Aysha Tengiz is a multi-award-winning creative whose work has been featured by the New York Times, Stella McCartney and LUSH amongst many other prestigious clients, and she is creating the visual art for the new wing of Great Ormond Street Hospital. She shares her influences and artistic style, and tells us how she created her adorable hip-hop dancing bee.

My name is Aysha Tengiz, I’m a London based illustrator. I work in a little studio under the train arches near Brixton, with the constant rumbling of trains passing over my head - it’s never quiet! If you’re not familiar with my illustrations, the two centre points of my work are colour and play. Working with an array of anthropomorphised characters to create vibrant and energetic pieces. 

My influences come from the everyday, inspired continuously by the stream of chaos that envelops me as I walk outside my door in London. The people I meet and the places I go. Small things like the print of a carpet or the tiles lining the walls of the underground, these all subtly trickle down into my subconscious and influence my work in one way or another! My early inspirations came from picture books, as a child they introduced me to the world of art and stories. From the classics such as Cops and Robbers by Janet and Allan Ahlberg through to traditional Turkish folk tales like the illustrated book of Nasrettin Hoca by Zeki Fındıkoğlu. I was lucky enough that my house was brimming with different books and I knew from a very young age that illustrating was something I wanted to do. 

I work with a very flattened perspective, which I find allows me to build up worlds in more detail. This was initially inspired from traditional Ottoman paintings, which also have a very geometrical aesthetic. I love boxing in illustrations or repeating patterns and mirroring within the work. 

I work digitally, sketching my ideas and drafts out on paper. I’m normally very neat and I think my work reflects that, but at this early stage it’s my chance to be messy. I then draw these out digitally and colour using either procreate or photoshop. When I have the time, I love to paint. So many projects I work on are very fast paced and I’m glued to a screen. Painting gives me the opportunity to slow down and enjoy working in a more meditative way. I also love translating my work into textiles, through scarves, shirts, rugs, and toys. Seeing the illustrations work in this format is very satisfying, particularly when you can hug your art! 

Working on my debut picture book Baboo The Unusual Bee was an absolute dream project. Picture books have always meant a lot to me and I was beyond excited to create one of my own. Lliana Bird wrote the most beautiful story and I hugely enjoyed giving it a visual voice. The process involved looking at many, many pictures of bees and some really great bug books (The Smithsonian Handbook of Interesting Insects). Venturing out into the local parks and lying underneath bushes to try and get an idea of how it might feel to be so small. Bugs also have a lot of limbs and very peculiar bodies, so it was quite a challenge to work out how to make them dance and for it to look natural! Overcoming these obstacles are why certain projects are so great, helping you to grow and develop your drawings. Illustrating the book was such a great pleasure and I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I did drawing it! 

Baboo The Unusual Bee is a joyful celebration of difference that will entertain young readers while encouraging them to be open minded and celebratory about the special things that make everyone different.

Baboo The Unusual Bee by Liliana Bird and Aysha Tengiz is our Debut of the Month, reviewed here by Julia Eccleshare.