Aditi Anand won the Emerging Illustrator category at the 2024 V&A Illustration Awards for her work ‘Marigolds’, inspired by flower markets of India. A project created as part of her university course, the judges loved her use of colour to emphasise the contrast between the beautiful flower garlands and the harsh reality of poor conditions for those who create them.
In the run up to the launch of the 2026 awards, we spoke to Aditi about her winning work and how she approaches illustration.
Can you tell us about how you began your career in illustration, and what motivates your work?
Aditi: I am a children’s book illustrator and author. I studied a Master’s degree in children’s book illustration from the Cambridge School of Art in the UK and I just graduated last year [2024]. In my work I’m drawn to stories with strong emotions, often exploring difficult subjects.
How did ‘Marigolds’, your winning work in the Awards, come into existence?
It was a project that I created during my Master’s degree. I was in India and I didn’t have a story in mind, but I knew that I wanted to do something with flowers. I visited a flower market in Delhi, and ‘Marigolds’ emerged from that visit because I noticed that there is a contrast between the colourful flowers and the hardships of the people who are working in that dark, dingy area. I also noticed a generational aspect where parents were teaching children the craft of making intricate flower garlands. My sketchbook is a very important part in my creative process. Wherever I go, my sketchbook goes, so I took my sketchbook to the flower market and it helped me get the sense of place and the sense of environment in which the people work.
How did you approach the sketching process?
It’s very difficult to sketch in India because people are very curious. When I was there in the afternoon, it was quiet – and children peered curiously into my sketchbooks. That was the point where I got the idea of the story. A parent who was working in the market told their children: ‘go back to work’. That hit me – the children are working too.
I’m at a research phase while creating these artworks, so I use a simple pen or pencil to make it easier for me to focus on recording details without getting distracted by colours or material choice. It’s about capturing their gestures and their poses. I used about 14 sketchbooks in A4 and A5 size in the process of creating ‘Marigolds’.
What is the most important thing you’ve learnt when creating your work?
I think the biggest takeaway was to maintain a sketchbook for sure. An alumna of my course once said it becomes as normal as breathing. Another thing is to make sure that you make a lot of bad drawings, because that’s very important in the creative process, and ultimately leads you to the project that you want to create. Just put it out there. Even if it’s not beautiful, it’s fine.
The judges praised your use of colour. How did you approach this and what materials did you use?
I wanted to show the contrast between the tough working environment and the bright, popping colours of the flowers. I’ve used inks, soft pastels and coloured pencils. The choice of material depends on what I want to capture. If I want to capture the atmosphere, I would use something that would fill up the page easily, such as ink or pastels. If I want to focus on details, I would use something finer, like a pen or pencil.
‘Marigolds’ has quite a distinctive style. Was this something that developed during your studies? Were you inspired by other artists?
In a module at the start of my MA, the story I created was very horror-themed, and I realised that’s not really me. I’m more drawn to warmth in my stories. I think it was trial and error to try everything out and then you see what works for you, which developed over the MA.
I really admire Sydney Smith’s work. He has this dreamlike effect to his artworks, it’s very soft and gentle. And I love Laura Carlin’s work too – it feels effortless, and I aim to bring a similar sense of ease into my own work.
What was your reaction to winning the award?
It was such an incredible honour to win the award, and I am deeply grateful to the V&A for recognising this theme and showcasing it in the museum. I hope that those who visit the museum will be given a window into a world that may be different from their own, and that it offers them a new perspective on how so many children lose their childhoods.
What are your future plans?
My debut book as an author-illustrator, ‘The Fabric of Us’, is coming out in February 2026. It explores themes of family, love, loss and remembrance. Right now, I am reworking ‘Marigolds’-it’s been acquired by a UK publisher and is set to be published in 2027.
Aditi Anand website
The 2026 V&A Illustration Awards are now open for entries. For further details, please see https://www.vam.ac.uk/info/va-illustration-awards
