Wins and Lessons of 2023
As another year has drawn to a close, I wanted to take a moment to celebrate not only the wins of 2023, but also the lessons learnt from my mistakes. 2023 was definitely a year of two halves for me, the first half was terrifyingly stressful, the second half, exciting and fulfilling. All of the downs and then all of the ups, which is important because it helps you gain perspective not only in your professional life but also in your personal one.
So I hope you’ll enjoy reading through my top 5 wins for last year, and also my top 5 lessons learnt from those ‘teachable’ moments.
wins
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wins -
1. Glass and Wick
What an incredible opportunity to see my work transformed into a new format! Working with Glass & Wick was an absolute joy. It’s a rare thing to find a client who just gets your vibe and can see your vision even if it’s not on paper. In the end I created a total of 27 separate illustrations culminating in 50 hours of drawing. Holding the finished article in my hands felt like holding a little treasure, and I hope if you ordered one too you felt the same!
2. Thyroid Superhero
I was over the moon when local friend/writer/thyroid advocate Rachel Hill got in touch to ask me to bring her children’s book idea to life. After the success of The Strange Tales of the Alphabet Children I was very keen to work on another book, especially one which could help so many families. I was bowled over by Rachel’s expertise and knowledge, and it reminded me that working with clients works both ways; I always come away more knowledgable and informed after being involved with their worlds, even if it’s for a short period of time.
3. Penhaligon’s for Studio XAG
One of the (physically) biggest projects I worked on to date, I was commissioned by creative geniuses Studio XAG to create some large format illustrations to be applied to a booth for their clients Penhaligon’s. As well as illustrating many Victorian style flying machines I was commissioned to create a 4ft x 4ft London map complete with iconic landmarks.
4. 2024 Markets
I visited 10 markets last year, all across Nottingham and as always it’s such a pleasure meeting you all face to face! My favourites had to be Pitch Presents Ay-Up Market in June (The weather was perfect, and it was my first time pitching up in the actual market square!) as well as the Nottingham Castle Christmas Market at the end of November. The Castle has always been a favourite spot of mine in the city, and to be a part of that for a weekend felt really special.
5. Isla & Fraser
Whilst Isla & Fraser aren’t new clients, they have been one of my longest standing clients and I am always so grateful to work with them every year. 2023 saw a little upgrade to their beautiful gift boxes which saw some small illustrated editions of flowers and ribbons to the corners in their sumptuous brand colours as devised by Page + Looker.
Photography by Abi Moore
lessons
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lessons -
Only you gets in your way
We like to think that it’s external circumstances that stop us from progressing, but one thing I noticed about myself was that I was the only saboteur. I’m not cured from this affliction, and I still self sabotage on a daily basis, however like meditation I notice when I’m doing it and I decide to try and change gears in that moment. No judgement needed.
2. Money doesn’t equal happiness, but it does make you less stressed
2023 was financially one of the hardest years to date. I’m happy to be transparent enough to tell you that the first half of the year was terrifying. And whilst the old adage of ‘money can’t buy you happiness’ is true in one way, I can’t iterate how much less stressed and ill you don’t feel when you do have it. I ended up getting a part-time job to supplement my income, something I’ve done to look after my family and ultimately my mental health.
3. When there’s a will, there’s a way
Things can, and do, feel hopeless at times. January-May was that time for me. Going through this has shown that I am able to do a lot of things I told myself I never could. Approach jobs I never imagined I would be good enough for, step up to responsibilities I didn’t think I was strong enough to do, take on work that I didn’t think I was skilled enough to complete. It’s amazing how point number 1 resonates here right?
4. Get out of your head about social media
I’ve had the privilege of watching my husband grow his Instagram account from nothing to over 101K follows in the past few years. His secret? He posts every day, and he’s not hung up over the extreme specifics. He just wanted to showcase how easy and fun it is to rewear clothes and buy secondhand, and it seems it resonates with many of you too. I’m taking this attitude with me into 2024, to approach social media less like a chore and a stress and to just be more playful and spontaneous with it.
5. Start the thing, now!
So many things put off in 2023, and once I’d done them they were so simple. This circles (again) back to point number 1 - we get in our own way all the time! How many projects do you have sitting on a pile, waiting for the ‘perfect’ moment? There will never be a perfect moment apart from the moment where you’re thinking about doing the thing, so do the thing!
Happy Earth Day 2022!
Where do I begin with my thoughts and feelings about Earth Day?
If you haven’t gathered already from my products and illustration content, I’m a big Earth lover. It’s the only place we have to call home, and whilst we can explore planets far away for us to colonise, why not invest all that money (and there is A LOT of it for space exploration) into trying to make our home safer and more habitable? ‘Invest in our Planet’ is the key message from Earth Day’s official site.
Where do I begin with my thoughts and feelings about Earth Day?
If you haven’t gathered already from my products and illustration content, I’m a big Earth lover. It’s the only place we have to call home, and whilst we can explore planets far away for us to colonise, why not invest all that money (and there is A LOT of it for space exploration) into trying to make our home safer and more habitable? ‘Invest in our Planet’ is the key message from Earth Day’s official site.
Invest your time, your thoughts, your current resources, and whatever finances you can.
Invest in solar power.
Invest in an electric car, if that’s something you can afford to do.
Invest in a compost bin
Invest in some child friendly books to start a conversation with your children. They’re the ones who will live with the decisions we make today.
Invest in a reusable bag.
Invest in saving water.
Invest in saving electricity.
Invest in that bike that’s stuck in the shed.
Invest in a new bank account that doesn’t fund fossil fuels.
Invest in books that can educate us and help us become aware of what we need to do to change.
There are so many big and little ways for us to make a change which don’t need to leave us bankrupt. Below i’ve shared my own 5 small steps we can take today to start making an impact, no matter how small.
