Kate Veale facts for kids
Kate Veale is a wonderful author and illustrator of children's books. She is best known for creating the Mr. Moon series, which first appeared on the Playhouse Disney channel in 2010.
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Early Life and Artistic Beginnings
Kate Veale was born in Derbyshire, England. From a very young age, she loved to draw, paint, and write. Her parents, Roy and Margaret, were also artistic and encouraged her creativity. They even had her make her own Christmas cards! Kate has two sisters, Claire and her twin sister Amanda.
Discovering a Love for Nature
Kate's love for the countryside and nature grew during long holidays. She often stayed with family friends in Somerset. Her family would visit an old stone farmhouse surrounded by beautiful nature. Kate and her sisters spent most of their time exploring the outdoors. Her whole family also shared a strong interest in wildlife.
Education and First Steps in Art
Kate's artistic talent was clear even when she was at school. She even sold her first paintings during those early years.
Choosing a Creative Path
Kate was also a good student and passed her entrance exam for Oxford University. However, she decided to attend Durham University instead. There, she studied history, but she soon realized it wasn't what she truly wanted to do. After one year, she left Durham. She wanted to follow her passion for painting and writing.
Starting a Professional Art Career
Kate's first experience in a commercial art studio was with Jay Advertising. This was a small studio in Leicestershire, where she worked as a freelance artist. While she learned a lot, Kate found the very commercial side of the work challenging. It felt like it limited her imagination. Still, it was a valuable experience. It taught her important technical and business skills.
Mentorship and Encouragement
Around this time, Kate also did some work for Sharpe's Classic and created nature studies for Royle Publications. She was noticed by Rowland Hilder, a famous artist who was on the board at Royle. He was very impressed by one of Kate's illustrations. It was a picture of a rabbit with its young, and it was later published.
Rowland Hilder gave Kate advice and encouragement that stayed with her. He told her, "whatever you do, never stop drawing and painting." He also gave her helpful tips that greatly improved her art.
