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ENTRY TYPE:
WORK TITLE: Colin’s Castle
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://hollyswain.co.uk
CITY: Hove
STATE:
COUNTRY: United Kingdom
NATIONALITY: British
LAST VOLUME: SATA 262
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born in England; married, husband’s name Matt; children: two daughters.
EDUCATION:University of the West of England, Bristol, degree (illustration); University of Brighton, M.A. (narrative illustration and editorial design), 1996.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Illustrator, artist, and designer. Sells products and crafts including illustrated cards, badges, coloring posters, hand-painted wooden house decorations, artwork, and prints.
AWARDS:Best Picture Book, Oxfordshire Book Awards, and Carnegie Medal for Illustration nomination, both 2025, both for Colin’s Castle.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Illustrator Holly Swain has worked on numerous children’s picture books published in her native England, and several have made their way across the Atlantic to the joy of U.S. fans. [open new]Some twenty years into her career, Swain made her debut as an author-illustrator with Colin’s Castle, concerning an amiable vampire’s new-home hijinks, followed up by Colin’s Grandma.
About her youthful start as an illustrator, Swain told Words & Pictures: “When I was small I had a huge roll of newsprint I used to be keep under my bed. I loved drawing, and my favourite place to draw was under my dining room table. I was lucky enough to have a childhood where creativity was encouraged—there were always things to draw with. … Characters and their worlds were the things I loved to draw, where they lived and what their homes were like.” Among Swain’s artistic inspirations were the stop-motion animated films by Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin, especially Bagpuss and the Clangers, and Jim Henson’s Muppets. For a while she thought she would go into puppetry and theater. Realizing through an art foundation course that a career in illustration, after all, would suit her perfectly, Swain earned an undergraduate degree from UWE Bristol followed by a master’s degree in narrative illustration and editorial design from Brighton University. Her first commissions, gained while still a graduate student, were for educational books, but she found greater artistic freedom in illustrating mass-market picture books. Illustrators she admires include Lane Smith, David Roberts, Jon Klassen, Edward Gorey, and Christine Roussey.
Colin’s Castle finds the title vampire super-delighted to be moving into the castle of his dreams, with plenty of space and great views. Except, as he sits in the bathtub soaking it all in, he is confronted by a blue-green duck who thinks he owns the place. Believing his castle should be duck-free, Colin tosses this one in the moat—but it comes back, again and again, while he is watching TV, mowing the lawn, even reading on the toilet. Padlocks, a catapult, and a vacuum cleaner avail the vampire little, until finally he hears not just one duck but hundreds of ducklings quacking him awake. A Kirkus Reviews writer observed that the inevitability of Colin’s defeat only “heightens the humor” in this “droll tale … told in a wry, understated voice.” The reviewer affirmed that the “thin-lined illustrations, rendered in a soft, limited palette, complement the witty proceedings.”
Swain’s first illustration effort for a mainstream picture book, written by Richard Waring, was published in the United Kingdom as Wanted! Have You Seen This Alligator? and in the United States as Alberto the Dancing Alligator. As Swain told Words & Pictures, she “learnt a lot” through working on the book and “enjoyed it immensely”—especially the “thrill” of holding the finished copy in her hand.[suspend new] The alligator in question belongs to young Tina and is an enthusiastic tango partner. When Tina accidentally flushes Alberto down the toilet and into the sewer system, the suave dancer discovers a subterranean paradise, but he soon misses Tina and begins a journey of return. His journey home via the same pipe system prompts widespread panic that descends into humor in Swain’s illustrations. A critic for Publishers Weekly remarked that Swain’s “comic strip–style frames build momentum until the joyful, tango-facilitated reunion.”
