Max Scratchmann was born in India to British parents. Brought "home" to Scotland as a small child he hated the cold climate and surgical grey light, and couldn't wait to get back to India again.Max graduated with a degree in English Literature, and, after various jobs, became a full time freelance illustrator and writer in 1984.His book about life in the Scottish Islands, Chucking It All, was named one of the 10 best travel books of 2009 by Worldhum.Max now lives and works in Edinburgh, a city said to be rivalled only by Venice for culture and architecture in the entirety of western Europe. He has written for a plethora of magazines and newspapers since the late 1970s, ranging from The Guardian to Nostalgic Scotland and is the author of the following travel books:* Chucking It All - How Downshifting to a Windswept Scottish Island Did Nothing to Improve My Quality of Life (2009) Selected by Worldhum as one of the 10 best travel books of 2009* The Last Burrah Sahibs - Memories of a Colonial Childhood in India (2012)* Scotland for Beginners - The Changing Face of Urban Scotland (2014)Max is also a popular performance poet and can be seen at many Edinburgh poetry venues and slams. He is the author of two books of verse and several works of fiction.Max leads seminars for designers and is the author of several books on animation and illustration as well as being a contributor to Artist's & Graphic Designer's Market. His most popular graphic design title is Illustration 101 which is currently in its fourth edition. He is also the author of How to GRAB the Attention of Art Directors with the Simple Use of Postcards.His illustration client list includes The Guardian - The Wall Street Journal - The Korn Ferry Institute - Reed - IPC - Longman - Serino Coyne Advertising (New York) - Scottish Opera - Scynchrono Crossings (Tokyo) - Ms London - Girl About Town - Sugar - Catch - City Life - Midweek - Attitude - XL - Tigerprint - Marketing Week - Graphics International - Yes - Vox - New Moon - Desire - Village Voice - the Big Issue - Metropolitan - Football Management - Insider - Entrepreneur - Incognito - Naxos Audio Books - Revels Playtexts - Manchester University Press - Coliseum Theatre - Sunday Herald - Pearson Education - Trader - Moondance Media - British Airways - The Law Society and many more.