An Illustrative Life
Graham Percy was a New Zealand-born artist, designer, and illustrator. Born in Stratford, New Zealand, he studied at the Elam School of Fine Arts in Auckland. Following his graduation in the early 1960s, he worked as an illustrator for the New Zealand School Journal and collaborated with various Auckland-based writers and artists. His design career included creating typography for several of Colin McCahon's exhibition invitations and establishing one of New Zealand's first design consultancies alongside Hamish Keith. He also designed covers for works such as The End of the Golden Weather and The Pohutukawa Tree by Bruce Mason.
In 1964, Percy moved to London after receiving a scholarship to study at the Royal College of Art. He remained in London for the rest of his life, working as an illustrator and artist. His diverse professional contributions included serving as the production designer for the 1973 animated film Hugo the Hippo.
Literary and Artistic Works
Percy specialized extensively in children's book illustration, completing more than 100 works. Notable publications include:
- Illustrations for La Belle au bois dormant (1977)
- Illustrations for The Fantastic Flying Journey and The Fantastic Dinosaur Adventure by Gerald Durrell
- Illustrations for The Wind in the Willows (1997)
- Design and illustration for the series Graham Percy's Animal Tails (1995)
In his later years, he produced independent art for adults. This included the book Arthouse, published by Chronicle Books in 1994, and the series Imagined Histories, published in 2007 with support from the Scottish Arts Council.
