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Dr Becky Palmer

Dr Becky Palmer
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Lecturer

Becky is an author/illustrator and Lecturer on ARU's MA Children’s Book Illustration. Her research activities and interests centre on research through creative practice, both in terms of the knowledge it gives rise to and its potential impact. Her research to date has focused on the relationship between comics and picturebooks, as well as the potential contribution of drawing and illustration as methods for interdisciplinary research. As author and illustrator of books for children, Becky has written and illustrated books published by Walker Books, Nobrow Press, Bloomsbury and Editions Sarbacane.

[email protected]

Visit Becky's website

Faculty:
Faculty of Arts, Humanities, Education and Social Sciences
School:
Cambridge School of Art
Location:
Cambridge
Areas of Expertise:
Creative practice , Illustration, drawing and book art
Research Supervision:
Yes
Courses taught:
Background

Becky took a Foundation course in Art and Design before studying for a BA in Art History and English Literature at the University of York. After several years working as an art technician and school teacher, she studied for a Master's in Children’s Book Illustration at Anglia Ruskin University. She went on to pursue a PhD, supervised by Professor Martin Salisbury and Will Hill, using a practice-based approach to research the relationship between comics and picturebooks. She gained her doctorate in 2016.

From 2015 to 2017, Becky taught illustration at the University of Worcester. She has worked as an Associate Lecturer and Lecturer at Anglia Ruskin University since 2017, teaching Master's students of children’s book illustration alongside research and PhD supervision. In 2019, she began an ongoing research collaboration with Dr Francesca Cavallerio, Associate Professor in Qualitative Sports Psychology at Anglia Ruskin University, using drawing and illustration as methods for conducting as well as communicating qualitative research in sports psychology. Becky’s work as an illustrator continues alongside her teaching and research. She has presented at conferences in the UK and internationally.

Spoken Languages
  • English
  • Dutch
  • German
Research interests
  • Research through creative practice
  • Visual storytelling in comics and picturebooks
  • Visual narrative as Creative Non-Fiction in qualitative research
Areas of research supervision
  • Practice-based research in illustration and visual storytelling
  • Comics and graphic novels
  • Children’s magazines
  • Picturebooks/board books

Successful vivas

As second supervisor:

  • 2025. Neto, Sofia. The Potential of Independent Children's Magazines for the Illustrator: a practice-based investigation.
  • 2020. Dolan, Elys. Humour in picturebooks: an examination of its construction and emergence through creative practice.
Teaching

Becky teaches on the following modules:

  • Observation and Experiment
  • Research and Review (module leader)
  • Master's Project
Qualifications
  • PG Cert Higher Education, 2019
  • PhD: Understanding graphic narrative through the synthesis of comic and picturebooks. Anglia Ruskin University, 2016
  • MA, Children’s Book Illustration, Anglia Ruskin University, 2012
  • BA, History of Art and English Literature, University of York, 2005
Memberships, editorial boards
  • HEA Fellowship
Research grants, consultancy, knowledge exchange
  • Arts Council DYCP grant recipient, 2023-24
  • Arts and Humanities Research Council studentship awarded to undertake doctoral research, using reflective practice as a method and tool for studying the relationship between comics and picturebooks, 2012-2015
  • Member of the nominating panel for UK entries to the Bratislava Illustration Biennale, 2017
Selected recent publications

Cavallerio, F. and B. Palmer 2022. Exploring Visual Storytelling as a Vehicle for Creative Nonfiction. In Cavallerio, F. (ed.), Creative Nonfiction in Sport and Exercise Research, pp.158-176.

Palmer, B., 2017. The Widow. In Rhodes, J. A Castle in England. London: NoBrow.

Palmer, B., 2017. Ellie and Lump’s Very Busy Day. London: Walker Books.

Palmer, B. 2016. From Comics to Picturebooks: The Reading Moment as Focus for Devising Hybrid Narratives. Interjuli 16(02): 89-103.

Palmer, B. 2014. Combining the rhythms of comics and picturebooks: thoughts and experiments. Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics 5(3): 297-310.

Palmer, B. 2014. La Soupière Magique. Paris: Éditions Sarbacane.

Recent presentations and conferences

Palmer, B. 2026. Drawings that listen, drawings that tell: exploring the potential of comics and reportage drawing in qualitative research with young athletes. Comics Forum, Leeds.

Cavallerio, F. and B. Palmer 2021. Show Me Your Research! Cambridge Festival.

Cavallerio, F. and B. Palmer 2019 (facilitators). Letters to our Younger Selves: a comics collaboration between students of sport science and illustration.

Manolessou, K. and B. Palmer, 2017. The Use of Frames in Illustration Practice. Synergy and Contradiction: How Picturebooks and Picture Books Work, Homerton College, University of Cambridge.

Palmer, B. 2017. Migrations. Migrations exhibition launch. Bratislava: Bibiana International House of Art for Children.

Palmer, B. 2017. 'Illustrating 'The Widow and Ellie' and 'Lump's Very Busy Day', at the launch of Hatched! Exhibition at Hive Library, Worcester.

Manolessou, K., Palmer, B. and Salisbury, M., 2015. Engineering the Book, Research Through Design, 25-27 March. Cambridge: Microsoft Research Centre.

Palmer, B., 2014. Where do books come from? Pen to Page: Making and Creating Books, 9 October. Limerick: Limerick International Publishers' Salon.

Palmer, B., 2014. Orchestrating Interruption: how can the rhythms of word and image collaborate to convey the disorder of lived experience? Word & Image Crossovers, Bydgoszcz, Poland: Bydgoszcz University 29-30 September 2014.