Italian born, Delia Ciccarelli studied animation and illustration at university in Rome, before beginning work as a children's illustrator. Now, Delia?s portfolio boasts of delightful illustrations for several Italian and British publishers and design studios.

Delia takes as her inspiration observations of human facial expressions and body movement, which she then attempts to capture and frame in her work.

Delia's greatest love, after art, is travelling ? discovering new places and cultures for herself. An adventure lover, one of her favourite experiences was a visit to Mykines, one of the Faroe Islands, which is only reachable by helicopter or boat. On the island, Delia observed and drew the movements of birds and the motion of the ocean.

Delia currently lives in the green mountains of Abruzzo, Italy, where she is surrounded by inspiration for her illustrations ? creating characters and creatures that enchant her young readers with their timeless, almost magical, atmosphere.

To this end, Delia predominantly works with chalk, which allows her to capture a dreamlike representation of the surrounding world. Delia begins by sketching in pencil to capture the fine details of movement, before elaborating on the sketch with deft use of chalk.