Swain further demonstrated an ability to fleck tense situations with humor in her artwork for Pedro the Brave, a picture book by Leo Broadley. A vaquero, or Mexican cowboy, Pedro enjoys his work as well as time spent with his trusty horse Ronnie and canine guardian Dusty. One evening, however, their campfire festivities are interrupted by a coyote who declares that all three will soon be his dinner. Thinking quickly, Pedro devises a plan to stall for time by promising to make his special sauce, and its secret ingredient sends the predator fleeing in agony. “Swain’s vibrantly colored, pencil-outlined watercolors with expression-full, perspectively skewed, anthropomorphized caricatures are playful,” declared John Sigwald in a School Library Journal review of Pedro the Brave.
In Simon Puttock’s dark tale Miss Fox, a new substitute teacher at a rural school seems charming enough when she first appears in Swain’s images. Only Lily Lamb senses danger. One day, Miss Fox takes her class on an outing where her offhand comment finally raises the collective concern about her masked vulpine motives. “Mirroring the story idea, the pictures are deceptively benign, filled with happy students and a hardworking” teacher, remarked Ilene Cooper in a Booklist review of Miss Fox.
Swain teamed up with author Debbie Singleton on the folktale-style picture book The King Who Wouldn’t Sleep. Here a royal father so loves his daughter that he pledges to stay awake and guard her until a suitable suitor can be found. He rejects each prince or knight, and becomes mentally exhausted for lack of sleep. When a clever local lad asks the monarch for help sorting out his sheep, the king gets some well-deserved rest and the princess and the farmer’s son can spend some time talking unguardedly.
“Swain’s dynamic and appealing watercolor-and-color-pencil illustrations add charm, whimsy and amusing details to the happily-ever-after tale,” asserted a Kirkus Reviews contributor ion appraising The King Who Wouldn’t Sleep. In Booklist Francisca Goldsmith wrote that the book’s “large, watercolor cartoons” “both illustrate and expand the multiracial—and multispecies—cast of the story,” while in Horn Book Susan Dove Lempke advised Swain’s readers that “a closer look at the pictures rewards the viewer with entertaining details.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, December 1, 2002, Ed Sullivan, review of Pedro the Brave, p. 671; May 1, 2003, Hazel Rochman, review of The Kingfisher Book of Family Poems, p. 1595; November 1, 2007, Ilene Cooper, review of Miss Fox, p. 55; July 1, 2012, review of The King Who Wouldn’t Sleep, p. 70.
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, November, 2002, review of Alberto the Dancing Alligator, p. 129; February, 2003, review of Pedro the Brave, p. 226.
Horn Book, March-April, 2012, Susan Dove Lempke, review of The King Who Wouldn’t Sleep, p. 94.
Kirkus Reviews, April 15, 2004, review of Dotty Inventions, and Some Real Ones Too, p. 397; February 15, 2012, review of The King Who Wouldn’t Sleep; April 15, 2025, review of Colin’s Castle.
Publishers Weekly, July 29, 2002, review of Alberto the Dancing Alligator, p. 70; February 13, 2012, review of The King Who Wouldn’t Sleep, p. 56.
School Library Journal, November, 2002, Sheryl S. Shipley, review of Alberto the Dancing Alligator, p. 140; April, 2003, John Sigwald, review of Pedro the Brave, p. 116; July, 2003, Laura Reed, review of The Kingfisher Book of Family Poems, p. 114.
ONLINE
Bookbag, https://www.thebookbag.co.uk/ (March 1, 2017), John Lloyd, review of A Race for Toad Hall.
Fairy Tale Fair, https://www.thefairytalefair.co.uk/ (December 17, 2025), “Say Hello to … Holly Swain.”
Holly Swain website, https://www.hollyswain.co.uk (December 17, 2025).
Words & Pictures, https://www.wordsandpics.org/ (October 1, 2018), “Featured Illustrator: Holly Swain.”
I am a children’s book illustrator, living in Hove with my husband Matt and our two daughters. As a kid I always loved to draw, making up characters and their worlds. I used to have a huge roll of paper under my bed that I constantly drew on which gradually got smaller and smaller, by which time I was big enough to go to college. I studied Illustration at UWE Bristol and then did an MA in Brighton.
