylan #davestewart
johnshelley.blogspot.com
The Day I met Bob Dylan
The news is so full of unbelievable and depressing stories lately, it's a relief when something comes up that warms the heart. Bob Dylan rec...
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Otto English @ottoenglish.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
I like this message.
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Aubrey Beardsley @aubrey-beardsley.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
Advertisement for Children's Books www.wikiart.org/en/aubrey-beardsley…
Advertisement for Children's Books
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Tim White @twmcltd.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
Hello again, and thanks for reading. If, by some miracle, this is appearing in your timeline for the first time, give me a try, give me feedback. This is THE daily Ukraine thread for Thursday, the last day of April, the 50th whole month of war inflicted by Russia.
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Journal of Art in Society @artinsociety.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
It is evening, as a woman with young children shops in the brightly-lit vegetable market at Koyasuchō in Kanagawa Prefecture, in this woodblock print by Ishiwata Kōitsu (1931)
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John Shelley - Illustrator @studionib.bsky.social · 25/04/2026
If you see this, post something pink! ..... some old exhibition fun! #illustration #kidlitart
Comical illustration of a pile of bald, naked male plump characters.
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John Shelley - Illustrator @studionib.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
#willswords
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Zanna Van Loon @zannavanloon.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
Fictitious imprints deserve their moment. I’ll go first: 'Printed in the printing office of orthodox doctrine, by the heirs of Pope Juth, residing in Bricked‑Up Street in Rome, right next to the place where the excess good works of the Roman saints are sold for money, in the pissed‑out Purgatory'
Detail of the imprint reading:
 
Gedrukt in de verdruckerye der rechtzinnige leere, by de erfgenamen van Paus Juth, woonende in de toegemetselde straet tot Romen, aldernaest daermen de overtollige goede wercken der Roomsche Heyligen om ghelt verkoopt, in 't uytgepiste vagevier.
 
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