Simon Bartram

Simon Bartram graduated from Birmingham Polytechnic with a First Class degree in illustration in 1990. He now lives in Gateshead with his wife and son.

He is influenced by a variety of artists ranging from the 15th Century Dutch painter, Jan van Eyck, to the recent figurative painters Stanley Spencer, Peter Blake and Peter Howson.

Simon loves writing and illustrating children's books. In 2003 he was short listed for the Kate Greenaway Award and in 2004 won the Blue Peter Book of the Year Award for Man on The Moon (a Day in the life of Bob). He has just finished the sequel about Bob’s new best friend Barry (the extra-terrestrial dog). Barry also stars alongside Bob in a new young fiction series, Bob and Barry’s Lunar Adventure.

Templar have also published Simon’s unique book, Watch out for Sprouts; this collection of poems and doodles reveals characters that would normally be hidden away in his sketchbooks.