A TALENTED illustrator has added another string to her bow after seeing a children's book she has also written published.

Jemima Catlin featured in the Echo three years ago when she was commissioned to illustrate a new hardback edition of JRR Tolkein's famous novel, The Hobbit.

She has now seen the first work she has both written and illustrated come to print, with her children's book TomaToes inspired by a dream.

Jemima explained how the idea of a woman who grows plants from her feet first came to her in a dream more than 10 years ago and she originally worked on it for a project at Weymouth College.

She went on to illustrate the story for her final project during her degree in illustration at the Arts University Bournemouth, using collage techniques, with fabric, wool and paper.

Jemima took the book to publishers Archaeopteryx Imprint and it was developed for a final print version, which is now available to buy on the publisher's website and on Amazon and she soon hopes to see on sale in Dorchester Waterstones store.

Jemima said that, after working on the story for such a long time, she was delighted to finally see the finished product in print.

She said: "It's really exciting, it's nice to finally see it.

"I was a little bit nervous because you never know how it's going to turn out but I was really pleased."

Jemima launched the book at Dorchester's Brewery Square during a festive event at the development and was pleased with the response she got from people who came to see it.

She said: "It was fun. Quite a few people came to see me and a lot of new faces, which was nice."

The book is aimed at children aged around two to around six and is dedicated to her two-year-old daughter Ida.

Jemima said she hoped to work on further projects in the future and would love to see more of her work published.

She said: "I have got a couple of ideas for some stories, it's just finding the time to do them."

Jemima said the hardback copy of The Hobbit, which was published for HarperCollins, was still doing really well and she had recently done exhibitions in Newcastle and Oxford.

The Hobbit opportunity also arose out of a university project as her illustrations for a Tolkein short story were passed on to the author's family, who then suggested her to illustrate the new edition of the classic children's tale.