AN illustrator best known for designing the covers of Terry Pratchett's Discworld Collectors Library has returned to his roots for his latest exhibition at a Pershore shop.

Joe McLaren grew up in Evesham where he attended Prince Henry's High School and has returned to the area to display his work at Three, Little Pigs, High Street, Pershore.

After school, Joe went on to complete a foundation course at Cheltenham School of Art and Design, finally graduating with a BA Hons (first class) in Illustration from Brighton.

He has worked as a freelance illustrator, producing book illustrations and cover artwork for Penguin, Random House, Folio, Orion, Portobello, Oxford University Press, White's Books, Harper Collins, John Murray and others.

He is best known for the covers of the Discworld Collectors Library, and has recently illustrated the Terry Pratchett's Discworld Calendar for 2016.

Joe's favourite medium is scraperboard, invented in the late 19th Century for press reproduction.

It comprises of a sheet of hardboard coated in a layer of white gesso clay, and a thin layer of black shellac.

The shellac is scraped away with a fine blade to reveal the white beneath.

Fiona Abbott, owner of Three Little Pigs, said: “Joe has achieved tremendous success and we are delighted to be hosting a collection of his work.

“Each piece is of such quality, it is simply a pleasure to have Joe's work with us.”