There are so many inspirational people as well who are putting in the hard work to help us all make more conscious decisions for our planets survival. Below is by no means a comprehensive or finished list, but these are people who I’ve either bought from or worked with who are great leaders in making change happen:
Fashion
Good on You app - an excellent app to quickly check how ethical and eco friendly a brand is. The app will also offer suggestions for better brands to purchase from.
Aja Barber - an incredible ‘writer, stylist and consultant whose work deals with the intersections of sustainability and the fashion landscape’. Follow her Instagram for insightful and eye opening posts.
Ford & Guy - Not only is Suzie an incredible seamstress, but she has also compiled the most amazing directory of Mindful Makers (I’m kindly included, thank you!) so you don’t have to do the hard work for searching for more conscious creators.
Grocery Shopping
Shop Zero Nottingham - An incredible zero waste shop in the heart of Nottingham offering refills as well as personal care, gift ware and other eco friendly products. All products can be delivered too!
The Good Weigh - Another local zero waste shop to us based in Lady Bay, Nottingham which also offers some plastic free fruit and vegetables.
Wearth London - Fantastic zero waste site which not only offers refills but also has a massive selection of eco friendly products.
The Good Club - A subscription based zero waste site which has been on my radar for a while but I havn’t yet tried - if you have please let me know how you get on!
Oddbox - Our favourite fruit and veg delivery box, filled with items saved from landfill as they were rejected due to their size/appearance/quality. Every box includes a handy info sheet of how much water, CO2 and food was saved and even has some delicious recipe ideas to help give some inspiration for your rescued veg.
Communities
Mother’s CAN - Find a local group of mother’s who are concerned about climate change and want to make a difference. A fantastic way to get involved in activism and meet other like minded people.
Mum’s Go Green - Another mum focussed eco group, but I am a mum so that’s what I gravitate to! I LOVE this facebook group - no question is ever treated silly and no one is ever demonised for their choices. Just an amazingly supportive community of mums trying to make the right choices for their families and the planet. A lot of businesses and tips are shared to making greener choices, a perfect place to start if you’re feeling overwhelmed by it all.
Extinction Rebellion - If you want a larger and more well known community then Extinction Rebellion is probably the one that springs to mind. You can find a local group and events for you to partake in and there is also a wealth of information on the website.
I could go on and on, the topic is huge, vast and never ending, but I would love to hear from you lovely lot. What are your top eco friendly tips, and do you have any accounts/businesses/websites that you’ve discovered which you’d love to share?
Drop them in the comments below or feel free to ping me an email. I’m by no means perfect when it comes to a more sustainable and zero waste lifestyle, but I’m trying and that’s all any of us can do.
“We don’t need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly.” Anne Marie Bonneau, Zero Waste Chef
Have a wonderful Earth Day and Friday!
Deborah x
Submission for Castle Rock Brewery x Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust
To celebrate 20 years of friendship, Castle Rock Brewery launched a competition to design the can and keg labels for their collaboration beer with Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust.
To celebrate 20 years of friendship, Castle Rock Brewery launched a competition to design the can and keg labels for their collaboration beer with Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust. Whilst my design wasn’t selected to win the awesome prize of having their design printed and showcased across the country, it was a really fun brief to work to! Both organisations are personal favourites of mine, and you know I love a good British woodland theme to work to.
The above design was the finished artwork for the keg labels, whilst below the illustration was adapted to fit their beer can labels.
Huge congratulations to Matt Newton for his beautiful winning design!
Valentines Day 2022
This years love cards have finally landed in my shop and I think it’s safe to say there’s something for everyone.
Returning favourites For My Valentine and Cosmic Love are relisted this year, alongside some new designs which I hope you’ll love!
No one does love better than Stevie Wonder, so naturally a valentines card was needed inspired by one of the greatest love songs. Drawing inspiration from vintage stamp designs, and keeping to a fresh candy coloured palette, my latest love card is perfect not just for Valentine’s Day but for any love occasion.
I know that Valentine’s can be a little tricky for some, and over the years amazing new traditions have come about such as Galentine’s Day and Palentine’s Day to include more people who deserve recognition just as much as the next loved up couple. So I wanted to create a truly personalisable love card that could be gifted to anyone. Enter my ‘Sun and Stars’ design which can be personalised with any greeting of love. I have a few examples which you can choose from, or if you have a recipient in mind write your own wording.
All my cards are printed on 100% recycled material and are never shipped in cellophane so your cards of love return the love back to our planet.
Need to see more designs? Check out my full greeting card selection here.
I’d love to know what you think! Drop your comments below or shoot me an email.
Deborah
Nordic Flora and Fauna Christmas Collection
Things have been a little quiet over in my small home studio in Nottinghamshire whilst I’ve been working my size 8 socks off to bring you a whole new Christmas collection like ever before!
I’m so excited to say though that the wait is over, and my Christmas shop is now fully open and up and running, with old favourites plus my brand new collection for 2021, ‘Nordic Flora and Fauna’.
Inspired by the beautiful animals and foliage of wintery Scandinavia, my new collection features a bold design of reindeer, wolves and arctic foxes nestled between ferns, spruce and stars. Using a linocut inspired palette of black, off white and gold/sand this years designs have been printed onto cards, wrapping paper and also gift tags to help complete the look.
Now officially a Plastic Free Champion, this year more than ever I’ve been working hard on making sure this was my most conscious collection yet. To keep my carbon footprint down all my products have been sourced and printed here in the UK, using companies like A Local Printer who also work hard to make sure they’re not damaging the planet whilst creating beautiful things. This years eco credentials include:
No plastic cellophane wrap on my cards - they will be naked and free when they arrive to you!
All my cards, tags, envelopes and wrapping paper has been printed on 100% recycled material.
hand cut, hand strung jute on my gift tags which can biodegrade in 1-2 years.
My wrapping paper has been printed using vegan inks, and has even been carbon balanced.
All my card packs will no longer come packaged in viewfinder boxes with plastic windows. They are now lovingly wrapped in a glassine envelope which can be recycled.
