Artist behind children’s favourite Bagpuss and the Clangers has teamed up with The Witham in Barnard Castle

A RENOWNED illustrator who helped create some of the nation’s best loved television characters will star in a new dale exhibition.  

Hamsterley’s Linda Birch was one of the artists behind children’s favourite Bagpuss and the Clangers.

The 70-year-old has teamed up with a range of other talents at The Witham, in Barnard Castle, to put pencil to paper for children and adults alike.

“I have a neighbour who works here who works at The Witham who said they were putting together an illustrated exhibition,” said Ms Birch.

“She remembered I had a background in it so she suggested I might contribute – it was a chance meeting.”

During her illustrious career, Ms Birch illustrated more than 150 books.

The bug bit her when she picked up a pot and a bottle of ink one Saturday afternoon and swapped fine art for illustration.

She still writes and teaches in the dale.

“I do not illustrate now but I write about painting for adults and teach historical painting techniques once a month at The Bowes Museum,” Ms Birch added.

“Things have moved on a lot but it’s so good to see how fertile it still is.”

Sarah Gent, from The Witham, was thrilled to have Ms Birch on board.

She said: “It’s lovely – we have Linda and Sharon Bates, who has graduated from Cleveland Art and design college, so we have young illustrators who are up and coming.

“It’s wonderful to have a breadth of illustrators through the ages.”

The exhibition will take viewers through the initial sketches of illustration right through to the finished article. It is designed to offer some insight into the sheer amount of work involved.

“I think it empowers children to think maybe one day I could do that,” added Ms Gent.

Ms Birch revealed how life as an illustrator could be demanding.

Deadlines for manuscripts were often loomed large but a balance had to be struck when sending off proofs.

Ms Birch said: “You needed to get a good feel of it and then start generating pictures in your head.

“You need to show the editor what you want to do without giving away too much of your creativity.

“They would say alter this, change that. You never, ever let them down.”

After her work under the wing of Oliver Postgate, Ms Birch went on to draw pictures for dozens of books.

She often found editors had a close eye for detail.

She added: “There was a book I did called Grandma’s Cottage where the managing editor had counted all the tiles on the cottage roof and found there was not the same number on another page. I had to do it again.”

The exhibition began last week and goes on until Saturday, August 12.