Laura Shallcrass

Laura Shallcrass – Designer

I am an award winning illustrator and author specialising in detail focused artworks with multiple visual narratives.

Overview

I create predominantly work in digital media with extensive experience in children's publishing and commercial illustration.

My visual storytelling uses a quiet poetry which leaves the reader to discern their own meanings based on their unique perspectives, with multiple visual narratives and hidden details a signature of my work.

My passion is to create artworks which celebrate natures beauty, with the aim of emphasising our duty as caretakers of the natural world. Thematically my personal work has recently focused on mental health, preservation of the environment and female power.

Awards

NZ Book Awards for Children and Young Adults - Winner 2021 - Russell Clark Award for Illustration (Hare & Ruru)

NZ Book Awards for Children and Young Adults - Finalist 2021 - Picture Book Award (Hare & Ruru)

NZ Book Awards for Children and Young Adults - Finalist 2021 - Best First Book Award (Hare & Ruru)

NZ Booklovers Awards 2021 - Highly Commended (Hare & Ruru)

Publishers Association of NZ Book Design Awards - Finalist 2021 (Hare & Ruru)

Red Book Art Prize, 2013


Reviews for What Colour is the Sky

NZ Booklovers

Magpies Magazine

What Book Next

Newsroom

Bob’s Books


Reviews for Hāre & Ruru

NZCYA Awards

NZ Booklovers

RNZ

Mindfood

The Sapling


Publications

Manual - Winter Issue, 2009

Remix - Issue #77, 2013

The Red Book, 2013

Your Home & Garden - June, 2014

Stolen - Volume 2, 2014

Homestyle - Apr/May, 2016

Your Home and Garden March 2021

Services
Non-Fiction
Children’s Non-Fiction
Fiction
Classics Contemporary Fiction Fantasy Literary Fiction Middle Grade Fantasy New Adult Picture Books
Languages
English
Awards
  • NZ Book Awards for Children and Young Adults - Winner 2021 - Russell Clark Award for Illustration (Hāre & Ruru) NZ Book Awards for Children and Young Adults - Finalist 2021 - Picture Book Award (Hāre & Ruru) NZ Book Awards for Children and Young Adults - Finalist 2021 - Best First Book Award (Hāre & Ruru) NZ Booklovers Awards 2021 - Highly Commended (Hāre & Ruru) Publishers Association of NZ Book Design Awards - Finalist 2021 (Hāre & Ruru) Red Book Art Prize, 2013
Certifications
  • BDes (Illustration)

Work experience

Self-employed

Apr, 2016 — Present

For the last 6 years I have worked with clients from all over the world to create stand out illustrations for publishing, packaging and web.

Laura has 7 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Jordan D.

Jordan D.

Sep, 2023

Working with Laura has been amazing. As always, she is professional, timely, attentive, and produces beautiful work. Could not recommend her more.
Emily S.

Emily S.

Aug, 2023

I absolutely loved working with Laura! Her gorgeous and detailed style really draws the eye!
Nancy L.

Nancy L.

Jul, 2023

Some of the best things about working with Laura are that she really listens, she is patient, and she communicates well. As a new author, I knew nothing about cover design and had no idea how to convey my concepts to an artist. Laura was able to convert my words and extremely rough sketches into a good design that I am very happy with. She took the time to show me, visually, when one of my or...
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Sarah L.

Sarah L.

Jun, 2023

I absolutely love Laura's work. Her style is unique and very distinctive, and I especially love her use of colour. She designed three covers for my romance sci-fi series, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend her. The covers were exactly what I was after. There is a lot of detail and meaning embedded in her work which adds to the narrative. Overall it was a wonderful experience.
Jordan D.

Jordan D.

Dec, 2022

Working with Laura has been incredible. She was somehow able to pull from my mind exactly what I was picturing for my book cover and illustrations. I am in awe of her talent and could not recommend her enough!

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