I don’t know if you can tell, but I’m MEGA proud of this collection, not only from a design and illustration point of view but also from a product development stand point. Caring for the environment is a number one priority for me, alongside bringing quality and unique designs that you won’t find elsewhere. I hope you love this collection as much as I have created it, and if you would like to shop the full range you can find it now in my shop and on Etsy.
The Strange Tales of the Alphabet Children Interview
Photography by Daniel Hughes
Those close to me know how much I’ve longed to illustrate a children’s book as I’ve always seen it as something to accomplish on the freelance illustrators ‘bingo sheet’ as it were. So when I was approached by author Matthew Rumbelow in 2019 to illustrate his Edward Gorey inspired cautionary tales I was beyond over the moon!
Winnie Yummly-Scott
I remember studying Gorey’s Gashlycrumb Tinies when I was at University, and to meet someone else who had a love for the stories was something serendipitous.
The Alphabet Children is a collection of 26 rhyming tales, from A-Z, of 26 children who should have heeded more caution with some disastrous consequences to their unwise decisions! With Matthew’s linguistically intricate tales (I’ve learnt a lot of new words!) and my love for the more macabre side of children’s literature, it really felt like a great working partnership.
If you would love to hear more about the book and the illustrations, Matthew kindly interviewed myself which you can watch below.
And if you’re keen to purchase a copy you can find them for sale on Matthew’s website, Waterstones, or Amazon.
EDIT 24/6/21 - You can now purchase the dust jacket versions directly through my new web shop!
Hello 2020! A little look back at 2019 (PART II)
Carrying on from Part I, I’m sharing all the things that brought me joy, and made me proud in 2019, from July through to December.
Carrying on from Part I, I’m sharing all the things that brought me joy, and made me proud in 2019, from July through to December.
JULY
Prints arrived of my new ‘Prove them Wrong’ design and I was over the moon with how gorgeous the foiling turned out.
Then I was off to London to sell at the House of Illustration Summer Fair!
Ophelia had her first trip to the Golden Mile in Leicester, and her first taste of the exquisite Bobby’s.
Renovations continued, this time taking the carpet up in our bedroom to reveal these stained floorboards.
More eco swaps - this time for a disposable razor and shaving soap bar which I bought from Shop Zero Nottingham
We then did a little up-cycling project to breathe some life into some old garden furniture my Dad had passed onto us…
… with just some garden furniture paint from Wilkos!
Our old, worn doors came off…
…and were replaced with these beautiful new composite doors.
I was asked to paint Puneet’s beautiful logo on a feature wall of her new Wedding Ring Workshop (and boy, was that a hot week!)
Nottingham’s Pride brought so much colour and positive energy to what was a VERY wet day
And Ophelia had her first proper visit to the Gurdwara for a family member’s birthday.
AUGUST
I started August working on a design for a totally new product
More eco swaps, this time this gorgeous shampoo bar when my bottled shampoo ran out.
The Nottingham Etsy Team leaders came over and we had the incredibly hard task of choosing who we were going to pick to sell for Etsy Made Local! It took us a few hours with many snacks/cups of tea.
Our beautiful friends Dan and Ruby tied the knot in the most amazing wedding venue - and I mean, look at Ruby!
I designed some custom privacy vinyl for the glass in our new front door and it casts the dreamiest shadows on our floor!
I had a wonderful client meeting with Matthew, author of The Alphabet Children, at this amazing cafe called Fika. We hatched some awesome illustrated plans for his book!
I made some edits to an existing pattern I had created for Lola’s Apothecary and these beautiful samples came in the post.
I started work on a new print design….
And in the summer sun we visited more stately homes and festivals celebrating Mother Nature.
SEPTEMBER
I designed the promotional materials for our Nottingham Etsy Made Local - and it was exciting to start shouting about our event at our new venue in the Council House.
That moon illustrated back in August? Got turned into this huge wall hanging!
I finished designing my Christmas cards! These were my best ever selling designs for Christmas, and I can’t tell you how thankful I was for every re-order (there were 5!)
My Grandad (who’s is bossing life at 92 by the way) treated myself and my mum to a day at Ragdale Hall Spa
The Nottingham Etsy Team had another amazing meet up, this time with a talk from the incredibly talented and switched on business coach Debbiedoodah , who talked to us about the importance of email marketing.
Injected with that new enthusiasm from Debbie’s talk I decided to put more effort into my email marketing and started creating illustrated freebies for my email subscribers.
I joined with the Global Climate Strike in the Nottingham Market Square, standing in solidarity with children and adults alike to try and make positive change for our climate crisis.
We had more adventures, this time at Newstead Abbey
OCTOBER
I created my first downloadable product for Etsy, these print at home Halloween Masks in a wolf, black cat and bat design.
The seasons started to change…
and we went pumpkin picking in the biggest mud field you’d ever seen!
NOVEMBER
We had a magical bonfire night
More autumnal walks which are honestly my favourite
Oh yes, more renovations! This time getting rid of the awful dark/grey brown vinyl in our kitchen, and getting this faux Victorian tile vinyl.
For the first time ever I sold at the Craft Fair Contemporary and it was amazing!
And then a family of 3 became a family of 4…
That monkey illustration from a few months ago? Got turned into these awesome patch t-shirts for kids!
Etsy Made Local Nottingham finally arrived and it was our biggest and best event to date! (photo courtesy of the Nottingham Etsy Team)
DECEMBER
We kicked off December, and a little post Etsy Made Local come down, with some festive eating
And fetive activities like this beautiful light show at Belton House gardens
I designed more freebies for my amazing newsletter subscribers
And finally visited the vegetarian restaurant of dreams, No. Twelve.
Keeping our Christmas more eco I stamped a HUGE roll of recycled brown paper to wrap all our gifts in.
We painted our bedroom!
I was then back in London for the House of Illustration Winter Fair!
