Jonny Hannah Illustrator and printmaker

Born and bred in Dunfermline, Jonny Hannah now lives on the Southampton coast but his imagination resides in ‘Darktown’. Not found on any map, this mysterious town is inhabited by jazz artists, fairground stalls, tattooed sailors and lipstick-bright pin-up girls.

Jonny Hannah studied illustration at Liverpool Art School where he was taught by illustrator Peter Bailey, before completing his training in 1998 at The Royal College of Art. Jonny’s love of jazz music is abundantly evident in his illustrations – full of strong colours and typography reminiscent of shop signs and concert posters from the 1940s and ’50s. Under the name Cakes and Ale Press, Jonny prints his own books, posters and prints. As an illustrator his clients have included Penguin Books, The Sunday Telegraph, The New York Times and English National Opera.