I have illustrated a number of childrens picture books, for a variety of lovely publishers, all written by different, very talented writers! My books can be seen in the ‘books’ section (funny that!) with a few examples of inside spreads.
I'm currently developing new book ideas and seeking representation by an agent. I'm always happy to talk about illustration commissions, agent representation, or wholesale card sales, so if you want to have a chat, please contact me below!
Say Hello to… Holly Swain
Hand CraftedNo comments
Today we’re excited for you to meet Holly Swain for the first time who will join us on Sunday 14th April at our Easter Craft Fair, find out more about her and her illustrations…
Please introduce yourself and your brand….
Hello! I’m Holly and I’m a children’s book illustrator and maker.
How would you describe your style and your creations?
I have a range of products, usually depicting my quirky characters wearing a range of knitwear. I’ve also recently started hand-painting little house decorations.
What do you enjoy most about your work?
I most enjoy making new work, at the moment I am really loving making dioramas – these are cut out hand-painted images free-standing in a box frame to create a 3D image. I also enjoy developing new characters for my cards and other products.
What can we expect to find on your stall at The Fairy Tale Fair Easter Special in aid of St Barnabas at Worthing Charmandean on Sunday 14th April? And are you looking forward to taking part?
I will be selling a range of cards using new characters I have recently developed, badges, colouring-in posters, hand-painted wooden house decorations, original artwork and prints.
Do you have a best seller?
My current best sellers are the wooden house decorations I hand-paint, and anything with a badger on it!
Do you have any plans or ambitions for the future?
My plans for the future are to continue making – I’ve got some ideas for new products that I’m looking forward to trying out.
Do you have a motto or inspirational quote?
“Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will” – Dr Seuss.
What part of Easter do you enjoy the most?
Obviously eating chocolate! My most favourite part is doing the Easter Egg hunt for my own children and their cousins. The youngest is still 4, and the oldest is 18, but they still enjoy finding the eggs!
How can we find out more about you?
My website is https://www.hollyswain.co.uk/
My instagram is https://www.instagram.com/swain_holly/
My Twitter is https://twitter.com/hollyswainuk
FEATURED ILLUSTRATOR Holly Swain
3 minuteRead
This month's guest illustrator is south coast-based Holly Swain. A children's illustrator since graduation, Holly is well known for her picture book work featuring fun characters and vibrant colour. See more of her work in the Featured Illustrator Gallery.
When I was small I had a huge roll of newsprint I used to be keep under my bed. I loved drawing, and my favourite place to draw was under my dining room table. I was lucky enough to have a childhood where creativity was encouraged - there were always things to draw with, and that massive roll of paper to draw on. Characters and their worlds were the things I loved to draw, where they lived and what their homes were like. These days I tend to work on top of a table and use watercolour paper, though the odd bit of newsprint works its way in sometimes!
After completing an Art foundation course and realising that illustration was what I loved, I did a degree course at UWE Bristol. I was just beginning to feel like I was getting somewhere when it finished, so I did an MA in Narrative Illustration and Editorial design at Brighton University. Whilst on my MA I had my first commissions, some educational books. I got more educational book commissions after my MA, but I found them a little restrictive to work on.
I changed agent, and illustrated my first picture book Wanted! Have you seen this Alligator? by Richard Waring. I learnt a lot working on that book. I enjoyed it immensely and the thrill of being able to hold a finished copy in my hand is something I will never forget. Since then I have illustrated quite a few picture books, and I have been lucky enough to work with a variety of authors from Cressida Cowell to Michael Morpurgo.
After having a bit of a break whilst I had children, I have recently been working on a series of young chapter books, The New Adventures of Mr Toad by Tom Moorhouse. These four books have been a steep learning curve, approximately seventy illustrations per book and a limited colour palette, but they were enormous fun. The characters were great to draw, and as each book was in a different setting, each felt like a new book.
