James Hearne | My First Month at Bright

James Hearne joined Bright just one month ago and what a whirlwind month it has been! We caught up with him to find out how his career has changed pace in such a short space of time.

With a wealth of artistic experience, including illustrating numerous children’s books and creating thousands of decorative designs supplied to companies around the world, James Hearne brought a rich background to Bright when he joined the agency last month.

Books illustrated by James Hearne: Good Morning, Sunshine! A Story of Mindfulness - written by Trina Markusson, Lucy Tries Hockey - written by Lisa Bowes, Mascots & Friends - written by Holly Preston and Green is the Colour.

Since then, James hasn’t wasted a moment in using his established artistic style to create an impressive range of projects across both art licensing and educational divisions - producing more than he thought possible in just a few weeks. We spoke to him about how the experience has been so far.

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James

“Wow, has it been a month already? They say time flies when you’re having fun, this has never been so true since I approached Hannah and the Bright Agency. I knew Hannah from her days at another agency nine years ago and she rocked then too. Immediately I was struck by the passionate way that Hannah talked about her job and her fellow “brightlings”. It was like opening a window and feeling the fresh air for the first time after a long cold winter. That passion is infectious, I immediately wanted to do my best.

“Hannah introduced me to the team and, in particular, Lucie. Meeting Lucie lit a roaring fire beneath me. She is so, so friendly, incredibly hard working and passionate about her work. Lucie and Hannah sent me briefs for speculative work and before I knew it I had my first real work with Bright. I had two jobs lined up before I had even signed my contract. I have not looked back (I can’t there are deadlines to meet!).

A selection of greetings card designs by James

“Before Bright, my career was a slow but steady turtle plodding along, now it is a dragster roaring down a highway. I feel part of a proper team now, with everyone pulling in the same direction. The future is Bright!”

“These are my work colleagues, Bonnie and Pepsi, they are not helpful at all… they do give good hugs though!”

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Hannah

“When James got in touch only a month ago stating that I might not remember him I told him that this elephant never forgets! I remember every artist I have ever worked with, but James stands out as he was always a delight to work with. James was always hugely reliable, responsive and hard working. He would never turn down a job and would always deliver on time.

“Working closely with Lucie and the educational team, I know how important reliability is, so I immediately introduced the two. James hit the ground running and was instantly booked up to the eye balls with projects! Here’s to a very Bright future together!”

More of James’ greetings designs and illustrations for educational projects

Lucie

“James is an absolute joy to work with. He has a range of styles and his creativity and drive to keep producing new styles never ceases to amaze me or my clients! He is also a true professional in his manner towards our customers and the total dedication he gives to his craft is second to none.”

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To view James’ portfolio, please click here.

For more Art Licensing artwork, please contact Hannah.

For more Education artwork, plesase contact Lucie.