Charlie Cully
Hand-drawn worlds you can get lost in. Fineliner, marker, and a story behind every character...
Charlie Cully is an illustrator working out of Northern Ireland under the name CC Illustrations. He draws dense, hand-built worlds — every one of them started with a black fineliner and finished in alcohol marker, with nothing generated, traced or filled in by a machine.
The work is built to be looked at twice. A single piece might hold sixty characters: a shark reading a bottle label, a submarine with a face, a small boy grinning through it all. Children find something new on the fourth read, which is exactly the point, and it is why his pages hold up as picture book spreads, as framed prints on a gallery wall, and at billboard scale.
His debut picture book, My Time Travel Adventure, is a rhyming story about a boy, a time-travel watch and the mess it makes of an ordinary week. Alongside it he takes commissioned originals, character design, apparel graphics and mural work, and runs live drawing sessions in schools and libraries.
- Drawn by handFineliner and alcohol marker. Nothing generated, traced or filled by a machine.
- You approve the sketchNothing is inked until you've seen the pencils and said yes.
- Ships worldwidePrints rolled in a rigid tube. UK and Ireland in 3–5 working days.
- Replies within two daysEvery enquiry gets an answer, not an auto-responder.
Books
My Time Travel Adventure
Every child gets asked the same question: what do you want to be when you grow up? Charlie's debut picture book is his answer to it.
The story follows him back through his own growing up — the classroom, the sketchbooks, the hours spent drawing when he could have been doing almost anything else — and watches a love of art and making things turn, page by page, into a career in illustration.
Underneath the monsters and the time-travel watch, it carries a simple message: you can do anything if you work hard and put your mind to it. It ends where it began, with a boy being told to dream big — and doing exactly that.
The first print run is limited and signed. Join the list and you'll get the release date, the price and a pre-order link before it goes public.
- Format — Soft book picture book
- Age range — 4–8 years, and adults who look properly
- Illustration — Fineliner and alcohol marker, drawn by hand
- Written & illustrated by — Charlie Cully
- Publication — 2026
A numbered slipcase edition with a matching portfolio of loose prints, foil-blocked and hand-signed. Coming soon — join the list and you'll hear the moment it opens.
Charlie takes on picture book projects, single covers, chapter headers and character bibles. Download the portfolio and rate card below, or ask for sample spreads and character sheets.
Dedicated to four very special people
My Time Travel Adventure is dedicated to the grandparents who kept the pencils sharpened and never once suggested drawing was a waste of an afternoon.
- Granny Berta
- Granda Edwin
- Granny Audrey
- Granda Walker
With love — this one is for you.
Hear about the book first
Release date, pre-order link and print drops. Nothing else, and never more than once a month.
Achievements & Exhibitions
Shown, awarded, framed
Charlie has exhibited at the Next Generation Exhibition at Newcastle Town Hall three years running, as part of Creative Peninsula.
Next Generation Exhibition
My Time Travel Adventure went on show — the finished book exhibited alongside the original artwork it was drawn from.
The same summer, Charlie was awarded an A in A-Level Art.
Next Generation Exhibition
Charlie's large-scale mural work was exhibited.
Next Generation Exhibition
Charlie's first year in the exhibition.
- A — A-Level ArtAugust 2026
- Little Wing winnerSee the post on Instagram ↗
- Three years exhibitedNext Generation Exhibition, 2024–2026
- Creative PeninsulaNewcastle Town Hall
Selected Work
Selected work
Originals, commissions, editorial and large-format work. Prints of most pieces are available — sizes and paper stock on request.
Every character on the page was drawn by a hand that meant it.Charlie Cully, CC Illustrations
Prints
Buy a print
Signed giclée prints of the originals, on heavyweight archival stock that holds the marker colour properly. Pick your piece and size, message Charlie, and he will sort the rest. Ships worldwide.
Order a print
Message Charlie with the piece you'd like and the size. He'll confirm the price, postage and how to pay, usually the same day.
Prices confirmed on enquiry. Prints ship rolled in a rigid tube — UK and Ireland in 3–5 working days, elsewhere 7–14.
Collector's edition
The Coal Board Box Collection
A boxed set for people who want the whole thing in one piece — presented, numbered and signed by hand.
Coming soon, in small numbered runs. Join the list or message Charlie and you'll hear before it opens.
- Availability Coming soon
- Every collection Signed by hand
- Price Confirmed on enquiry
Commissions
Commission a piece
Commissions open in limited slots each month so nothing gets rushed. You'll see a pencil sketch before any ink touches the paper, and nothing is finished until you're happy with it.
One person, pet or family drawn as a CC Illustrations character, with their world packed in behind them. Popular for birthdays, retirements, weddings and team gifts.
2–3 weeks · A4 to A2 · Price confirmed on enquiry
The full-page pieces — dozens of characters, one theme, drawn to be stared at. Choose the subject and Charlie builds the world around it.
4–6 weeks · A2 and up · Price confirmed on enquiry
Logos, mascots, packaging, shopfronts, print-ready apparel graphics, billboards and hand-painted walls. Supplied as high-resolution files with usage terms agreed up front.
Quoted per project.
Magazine covers, interior illustration, book covers and character design for other authors' projects.
Quoted per project.
Clothing
Wearable drawings
T-shirts printed with original CC Illustrations characters — no stock art, no reused clipart, each graphic drawn for the garment it sits on.
The first drop is small and numbered. Sizes run XS to 3XL in adult, with a kids' range in the same prints.
- Heavyweight organic cotton tee
- Brushed-back hoodie
- Kids' tee, ages 3–12
Launching soon. Join the list above and you'll hear first.
Club kits, team days, schools, small brands and events. Minimum order 20 units, artwork drawn to your brief and supplied print-ready.
Order a tee
Message Charlie with the design and your size. He'll confirm price, postage and how to pay.
School Visits
Live drawing sessions
A room of children, a visualiser, and a blank page that turns into a monster in under a minute. Charlie runs live drawing sessions and character-building workshops for primary schools, libraries and festivals — every child leaves with a character they invented themselves.
My Time Travel Adventure works well as the spine of a session: the class follows Charlie through the book, then draws the era they'd travel to.
Contact Us
Start a project
Tell Charlie what you have in mind — the subject, roughly what size, and when you need it. Every enquiry gets a reply, usually within two working days.
Socials
Follow the work in progress