After wrapping up some commissions and smaller projects it was then time to unwind for Christmas with plenty of family visits, biscuit baking and a huge vegetarian feast for Christmas!
We ended 2019 out in the garden; fire on, hot chocolates in hand, enjoying all of our neighbours fireworks!
Phew! What a year! If you made it to the end of this two part blog post spectacular I applaud you.
I hope this inspires you to go back through photos of your 2019 to see the highlights and celebrate all the wins you achieved. I was so cynical about the whole thing before I started writing this post, but I have to say it has been cathartic, and an incredibly powerful way of owning my own achievements. Just documenting it here has been a process, and I have to say it’s given me a very positive surge of work energy for the year ahead!
We have so much to look forward to this year - welcoming our baby boy into the world being the main thing we’re gearing up towards - but I would love to know what things you’re looking forward to in 2020 and what things you were proud of in 2019?
Hello 2020! A little look back at 2019 (PART I)
A very happy (and belated) New Year to all of you!
There’s nothing like a new year, let alone a brand new decade, to bring out the sentimentality in people. It’s been both interesting and a little depressing watching through everyone’s round up’s of 2019 via Instagram (I get it, you guys got to have a lot of holidays whilst we never made it out of the UK!) but I thought it would still be nice to share what a wonderful year it was - minus holidays - both work and in personal life, to maybe help myself not have so much FOMO.
A very happy (and belated) New Year to all of you!
There’s nothing like a new year, let alone a brand new decade, to bring out the sentimentality in people. It’s been both interesting and a little depressing watching through everyone’s round up’s of 2019 via Instagram (I get it, you guys got to have a lot of holidays whilst we never made it out of the UK!) but I thought it would still be nice to share what a wonderful year it was - minus holidays - both work and in personal life, to maybe help myself not have so much FOMO.
Who am I kidding, I’ll still be wildly jealous, but it’s been wonderful looking through photos of all the work we’ve put in this year; renovations to our 1940’s house, birthdays, amazing commissions and wonderful events I was privileged to take part in.
JANUARY
I started the year with working on fresh designs for Valentine’s Day
I also started the 30 day Dedicate Yoga program by Yoga with Adrienne to get myself in a better exercise regime
I was finally prescribed with some glasses for working in to help with all those teeny tiny illustrations!
Amazing meet ups with the other leaders of the Nottingham Etsy Team
Worked on designs for my friends party invitations for her son…
FEBRUARY
We started work again on renovating our 1940’s home - starting with taking up the carpet on the stairs and landing and revealing these beautiful floorboards.
My new Valentine’s collection launched and I had the pleasure of posting them out!
In my bid to make 2019 my year for making my home and business more eco friendly, I started making small swaps around the house when things broke/wore out.
We had plenty of cold but beautiful walks in and around Nottinghamshire.
And then we had our old gas fire taken out…
Ophelia had her first trip to London to visit her Auntie.
Then I had the pleasure of talking about my illustrated business and how I started out illustrating at the Select Vegan networking event.
I mean, look at the spread they put on…
MARCH
I started designing invitations for Ophelia’s 2nd Birthday.
After my unsuccessful Kickstarter campaign, I finally released my Eat Kind meal planners into the world - my first 100% recycled and eco friendly product (including packaging).
We had snow!
I started my creative business coaching journey with Amy from Women Who Create
Then we had the loveliest little weekend away to Stamford visiting stately homes, beautiful tea rooms, and then this church near Rutland.
More renovations carried on, finishing off our fireplace with these gorgeous star tiles for the hearth.
And just like that, our Ophelia turned two.
APRIL
Using the designs from my friends party invites, I created my first range of sophisticated children’s age cards, which have been received so well.
I also designed some new Easter cards featuring this Victorian style Easter bunny
We sanded and painted our staircase!
And then went on to paint our living room this awesome pink colour called Pink Alabaster by Valspar
MAY
We started May trying to make another eco swap with locally delivered fruit and vegetables from Kerry’s Fresh
More house updates, making our little balcony/patio out the back into an outdoor living room ready for summer!
I had the pleasure on working on this beautiful branding for Out of the Woods Hypnotherapy
Worked out in the sun and rain for the Sutton Bonington Summer Festival.
More lovely Etsy Team meet up’s at Debbie Bryan’s
And finally, celebrated 5 years of marital bliss in the best way we know - with the best vegetarian burgers in Nottingham at Annie’s Burger Shack
JUNE
We started June with the loveliest impromptu trip to Matlock
Then I saw my latest surface design for Godâ Skjorter come to life in these beautiful Hawaiian style shirts.
It was my birthday! And my mum made the tastiest banana cake.
I had the second product from my Eat Kind collection release, these beautiful screen printed tea towels.
I finished the month starting work on a new print
Check out my next post for July-December of my 2019 journey!
New in the Shop!
Well, it’s been a minute hasn’t it?
Summer came and went so quickly as I had some really lovely commissions to work on (that I can’t quite talk about right now) but in between all my secret client work I was busy beavering away on some new products.
Driving Home for Christmas card range is now available in my shop
Well, it’s been a minute hasn’t it?
Summer came and went so quickly as I had some really lovely commissions to work on (that I can’t quite talk about right now) but in between all my secret client work I was busy beavering away on some new products.
First up is my new design, Celestial Moon Phase Print, which I had in mind as a Halloween print but kind of just love it as an everyday piece!
Perfect for any lunar lover, this large scale fabric print features delicate pen illustrations of the moon as she moves through her phases from new to full. An intricate mandala style design features in the middle, connecting the phases of the moon in her journey. Hand drawn punjabi at the bottom reads 'Phases of the Moon' (and I have it on good authority from my in-laws that it reads correct!)
In line with my goal for 2019 to be a more sustainable and eco friendly business, I have had these A3 prints printed on recycled silk stock to give a beautiful slick finish. You can even request it to be shipped without cellophane to help reduce the plastic going out into the world.
