Getting to know the Bees! Nina Ramos
25 January 2024
It has been a joy to work with Nina Ramos for the last 9 months. Nina's vibrant and captivating portfolio brings any book to life!
Nina has recently worked on a new audiobook for Bolinda, here's what Amy Tadgell has to say about what it was like to work with her.
"Last year I received a brief that we were publishing new audiobook editions of the Star Girl Series by Louise Park. The covers for the original print editions were quite old and needed a refresh. They were also a bit pink and girly so we really wanted to emphasise that anyone could be a space hero and it didn't matter if you were a boy or a girl.
After browsing the Beehive website, I came across Nina's work and instantly fell in love. She had a gorgeous and fun illustration style that wasn't limited to a particular age group. These were middle grade books, so I wanted them to feel a bit more mature without losing any fun and playful elements and Nina really nailed the brief!
Not only was her style perfect but she was also a pleasure to work with. We needed very few revisions because she seems to understand our vision from the very first email. Also, the author was extremely happy with her work. I will definitely keep Nina in mind for any future projects of this sort!"
Amy Tadgell - Production Executive - Bolinda
Let's take a look at Nina's studio life, what inspires her and her future ambitions.
Please can you tell us where you are from and where do you currently live and work? Has this effected your work?
I am a northeast Brazilian illustrator, I lived my entire life around nature, animals and plants, and most of the time with very sunny weather, and now I am currently living in Toronto, Canada, a big and cold city with lots of inspiration and good coffee shops. Living in Canada has changed my work a lot, even though it is a big city it has lots of nature and parks everywhere that I can connect with, and also shows me the beauty of the big city, the galleries and museums are amazing and inspires me a lot, something that I did not have access to growing up.
Who or what inspired you to be an illustrator?
I grew up around books, and it helped me to be who I am today, being able to collaborate with my art to the lives of the children's make me feel very happy. But my biggest inspiration to keep going is my nephew who is a little hungry reader, and every time that I am illustrating a book I think about him.
What is a typical day in the studio like for you?
First of all I have to make my coffee and wait for my soul to come back to my body while I read my emails from the day. Once I figure out what playlist I will listen to start the work I am good to focus for the next few hours, having my plants and books around me helps a lot to get into the mood of concentration. But when all this is not working, I just go to a coffee shop and usually it helps a lot.
Do you have a favourite piece in your portfolio, if so could you share it and talk about it?
I do have some, but my favourite is always the most recent one, at this moment, one of the pages that I worked on for Hungry Tomato. I always wanted to illustrate a book about animals and I am really proud of the illustrations from this book.
"It was great working with Nina and we're really excited to see both hers and Hungry Tomato's hard work come to life. 'My First Book of Ocean Life' is a great addition to the My First Book of the series and the beautiful illustrations will really pique interest from the target audience!"
Amy Harvey - Senior Designer - Hungry Tomato Ltd
My First Book of Ocean Life - Published by Hungry Tomato Ltd
Illustrated by Nina Ramos
Do you have a favourite colour scheme, if so what and why?
Lately I am very into Black with a strong colourful palette, I am demonstrating this in my clothes, nails… I did have the chance to work with this combination for a nice fabric collection, but not yet in a book.
Do you have any 'dream projects' that you'd like to work on?
Actually I have 3 top dream projects, all based on my favourite books,1 Harry Potter, 2 Matilda and 2 Anne of Green Gables, and I am working very hard to achieve those dreams one day.
