Danielle Smurthwaite | Illustrator and Children’s Author | Popcorn The Unicorn

I’m Danni, a thirty-something serial tea drinker enjoying the creative side of life currently residing in my hometown Birmingham.

I’ve indulged in my fair share of creative projects over the last 15 years, from running my own fashion label to creating design material for clients such as the BBC, but my hardest job to date would have to be becoming a mother, as I’m sure many of you would agree.

It was actually having children that led me to my current career choice of children’s author. Reading bedtime stories, creating the magical voices of characters and seeing excited small faces at the turn of every page drew me into the fascinating world of children’s literature. I’d always enjoyed writing, especially poems. I had a poem published at the age of 12 and since then I've written anecdotes in family cards and enjoyed drawing and recreating cartoon figures.

To write a children’s book had always been on my bucket list, so in 2015 I took the plunge and finally penned a rough draft from an idea my eldest son had. Over the course of 2 years (yes, kids really do slow life plans down don’t they) I fine tuned the story, illustrated the words and lovingly put together my first ever children’s book. Theunicornroom.com originally housed a range of my illustrated clothing and prints for adults, but after the warm welcome of my first children's book the existing business just didn't sit right alongside my newfound audience. After taking a step back, I decided to revolve The Unicorn Room around Popcorn The Unicorn, and here we are.

I love drawing, I love creating and I love the prospect of sharing Popcorn the Unicorn with so many children (and parents too).

Danielle Smurthwaite Illustration