I then went and scratched an itch I had had for quite a while and turned my new Celestial Moon Phase design into this beautiful large wall hanging piece!
Printed on linen cotton canvas, this one of a kind piece measures 90cm wide x 132cm high! I always feel like illustrations have a different feeling when they’re printed on fabric, and this one is no exception.
Finally, I launched my Christmas card collection ‘Driving Home for Christmas’ which has to be one of my favourites.
Capturing the spirit of the great journey home to celebrate Christmas with nearest and dearest, this new collection features 3 different card designs; A badger in an old Morris Minor, a bunny on a bicycle, and a mouse pulling a sledge, all laden with presents.
All my cards are available in singles, or in packs of 6 or 12, and come with the option to be ‘naked’ or posted with biodegradable cellophane/presentation boxes.
House of Illustration Summer Fair Round Up
What an honour it was to have been invited back again to the House of Illustration summer fair the other week!
I’ve been a bit behind in getting this post written up due to some lovely client work I’ve been beavering away on, but still wanted to share some of my favourite illustrators from the fair who I had the pleasure of meeting.
What an honour it was to have been invited back again to the House of Illustration summer fair the other week!
I’ve been a bit behind in getting this post written up due to some lovely client work I’ve been beavering away on, but still wanted to share some of my favourite illustrators from the fair who I had the pleasure of meeting.
Miss Ella’s beautiful illustrated laser cut jewellery
Miss Ella Illustrator
I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Ella from when I studied at Norwich University of the Arts back in 2007-2010, and since graduating I’ve been seeing her beautiful work at various events across London. Her jewellery is just so imaginative and whimsical, and I am totally in love with those pink moon earrings.
Aleesha Nandhra’s postcard selection
Aleesha Nandhra
It was so lovely to meet Aleesha at the last House of Illustration fair back in December - especially when we realised that she was a distant relative of my husbands! Needless to say it was great to meet back up again (along with her amazing mum) to see the beautiful new work she’s been creating. She’s been travelling around the world (check out her visit to Nepal) and you see how these beautiful experiences have influenced her work.
Beautiful linocuts by Aurore Swithenbank
Aurore Swithenbank
Plants? Check. Black on natural card? Check. Insects? Check check! All the things I love and more. It wasn’t just her gorgeous artwork that I was head over heels for, but her display stole my heart (LOVED that she brought along her linocuts) as did her gorgeous hand typed business cards. It just shows that it’s the little things that really make a difference.
House of Illustration Summer Fair held at The Crossing in Granary Square
There were so many more illustrators I wanted to shout about but I’m pretty sure you don’t have all day to scroll through it all. So here were some of my extra favourites:
I absolutely love coming to this fair as I always come away so inspired by the talent there. It’s so easy to remain in your little creative echo chamber but stepping out of this comfort zone always gives me the fire to try and do something new or pursue one of my illustration project dreams (and that list is long).
Fingers crossed I can make it to the Christmas event, and perhaps see you there!
Eat Kind Tea Towels
Well, as the young and trendy say nowadays, it’s been a minute hasn’t it?!
It’s been 8 Months since my last blog post, and suffice to say it’s been pretty busy!
Unfortunately my Eat Kind Kickstarter was a nonstarter, however I wasn’t going to let that stop me.
Brand new to my Etsy Shop - Eat Kind Tea Towels
Well, as the young and trendy say nowadays, it’s been a minute hasn’t it?!
It’s been 8 Months since my last blog post, and suffice to say it’s been pretty busy!
Unfortunately my Eat Kind Kickstarter was a nonstarter, however I wasn’t going to let that stop me.
The shopping planners have been so well received, and I’ve loved seeing how everyones been using them to plan their meals and reduce their waste. So I decided to try and make another element of the Kickstarter come to life and those were the tea towels!
My Eat Kind tea towels are neutral, making them a perfect accessory for any kitchen style.
Still in keeping with my environmentally friendly theme, I was so pleased to find a tea towel printer here in the UK. Seeing the design come to life on the fabric, when it had always lived on my iPad (where I had created it), was such a lovely moment. After all it’s been stuck in the digital format for nearly a year.
Close up of the print detail.
This collection has really been born from my love of not only cooking, but the environment as well. ‘Eat Kind’ is not just about being Vegetarian or Vegan - it’s about making conscious decisions about what food you choose, and being aware of where it’s come from, what impact it makes to our planet, and consequently what changes we can make to help care for it.
Full design of my new tea towels.
Currently available through my Etsy shop, I’ll be seeing how well these new designs work with the hope of bringing them to my online shop and eventually wholesale.
In the meantime, you can purchase them HERE.
As always I would love to hear your feedback! Let me know what you think of my new product via the comments below.
'Eat Kind' Kickstarter Campaign
After 3 months in the making, and with multiple hurdles to jump over to even get it launched, I am pretty excited to finally share with you my Kickstarter campaign for a whole new product range!
Some of you who may follow me on Instagram have probably seen my various InstaStories sharing all my cooking experiments. Thing is, I hadn’t ever really been a massive ‘cook’ until Ophelia was around 5 months old and was starting on her baby-led weaning journey.
I loved to try new things, and was always aiming for a balanced and healthy diet (especially whilst I was pregnant!) but once I started having to think about how I was going to give Ophelia a truly balanced and nutritional diet, as well as a fun and interactive weaning experience, I began to research and cook more.
Her weaning experience really made me look at the food I was making for myself and my husband, and the cooking just naturally spread to our meal times.
It was purely through this phase that I started to love being in the kitchen, and so, selfishly, wanted to create a collection to help me plan meals, cook and shop for all my ingredients. Not just that, I really wanted it to reflect our Vegetarian/Vegan lifestyle that was kind to the environment too.
And so the ‘Eat Kind’ collection was born!
What’s included in the collection?
