James Weston Lewis illustrates The Legend of Tutankhamun

James Weston Lewis was recently commissioned to illustrate The Legend of Tutankhamun, a beautiful book about the famous boy Pharaoh. We asked James a few questions about how he approached the brief and brought the sense of history to life through his illustrations.

‘It was wonderful to be able to draw on such a rich history of amazing artworks and designs to inform my work on this project. I enjoyed doing a lot of research and taking inspiration from the art and architecture of the ancient Egyptians. I wanted to try and invoke the feeling of time and place for children reading the book, so I concentrated on creating a strong palette for light and shade that would evoke the heat and dust of the desert, as well as the fertile Nile valley, and to give the feeling of bringing light into the dark sealed tomb of the king.’

The Legend of Tutankhamun is written by Sally Morgan and is published by Wren&rook @Hachette Children’s Books.