Nathan Shelton Illustration - Ant Creations

Nathan Shelton Illustration - Ant Creations Illustrator behind Ant Creations since 2000. Creating characters, mascots, commercial illustration and children's books for businesses, brands and authors.

Helping first-time children's book authors bring their stories to life. I'm Nathan Shelton and I have been drawing and doodling cartoons as long as I can remember! I have a passion for creating funky artwork, cool characters, unique illustration and great design in general! I've been running Ant Creations the business since I started illustrating professionally in the year 2000, and am now based in Market Harborough, Leicester in the UK. Kick back, relax and give your eyes a treat. Enjoy!

A nice little surprise landed through the letterbox this week.I'm a member of Hireillo (Hireillo - Hire an Illustrator) ...
17/06/2026

A nice little surprise landed through the letterbox this week.

I'm a member of Hireillo (Hireillo - Hire an Illustrator) and this month they've featured me as one of their Featured Artists. Along with that came my Artist Trading Card, which is now sitting proudly on my desk looking bright and bold (and more professional than I do today).

If you're not familiar with Hireillo, they're a long-established illustration directory and community that helps connect illustrators with clients while supporting artists behind the scenes. It's run by people who genuinely care about the industry and the creatives working within it.

As someone who spends most of their working day drawing characters, creating artwork for clients and talking to myself, it's always appreciated when somebody shines a light on your work.

Thanks to Darren and the team for the feature and the card.

16/06/2026

We have three fabulous new Featured Artists for you: Sue Todd Illustration, Ren Elizabeth and Ant Creations - Vector Illustrator and Graphic Designer. Their portfolios are packed with amazing art and are well worth a look 👇

Sue - hireillo.com/db4
Ren - hireillo.com/cyg
Nathan - hireillo.com/cdY

A little update from me 👋Over the coming weeks I'm going to be simplifying my social media slightly and bringing more of...
09/06/2026

A little update from me 👋

Over the coming weeks I'm going to be simplifying my social media slightly and bringing more of my illustration work together in one place.

For those of you who know me through Ant Creations, you'll still see the same mix of character design, mascots, branding projects, games and commercial illustration.

For those who follow my children's book work, you'll still see plenty of that too.

The reality is that after 25+ years of drawing things for a living, whether it's a tiger, a dragon, a rabbit, a train, a children's book character or something completely unexpected, it's all part of the same illustration journey.

Going forward I'll be sharing more behind-the-scenes content, works in progress, finished projects, children's book updates and the occasional bit of nonsense that pops into my head.

Thanks for following along. I genuinely appreciate every like, comment, share and recommendation.

Nathan 😊

(Looking to the future - But don't worry, Ant Creations isn't going anywhere - it's still very much part of my illustration world.) 👀

Ant Creations - Vector Illustrator and Graphic Designer and Nathan Shelton Children's Book Illustrator & Author

This was a lovely project to be involved with.I created these characters for Leicester City Council's Swim Leicester cam...
03/06/2026

This was a lovely project to be involved with.

I created these characters for Leicester City Council's Swim Leicester campaign, helping to promote swimming through a set of friendly, engaging illustrations.

One of the things I enjoy most about character design is that it can take a message that might otherwise be overlooked and make it far more approachable and memorable. Whether it's encouraging people to swim, supporting a campaign, or helping a brand communicate more effectively, a good character can do a lot of heavy lifting.

Also, unlike real swimming, there was no risk of me accidentally inhaling half the pool.

You can see the full project here:
👉 https://antcreations.co.uk/ #/leicester-council-swim-leicester-character-design/

If you've got a campaign, event, public engagement project or brand that could benefit from some character-led illustration, feel free to get in touch.

The UK weather has gone completely rogue.It’s a bank holiday weekend and somehow we’ve ended up with the prospect of:☀️ ...
22/05/2026

The UK weather has gone completely rogue.

It’s a bank holiday weekend and somehow we’ve ended up with the prospect of:

☀️ actual sunshine
🍺 cold beers in the garden
🔥 BBQs being lit at irresponsible hours
🌱 and at least one neighbour always mowing the lawn

So to match the mood, I thought I’d share a few sunny illustrations I’ve worked on over the years.

I always enjoy this kind of artwork because everything gets pushed a bit further - brighter colours, happier characters, more relaxed energy and fewer miserable grey skies.

Basically the visual equivalent of pretending we live in Spain for 72 hours.

If you’re working on a summer campaign, product or project and need some bold, character-led illustration, feel free to have a wander round the site:
👉 https://antcreations.co.uk

Now go and enjoy the weather before the UK remembers itself.

This was a fun one.I worked on this Hireillo project, creating a 'versus evil' trading card-style cartoon character.Ther...
20/05/2026

This was a fun one.

I worked on this Hireillo project, creating a 'versus evil' trading card-style cartoon character.

There’s something really enjoyable about projects like this because they let you push character design much further than normal. Bigger personalities, more attitude… basically the exact opposite of corporate stock photography.

The final artwork ended up feeling bold, colourful and full of energy - which is exactly what this kind of project needs.

You can see the artwork here: 👉 https://antcreations.co.uk/ #/snatcher-hire-an-illustrator-good-versus-evil-trading-card-cartoon-illustration/

If you’re creating a game, campaign, product or brand and need illustration with a bit more life in it, feel free to get in touch.

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Market Harborough

Telephone

+447730267367

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