100% Screen Printed Cotton Tea Towels
Printed on natural and 100% cotton, these black and white tea towels will feature my botanical illustration surrounding a custom typeface that I have created for the collection, 'Eat Kind'.
These are a nod to anyone who believes that the choices we make on our plate can help the world around us.
A neutral addition to any kitchen, they will fit perfectly into any decor.
Each tea towel measures 70cm x 50 cm
I will be having these printed with a British manufacturer, and they will be packaged lovingly with recycled card wrap in a biodegradable sleeve.
Weekly Shopping Planner
Completely inspired by my weekday shop, this has been created to not only help with remembering the bread and milk, but to help inspire to try cooking something new or batch cook to save for a day when you don't feel like getting the pans out!
Key features:
Printed on 80gsm recycled paper, each pad has 50 sheets and has been secured by glue at the top on a hardback board.
Each pad measures at A4 size: 21cm x 29.7cm
Each sheet features lines for your list, plus sections for planning meals for the week, a 'This week I'll Try' section and '3 pantry recipe's' section.
'This week I'll try...' is there to inspire you! Be brave and pop a recipe on there that you never thought you could do. (Mine was sausage rolls and I overcame it!)
'3 Pantry Recipes' section is for noting down what you need to stock up in the freezer or cupboard; ours is usually peanut butter, scones (for lunch) and ice lollies but it can also be bread, stock, and overnight oats to name a few!
At the bottom of the sheet is also a helpful reminder to not forget your bags! It saves you money, and saves on plastic going out into the environment.
Once printed, these pads will feature a recycled belly band (paper band) that will wrap around the pad before being sealed in biodegradable cellophane bag.
Screen Printed Fairtrade Cotton Grocery Bags,
Designed to help get your grocery shopping in order, each of these tote bags has been illustrated to help pack your Bakery, Fruit, Milk & Dairy and Vegetables. These are really handy for making sure that your shopping stays in tact (nothing worse than a crushed punnet of strawberries!) without wondering where you put everything!
Tote bag dimensions are 27 cm wide x 37 cm high x 12 cm deep.
Tote bags are of 407gsm weight making them very strong and sturdy!
My custom illustrations will be screenprinted onto the bags, and will feature a recycled swing tag with care instructions, hanging from the handles.
Like the tea towels, these bags will be printed with the same UK manufacturer, and will come packaged in a biodegradable cellophane sleeve.
The Kickstarter Campaign
So, like many other crowdfunding campaigns I am of course trying to raise the money to make this collection a reality. I’m looking to raise £4,000 by 10th November which will go towards not only the manufacturing of the products, but also printing of all the environmentally friendly packaging.
This collection will be my first ever to be made from 100% recycled and biodegradable packaging. It’s my hope that if this is a success, I will transition this huge change into all products across my shop.
If you would like to read more about my campaign, as well as to see what kind of rewards I have on offer for anyone who pledges money to the campaign, then you can see it all here.
And if you feel compelled to do so, please share this project with your loved ones! It takes a few moments but it truly does help to spread the word around.
As always, whatever you do, do it with kindness.
Hawaaian Shirts From a Small Danish Island
One of the main reasons I love being a freelance illustrator is that I literally never know what I’m going to find in my inbox. I get a lot of requests, some bizarre, and some curious, and some just plain amazing. This project was definitely the latter.
One of the main reasons I love being a freelance illustrator is that I literally never know what I’m going to find in my inbox. I get a lot of requests, some bizarre, and some curious, and some just plain amazing. This project was definitely the latter.
When I heard from Niels, founder of Godâ Skjorter, his vision was simple but also quirky; create Hawaiian style shirts using landmarks from the small Danish island of Bornholm. I wondered how well the muted and nordic coastline, buildings and smoked fish would translate into a Hawaiian shirt homage but it didn’t take me long to find out.
As soon as I started drawing the elements and piecing them together, the more I started to see his vision. And it was wonderful.
I was so enamoured with the landmarks I was drawing, I was wishing I too could visit there. It just looked so beautiful, and perhaps one day we will make it there and I can tell Ophelia, ‘Mummy drew that on a shirt’.
Now seeing the print translated onto fabric, it has taken a new life of it’s own. I’m excited for Niels’ venture, not just because it’s his brainchild and that’s a precious thing, but also because it’s always special to meet someone who has a true passion for where they live.
Take a look at Niels’ website to see more details on these lovely shirts, as well as to take a peek at another artists interpretation of the Bornholm magic.
Halloween Dreams
My favourite season is almost upon us, which has got me very excited to release something new into my shop; my Spiritual Alchemy Chiffon Scarf.
My favourite season is almost upon us, which has got me very excited to release something new into my shop; my Spiritual Alchemy Chiffon Scarf.
My mum was actually the inspiration behind creating these luxury scarves. She’s an amazing seamstress and she really wanted to help bring my illustrations to life in scarf format. When I told her that I was desperate to get this all seeing eye design onto something, she only went and found the most gorgeous black lace to edge it. I mean seriously, she gets me.
So I am very proud to show off these beautiful chiffon scarves, designed by myself and made by my beautiful mum in her countryside sewing room.
If you’re not big into costumes for Halloween (that’s me) but love living the darker side of life (yep, still me!) then these scarves will be the perfect accessory to throw on for a trip to the pub on All Hallows Eve.
And if you don’t fancy going so bold with pattern, I have smaller products that also feature this design plus other spooky illustrations.
All Seeing Eye Pocket Mirror
A little bit of mysticism for your handbag.
A6 mini sketchbooks
available in 5 designs including my Spiritual Alchemy print, Bones and Bats.
Wishing you all a happy Autumn guys and ghouls!
MediCity Mural
More and more often I'm getting asked to paint murals for many different building for many purposes; signage, decorative display and statement wall pieces. However my latest wall mural piece is by far the biggest to add to my repertoire.
Measuring 6 metres wide by 3 metres high, this mural of a lush green British landscape has found a new home at the Grade 1 listed MediCity building in Nottingham.