My influences are wide and varied. I grew up on Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin’s animations, and I am reminded of how magical they were to me whenever I see them, particularly Bagpuss and The Clangers. I am often influenced by animation. Mark Baker’s The Hill Farm is a short film I have watched so often, and I love the delicacy and textures of his work. Recently I have enjoyed the animation by Tomm Moore, Song of the Sea, again such beautiful textures and colours. I am a big fan of puppetry and theatre and for a while, before I discovered illustration, I thought my work would go in this direction. I am a huge fan of The Muppets, and I think Jim Henson was a big influence on a young me.
Moving on to influential illustrators, the list is ongoing and growing! The Stinky Cheeseman and other fairly stupid tales, by Jon Scieszka with illustrations by Lane Smith, has greatly inspired me. It is the perfect mix of witty writing, stunning illustrations and great design, all working together. My current list of influences range from David Roberts and Jon Klassen, to Edward Gorey and Christine Roussey.
When I work on a project, commissioned or personal, I usually start the same way, with a sketchbook and pencil. Ideas will be jotted down, usually in quite a rough way. Characters will be worked out and drawn and redrawn. Usually it then becomes obvious what I need to research, and this takes the form of google images, books or drawing from observation. Using this I then start to work on thumbnail drawings of compositions, very roughly, working out angles, where any text would go. Once I am happy with this stage, I draw out the rough. As I use watercolour, I try to make my roughs as clear and as like the final piece as I can, so this is usually in the form of a line drawing.
I then play with how I will paint it, experimenting with marks and techniques. Finally, I paint the picture. It doesn’t always turn out how I imagine, but that is part of what I love about using paint and allowing the happy accidents to happen.
I am currently working on some personal work, experimenting with using some printmaking techniques and collage with my painting. I have also started drawing a #characteraday on my Instagram account as a way of getting out of a drawing slump (it worked!) As always, the dream is one day to write my own story and illustrate it, but right now I just count myself as very lucky to be able to draw all day.
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See more of Holly's Work in her Featured Illustrator Gallery
Her personal website is here, and is represented by Paul at Bell-Lomax.
She's on Twitter @HollySwainUK, and on Instagram @swain_holly
Swain, Holly COLIN'S CASTLE Boxer Books (Children's None) $18.99 7, 15 ISBN: 9781454712510
Things aren't always what they're quacked up to be.
Colin's "one happy vampire"--he's moving into a castle that's "perfect in every way." Unbeknownst to him, however, it already has a tenant: a greenish-blue duck who accosts him in the tub. Colin unceremoniously deposits the duck in the moat. After all, "a vampire's castle should be a duck-free zone." The determined quacker has other ideas and shows up again when Colin's watching TV, mowing the lawn, and reading on the toilet. Colin chases the wayward creature away and installs heavy padlocks. Guess who returns? Colin's bewildered: How does the feathered interloper do it? The frustrated Colin suctions up his nemesis with a vacuum cleaner and tosses the bird out. That night, a quacking chorus interrupts Colin's sleep: Hundreds of ducklings are assembled outside. Following Colin's birdseed trail to the moat, they all jump in. Colin can finally resume his slumber or can he? This droll tale, first published in the U.K., is told in a wry, understated voice--two voices, actually, Colin's and an unseen narrator's. Kids will likely guess from the outset that the low-key standoff between the bemused, wide-eyed Colin and his web-footed adversary won't go his way, which only heightens the humor. The thin-lined illustrations, rendered in a soft, limited palette, complement the witty proceedings. Colin has paper-white skin and cuts a nonthreatening figure.
This very ducky story gets top billing from us.(Picture book. 4-7)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2025 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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"Swain, Holly: COLIN'S CASTLE." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Apr. 2025. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A835106528/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=108bb3f1. Accessed 18 Sept. 2025.