The RV Book Fair 2026: Interview with Andy Case - Cover Story

Hi Andy, you have worked professionally as an illustrator and cartoonist for more than 30 years. How did your career begin, and what first attracted you to illustration?

I began drawing at the age of 4 and turned professional at 12 years old, doing adverts and cartoon strips for companies. I became a children's book illustrator about 10 years ago, when i randomly answered an advert on Freelancer.com.

Over the years, you have created work for publishers, record labels, and magazines in several countries. Which projects or stages of your career have influenced you the most?

Working with Steven Joseph has been the most influential period of my career, and the success we have had has revolutionised the way I look at book projects and super charged my career in a way I wasn't expecting.

Your artwork is known for its bright colours, strong character, and intricate detail. How did you develop your distinctive visual style?

In the early days I was trying to create pictures that would entice readers to come back and look again and again. This continued as I continued my career, looking to create a world beyond the characters that were the focal point of the story.

When you receive a new manuscript or creative brief, how do you begin turning the written ideas into a visual world?

I start to develop characters and work with the author when possible to make sure that the visuals match up to the author's expectations. Once I have established the character, I start to create character banks of postures and character attitude as well as backgrounds. Once I'm happy with these, I will piece everything together.

How do you balance a client's vision with your own artistic instincts, especially when the client has very specific ideas about the finished work?

I draw how I draw, so if that’s not what a client wants, then it is best they find the right illustrator. I will refine the work as I go, so that the author can get the feel for the project as we create it and they can change aspects as they need to be changed. I always make sure that the client is happy with the end results.

How did your creative partnership with author Steven Joseph begin, and what made you feel that your styles and personalities would work well together?

We first worked together on Steven’s first book, ‘The Last Surviving Dinosaur’, which was loads of fun. Steven then searched me out to work on the 1st Snoodles book. Since then we have become creative brothers and firm friends, and I've been able to work with him on several books since.

Steven's Snoodles stories are filled with wordplay, unusual names, humour, and wildly imaginative situations. What is your process for translating that playful language into characters and scenes?

Steven’s books are unique, so I work hard to make sure that the creative voice he uses is displayed in the best way possible. This means that the books flip between conventional pictures and comic strips. I like to try new illustrative ideas with my work with Steven, as I feel I have the freedom to do so. He is a very free thinking spirit when it comes to creating books.

When you and Steven develop a new Snoodles project, how do you exchange ideas and decide what the characters, settings, and action should look like?

We tend to email each other most days anyway, so when we start a new book project, I will just email him sketches and he will email me mood boards and pictures to create a like mind on the project. Then he lets me go wild and just create. Afterwards, he will look through all the pages and write out the changes, which I then take action to complete.

The Snoodles universe has expanded across several award-winning books. How do you keep its visual identity consistent while making every new adventure feel original?

The visual style stays consistent when im drawing it, as I have a certain style that doesn’t deviate really. Bright lines, expressive postures and facial features are used to create a consistent world, and all new characters are designed to fit next to existing ones.This makes the world easier to expand into other realms and realities - like Planet Zoodle.

After working together on the Snoodles books, what have you and Steven learned from one another, and is there a new idea or direction you would especially like to explore together?

We have plans! Websites, new books, new spin off series of books. Watch this space!

Andy Case is the illustrator and cartoonist behind the Snoodles books. He is a multi- award winning, globally distributed and internationally published children's book illustrator. Andy's illustrations and books have featured in book festivals and fairs all over the world. In 2023, ‘Snoodles in Space’ was the only picture book chosen to be given out at the Pre- Academy Awards celebration. All four ‘Snoodles’ books have been certified award winning.

Find out more at www.andycaseillustration.com.

Interview published in The Relatable Voice Magazine - The RV Book Fair 2026 - Special. Download the full magazine for free at The RV Book Fair | Relatable Media.