More and more often I'm getting asked to paint murals for many different building for many purposes; signage, decorative display and statement wall pieces. However my latest wall mural piece is by far the biggest to add to my repertoire.
Measuring 6 metres wide by 3 metres high, this mural of a lush green British landscape has found a new home at the Grade 1 listed MediCity building in Nottingham.
I won't lie and tell you this piece was a breeze, because as they say, all great things are by far the most challenging! Creating digital files that can scale up beautifully to such a large size was part of the problem, especially when your work isn't vector! However husband-graphic-designer-genius Avnish helped me immensely to navigate around Illustrator in order to vectorise my work, and once we solved that problem the rest fell into place.
The next challenge though was seeing the finished print. Was the design going to come out pixellated? Would it fit the exact measurements of the wall? Poor Avnish was on tenterhooks on fitting day, but amid his hidden anxiety he managed to capture some beautiful time lapses of the piece going up. The finished article? Well, watch for yourself:
It's been such a privilege to work on this mural piece for the BioCity team; not only did they have the faith in me to produce such a large, detailed, and risky piece, but they also have given me the amazing opportunity to have my illustration work permanently in a Grade 1 listed Art Deco building.
I mean, how many people can say that?!
Have a browse through the gallery below to see more shots from the installation day. I would love to know what you think so feel free to drop me a message or leave a comment below!
Pint of Science Festival 14-16 May
About half a year ago the wonderful Creative Reactions team got in touch to see if I fancied creating some artwork based on scientific research, as part of the upcoming Pint of Science Festival, and of course my answer was a resounding YES. I am a typical 'right brained' individual however I love science and all it's amazing discoveries, especially anything to do with the brain! There is especially a beauty in marrying together those 2 hemispheres, right and left, to produce a little bit of magic, and that's just what myself and Dr. Martha Skinner did.
About half a year ago the wonderful Creative Reactions team got in touch to see if I fancied creating some artwork based on scientific research, as part of the upcoming Pint of Science Festival, and of course my answer was a resounding YES. I am a typical 'right brained' individual however I love science and all it's amazing discoveries, especially anything to do with the brain! There is especially a beauty in marrying together those 2 hemispheres, right and left, to produce a little bit of magic, and that's just what myself and Dr. Martha Skinner did.
A research fellow in Sensory Science, Dr. Skinners research looks into taste; how we perceive it, how strongly others can experience it compared to others, and also how it can be affected with heat.
“Why do our food worlds differ? Have you ever wondered why others do not share your love of a favourite food? We know food preferences vary greatly across the population. Could you be a Supertaster? Or maybe you’re part of the 20-50% of the population who are termed ‘thermal tasters’ as they perceive phantom taste sensations when their tongue is warmed or cooled, in absence of any true chemical tastes in the mouth.”
Martha's talk, which was held at the Angel microbrewery, discussed novel approaches used to understand individual variation in taste perception using sensory science and neuroimaging techniques to measure both perceived and brain response to taste.
I was quite sad I didn't get to see Martha's talk, or others that were held across the city (and the world!) but I was really pleased with the piece I created for her that represented her research.
And who knew the brain and tongue papillae could be so beautiful to draw?
Pint of Science is an annual science festival that takes place every May and brings researchers to your local pub to present their scientific discoveries.
Creative Reactions is a collaboration between artists and Pint of Science scientists to produce artworks related to the science presented during Pint of Science. It was started in Cambridge during Pint of Science 2015 and proved a major success, and subsequently in 2016 and 2017.
In 2018 Creative Reactions events were held in Bristol, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Kent, Manchester, Nottingham Portsmouth and York. Each event has a different format - some following a traditional Pint of Science evening and others full art exhibitions with the artwork for sale.
National Treasures Food Map Illustration
Grab yourself a copy of this month's Asda's Good Living magazine and you'll be able to see one of my illustrations as a double page spread!
Grab yourself a copy of this month's Asda's Good Living magazine and you'll be able to see one of my illustrations as a double page spread!
I had the pleasure of working on this commission from Hearst publishing for a wonderful piece on some of the UK's best food products (I'm all over the Rodda's classic clotted cream) and it's still so exciting to see my work in print, on the shelves nationwide!
This piece has now been added to my Illustration portfolio, which you can browse through here.
On another note, some of you may have seen from my Instagram and Facebook that I am officially on Maternity leave! I won't be accepting any new commissions for the time being, however my husband, Avnish, will be running my shops & website and publishing blog posts for me whilst I'm away. If you drop me an email, he will be sure to reply ASAP.
Cats in Wonderland
It's finally happened - I contributed to my first ever colouring book! And what better business to create artwork for than for Lady Dinah's Cat Emporium - London's top cat cafe where each of their cats have their own profile on the website that perfectly describes each of their unique personalities.
It's finally happened - I contributed to my first ever colouring book! And what better business to create artwork for than for Lady Dinah's Cat Emporium - London's top cat cafe where each of their cats have their own profile on the website that perfectly describes each of their unique personalities.
I was asked to contribute a page of kitty inspired colouring artwork alongside other favourites Gemma Correll, Ella Goodwin, and Linkachuu to name a few.
Gemma Correll for Cats In Wonderland
Abbie Gregory for Cats in Wonderland
I wanted to create something that incorporated all the lovely cats of the cafe (it was too hard not to choose one!) and create a montage/pattern page.
The colouring book is exclusively for sale through Lady Dinah's website and you can even choose to add crayons, or have it as a gift set.
I've been so lucky to work with some amazing clients, like Lady Dinah's, over the year and am excited to see what 2017 has in store. This isn't my last post of 2016 so you'll be hearing from me again on the other side of Christmas with a bumper blog post sharing some highlights from an insane 2016.
So it goes without saying I hope you enjoy some lovely time off with your nearest and dearest, and I wish you all a very Merry Christmas!
