Simon Basher
Simon Basher | |
---|---|
Born |
Simon Basher January 5, 1970 London, England, U.K. |
Occupation | Writer, illustrator |
Years active | 2000–present |
Spouse(s) | Claire Rollett |
Simon Basher, (born 1970) is an English artist, illustrator and author based in London. He is best known for his illustrated children's reference books, particularly the Basher Science series, which includes The Periodic Table, Physics and Chemistry.
Life and career
Basher was born in London, England in 1970. He studied illustration at both the Epsom School of Art and Design (which merged with Surrey Institute of Art & Design, University College in 1994) and Lincoln College, Lincolnshire. After graduating in 1992, he was a member of the rock / hip-hop band Boasti who enjoyed Indie rock chart success and toured with Senser, Chumbawamba and Dub War. From 1995, he worked as a session musician for various record labels including EMI, Rhythm King and Talkin' Loud both in London and New York City. He toured the UK extensively with different acts and was a performer with the band Posh at the Songs & Visions Carlsberg Concert Tour at Wembley Stadium in 1997. From 1998, he ran a musician and artist management company and along with record producer Paul Epworth was one of the founding members of the 93 Feet East music venue.
In 2000, Simon returned to art and illustration. Working under the name Basher, he created his manga character style exhibiting and selling original artwork and limited edition prints both internationally and in the U.K. In 2002 and 2006, he exhibited at two solo shows 'look how bright and brave they are' and 'Hello Oddbod' in The Truman Brewery, Brick Lane, London. In 2004, the Basher clothing range was launched in Selfridges. In 2007, the first book in the Basher Science series, The Periodic Table was published by Kingfisher to critical and commercial acclaim. He has since published over 35 books across four series including Basher Science, History, Basics and Go!Go! BoBo. His books are available in over twenty countries and have sold over 3 million copies worldwide.
Basher is married to the French illustrator Claire Rollet. They have two children and live and work in London, England.
Work
Basher received a Graphic Design HND from Lincoln College of Art in 1992,[1] with contemporaries such as Lydia Monks (see Julia Donaldson).
Starting in 2007, Basher began writing and illustrating a series of books aimed at making science relevant and interesting. His first work, on the Periodic Table, invited the reader to enjoy "Elements with Style!". It was subsequently reviewed by Publisher's Weekly[2] and the Royal Society of Chemistry.[3]
"Artist and designer Simon Basher has fun playing in the world of contemporary character design. Inspired by a love of simple line work and a rich color palette, his characters fill the gap between edgy manga and the cuteness of Hello Kitty. He lives in England."[4]
Bibliography
All titles were published by Kingfisher, a division of Macmillan Publishers, except as indicated.
Basics Series
- Maths: A book you can count on!
- Punctuation: the write stuff!
- Grammar: the bill of writes!
- Music: hit the right note!
- Dinosaurs: the bare bones! [5]
- Weather: whipping up a storm!
- Creative Writing: the plot thickens! [6]
- Space Exploration: it IS rocket science!
Science Series
- The Periodic Table: elements with style!
- Biology: life as we know it!
- Physics: why matter matters!
- Planet Earth: what planet are you on?
- Chemistry: getting a big reaction!
- Astronomy: out of this world!
- Algebra and Geometry: anything but square!
- Human Body: a book with guts!
- Rocks and Minerals: a gem of a read!
- Oceans: making waves!
- Technology: a bite-sized world!
- Extreme Physics: take a quantum leap...to the edge of science
- Extreme Biology: from superbugs to clones...get to the edge of science
- Climate Change: a hot topic!
- Microbiology: it's a small world!
Individual Titles
Superstars Series
- Superstars of History, published by Scholastic Corporation
- Superstars of Science, published by Scholastic Corporation
History Series
- US Presidents: Oval Office all-stars
- States and Capitals: united we stand!
- Mythology: the stuff of legends!
Go!Go! Bobo Series
- Colors (US)
- Colours (UK)
- Shapes [9]
- Time
- Opposites