Role
In her role as Course Leader MA Illustration Dr McConnell coordinates, designs and delivers content in areas including Sequential illustration, Reportage illustration, Children's book Illustration and Design. She works closely with the MA Illustration and Graphic design teams to ensure this is of the upmost value to students. Sarah also teaches on the undergraduate Graphic design course and actively works with industry and practicing illustrators organising events for students. She also engages in illustration research and practice to support teaching activities and to contribute to REF.
Career overview
Alongside her practice as an Author/Illustrator Sarah has completed a PhD in Children’s book Illustration. She was a visiting lecturer on the Children’s book MA at Cambridge School of Art. Sarah has taught for many years in adult education both in Cambridge and Nottingham, she designed and initiated NTU’s Children’s Book Illustration short course.
Research areas
Sarah’s research focuses on the children’s book as an art form. Most recently she has completed a chapter in the internationally recognised series ‘A companion to Illustration’ edited by Prof. Alan Male published by Wiley Blackwell. The chapter is entitled ‘Illustration in Motion: Sequential Momentum in Children’s Illustrated Books’. She has also delivered at international conferences and written a journal article on the subject.
Research Areas:
- How motion is represented in picture book illustration
- Notions of play and illustration
- Character as a storytelling vehicle in illustration
External activity
Sarah is a published Author/Illustrator of children’s books, she has illustrated more than 30 books. These have been translated into ten different languages with books regularly featured on BBC’s Bedtime Stories and the Governments ‘Boys into Books’ list. Her clients include Harper Collins UK and US, Hachette: Hodder Children's Books, Orchard Books, Oxford University Press and Scholastic. She is represented by the Literary agent Eunice McMullen.
Publications
Wiley Blackwell ‘A companion to Illustration’ edited by Prof. Alan Male. The chapter is entitled ‘Illustration in Motion: Sequential Momentum in Children’s Illustrated Books’