After failing to impress girls at high school with drawings of cute cartoon animals, Phillip put aside his dreams of being an artist and took on what his mother described as "a proper job".

He then spent the next 30 years working in various administrative, and management positions but never being able to repress the creative impulse, he gained qualifications in art and creative writing.

Phillip has since been published in magazines and has written and illustrated children's books.

He lives in the small Essex village of Mistley, overlooking the River Stour and spends his spare time with his two greatest loves, his children, and his irrepressible imagination.

Oh, and he is now dating one of those girls from school, so believes drawing cartoon animals definitely work as a way to impress girls, it just might take longer than you expect.