We recently had the opportunity to collaborate with two incredibly talented artists in the creation of Soil’s Alive – an education children’s book exploring the world beneath our feet.

Diana Bechmann and Alice Robertson created every illustration by hand, collaborating to produce some amazing and eye-catching images.

Alice was primarily responsible for the character illustrations in the book. Here is what she had to say:

“Working on this book was such a great opportunity for me and brought together my love of children’s illustration, education and of promoting a healthier relationship with our planet. Looking after and restoring soil is such an important part of healing our planet and ensuring that future generations get to enjoy a safe existence on this earth, so I jumped at the chance to get involved in the project.

“I really enjoyed giving character to the various microbes and I learnt a lot along the way ( as did my 5 year old who took a keen interest in the whole process and can now name a number of soil dwelling creatures!). Coming up with the soil character was also lots of fun and the original drawing for him came very quickly - as if he had just been waiting to be born!

“I loved collaborating with Diana. Our styles are very different, and it was very exciting to see them come together for each page. Her painting is gorgeous, and I am delighted to have my work alongside hers.”

You can find more of Alice’s work on her website: https://alicealderman.com/ or Instagram.

See more of Diana’s work on her Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dkbec/

To order your copy of Soil’s Alive, please visit www.rhet.org.uk/soilsalive