Zara Picken

Big news! I’m excited to reveal that my ‘My First Ballet: Cinderella’ project for the English National Ballet has been shortlisted in the Creativepool Annual 2026 Illustration category! 🎉

I loved working on this project so I’m delighted to see it recognised. I was lucky enough to see the beautiful production live with my family a couple of months ago. The show reimagined the classic story with a fresh perspective, featuring a nature-loving Cinderella who lives on the edge of an enchanted forest.

Used across advertising, publicity, and merchandise, the intricate papercut-style illustration needed to capture the story’s magical, timeless spirit while remaining flexible across a range of formats.

Thank you to Creativepool and the jury, as well as huge thanks to the team at English National Ballet and Meiklejohn.

An illustration inspired by reading on the beach in summer.

It's all kicking off!

This illustration celebrates the start of the World Cup today - good luck, whatever team you support.*

*Though especially if it's England, of course.

‘Reflection’ - a new piece from my series ‘Layers’.

Exploring emotional depths often kept hidden, this digital paper-cut illustration uses layered forms, gradients, and contrast to reveal the complexity of feeling.

‘Black Hole’ - a new piece from my series ‘Layers’.

Exploring emotional depths often kept hidden, this digital paper-cut illustration uses layered forms, gradients, and contrast to reveal the complexity of feeling.

'Inner Fire' - a new piece from my series 'Layers'.

Exploring emotional depths often kept hidden, this digital paper-cut illustration uses layered forms, gradients, and contrast to reveal the complexity of feeling.

‘Blending In’ - a new piece from my series ‘Layers’.

Exploring emotional depths often kept hidden, this digital paper-cut illustration uses layered forms, gradients, and contrast to reveal the complexity of feeling.

'Blending In' - a new piece from my series 'Layers'.

Exploring emotional depths often kept hidden, this digital paper-cut illustration uses layered forms, gradients, and contrast to reveal the complexity of feeling.

I was excited to work with Actes Sud once again, creating an adaptation of my illustration for the cover of 'Mal Lunée' by Jules Fournier.

'Mal Lunée' follows Luna, an up-and-coming BookTuber building a small community of enthusiasts on her YouTube channel. Persuaded by an agent to abandon books in favour of more intimate and "authentic" content, she quickly finds success as the lines between her public and private life begin to blur. Caught between the demands of her subscribers and the algorithm, Luna is swept up by relentless fame.

A big thanks to Actes Sud and Meiklejohn.

I recently enjoyed working with Golf Digest on a podcast cover for Club Lab.

Club Lab is a golf equipment podcast that provides in-depth analysis of the latest gear, featuring robot-testing data and interviews with industry experts.

With thanks to Golf Digest, AD Lauren Occhipinti and Rapp Art.

It was a joy working with The Texas Scientist to illustrate their fascinating cover feature about CRISPR gene editing.

The article, "Cut, Paste, Cure", explores how CRISPR is revolutionising biology. First discovered as an immune mechanism in bacteria, researchers are now using it as a faster and more precise way to study and rewrite DNA. Author Marc Airhart looks at how scientists are using these tools to treat rare diseases, advance cancer research, and improve crops.

A huge thank you to the University of Texas at Austin and AD Martha Morales.

I’ve been enjoying Saturday Night Live UK recently and keep laughing whenever I think about one particular sketch from episode three.

A small tribute to Sir Humphrey Cosgrave (played by fellow yam yam George Fouracres) and his gothic horror masterpiece: “The Bastard Seagull”.

No spoilers, but it won’t bloody leave.

I was excited to find out that my illustration ‘Cat Among the Pigeons’ was chosen for American Illustration 45. It’s an honour to have my work recognised by such a prestigious competition.

I recently had the pleasure of working with Quanta Magazine on a new editorial illustration for their latest Qualia column, asking: ‘Why Do We Tell Ourselves Scary Stories About AI?’ The artwork accompanies an article by writer Amanda Gefter which explores some of the deeper questions behind our fear of total AI domination.  AI “horror stories” often frame machines as if they have desires or survival instincts, but these narratives don’t hold up under closer scrutiny. Today’s systems have no true autonomy or goals of their own - ironically, if they did, they would likely be less powerful. The real risk lies in how we use and understand them.

I was delighted to work with English National Ballet recently, creating an immersive, layered illustration for their magical production of My First Ballet: Cinderella - a show specially adapted for children aged 3+. The production presents the classic story from a fresh perspective, with a nature-loving Cinderella who lives on the edge of an enchanted forest, where she once gardened and sang with her mother. After loss and silence settle over her home, she’s left with a sharp-tongued stepmother, two noisy stepsisters, and a house full of chores and shadows. But when a letter arrives, inviting all to a Garden Ball, Cinderella’s journey to find her true self begins - guided by the spirit of her mother and the magic of the forest. Used across advertising, publicity, and merchandise, the intricate papercut-style illustration needed to capture the story’s magical, timeless spirit while remaining flexible across a range of formats.

An illustration inspired by the sounds of the city.

In this piece, I portray buildings as notes on a keyboard, turning architecture into music…or music into a city.

I was commissioned by Pulse Magazine, published by Texas Tech University, to illustrate an article exploring the questions surrounding new weight-loss medications.

In the piece, physician and associate professor Drew Payne discusses the growing number of patients asking about GLP-1 drugs - medications originally developed for diabetes - following recent publicity. While he recognises their significance, he also urges caution and encourages patients to ask questions before considering them.

With thanks to Pulse and AD Michael A Cantu.