Create More Than You Consume
When I turned to the last month of my Get To Work book, wondering what the inspiring graphic would be, I found my initial reaction to it quite surprising.
When I turned to the last month of my Get To Work book, wondering what the inspiring graphic would be, I found my initial reaction to it quite surprising.
It read: 'Create more than you consume'
And it touched something in my brain, a memory or feeling, that I've been coming back to a lot recently. This past year - aside from my obvious ruminating which comes with my anxiety - I haven't been able to stop mulling over why I just don't seem to feel like I'm creating enough.
Everyone around me was making and creating and innovating and dreaming at an exponential rate (it seems) and all I could keep doing was going back through all those well worn paths of thought and habits; sitting on Pinterest and mooning over illustrators who I admired, taking in how they created their images, their use of colour, of contrast, or sitting on Instagram and just letting myself be overwhelmingly impressed and jealous, in equal amounts, at other designer makers who just seemed to be creating.
But this little take away card, found in the back of my diary, felt like the answer to all my problems: Create more than you consume.
Too much time had I spent steeping myself in the world of others, trying to understand their work, to be inspired by it, to be immersed in it, and not enough time was given to creating my own work. Time given to sit, be creative, let ideas flow, and to play.
My CBT sessions have highlighted to me my absolute need to control and perfect, and how sometimes that stops me from doing anything because I'm just too scared to start and for it to be wrong. But by taking that path of least resistance, the one where you sit and observe from the sidelines, you don't allow yourself to be apart of the world and will forever just be a creative wallflower.
Switch off your phone for an hour, put on your favourite music, and just let yourself be in a moment to create and to not be judgemental of it. Mentally turn off the mental chatter as you turn off your notifications and watch something magical happen.
Perhaps in this one small change there can be inspiration to be free in other aspects of our lives. Whether that is in our relationships, our beliefs or with some old and worn habits, we can feel more accomplished when we stay mindful in the present activity and just be with it.
Illustrators for Mental Health
It's World Mental Health Day, and in celebration of a cause that's quite close to my heart I wanted to share something that combines two aspects of my life; illustration and mental health.
Here are some of my favourite illustrators bringing to life how it feels some days to live with a mental health illness:
©Annie Dornan Smith.
Purchase Illustrated Affirmation print via anniedornansmithdesign.co.uk
It's World Mental Health Day, and in celebration of a cause that's quite close to my heart I wanted to share something that combines two aspects of my life; illustration and mental health.
Here are some of my favourite illustrators bringing to life how it feels some days to live with a mental health illness:
Gemma Correll
Image by Gemma Correll
Fellow graduate from Norwich University of the Arts, Gemma Correll is a British illustrator, writer and comic artist living and working in California. She creates humorous and accurate depictions of what it's like to live with clinical anxiety and depression, and has even written a book entitled The Worriers Guide to Life documenting her candid and hilarious depictions of overthinking in an anxiety riddled world.
“The illustrations were all inspired by my own anxieties and neuroticisms ... I suffer from clinical anxiety and depression and I find that the best way to deal with it is to find humour in it.
I honestly think that humour can be a saviour at times of distress or, if you just live with a constant level of anxiety and depression like I do. ”
Emily Coxhead
©Emily Coxhead
This notebook is the first thing I ever came across from Emily Coxhead, photographer, illustrator and designer based in Chorley, UK. Her work is a fuel injection of positivity and warmth, particularly her creation The Happy Newspaper which she funded through Kickstarter.
“I wanted to create something that celebrated people, their kindness and recognised the magic in people we walk past and know nothing about, the ‘everyday heroes’. I realised there are so many people going through difficult times, from tiny things to humongous, life-changing things. I thought if I could help in a small way through my letters, scribbled notes and silly little drawings, I could maybe make a few people smile and remind them that things will get better.
The simple idea was: there should be a newspaper that does the opposite of all the current newspapers, one that celebrates what’s good in the world and is cool and colourful to look at.”
María Sanoja
©María Sanoja
Brooklyn based artist María Sanoja was mindlessly walking down a street, over-thinking, when she bumped into this exact a-frame. What happened from that moment on was a project that would reveal the amazing contrast between our everyday surroundings and truly the analogue that runs through our minds.
“I was overthinking, as usual, when I bumped into this blackboard outside a café that I pass by every day. I realized that I’m often so absorbed in my own thoughts that I miss the simple, beautiful things that surround me. My overthinking often keeps me from being present.
For 100 days, I will make an effort to be here and now. I will get out of my own head to see what I have been missing. Each day, I will draw something that I notice around me, and I will pair it with whatever it is that I’m overthinking, in an attempt to be more aware and learn to let go.”
Marissa Betley
Artist Marissa Betley's incredible 1 in 4 project is another 100 day illustrated project to help raise awareness of mental health issues which occur, as the project's name so aptly describes, to 1 in 4 adults in their lifetime. The artist interviewed a range of people with varying disorders that include depression and schizophrenia, describing on her website, "these people are our family members, our friends, our co-workers and our neighbours. Love and support makes all the difference."
“Each story has been unique and I have been incredibly inspired by the constant thread of courageousness and bravery showcased by everyone I have interviewed ... It’s not easy to open up about these things, so I am very grateful to all who have contributed in the name of helping others.
What has been most shocking to me is the more I talk about mental health, it seems everyone can relate to the topic, yet so few are talking about it.
”
Siobhan Gallagher
©Siobhan Gallagher
New York based illustrator and designer Siobhan Gallagher, uses her amazing Instagram account (@siogallagher) to share her illustrations that try to de-myth the 'polished' look of the Instagram life, a world we all think is real but is truly not reality.
“We’re imperfect, scared, anxious and depressed – but we’re willing to share and relate to others ... Some social media accounts are so curated and polished to make it seem like people are living perfect lives with perfectly posed experiences and bodies, and that’s just not interesting ... I’d rather share my interior life through drawing, because those thoughts are more real and relatable.”