Christmas Illustrations

I've produced a couple of illustrations this Christmas and thought it was the perfect time to share them with you! I'm really happy with how they both turned out and I'm very glad the recipients were happy too! The first is an illustration for my friend, Sam. He wanted an illustration of him and his two sisters as a Christmas present for his mum. It was a fun and happy piece to illustrate and apparently it printed up beautifully.

The second picture I did as a little present for someone I work with. She's currently on maternity leave with her beautiful baby girl and I wanted to do it for her as a Christmas present. I really enjoyed illustrating her and I will be sharing a couple more baby illustrations tomorrow. I've discovered babies are one of my favourite illustration subjects! Maybe I will explore this are more, if you'd like something produced don't hesitate to contact me!

I hope your Christmas has been wonderful and have a very happy New Year! I will be back with more new work and Christmas books posts!

Happy New Year

At the beginning of 2010, I was in my second year of university and completely unsure of the direction I wanted to take. The only thing that really struck my interest was editorial illustration, but I also loved print and collage. I felt uneasy about my future as I had no recognisable style and worried I just wasn't strong enough to make it into such a huge industry as illustration.

However, as my summer holidays took underway, I received an email from an online magazine I'd subscribed to. It was all about a wonderful opportunity to be in Amelia's Compendium of Fashion Illustration. The open brief looked fun and exciting, so I decided I'd enter, I thought if nothing else it would keep me illustrating over the summer. I'd never done fashion illustrations before, so thought I had no chance. 

It was at this point that I joined twitter and a little later I set up a blog (Amelia insisted that participants be on twitter - so thankful for that, at the time I didn't think it was important, but it's brought so much to me). Each of these decisions were some of the best things I ever did. After entering, I kept answering calls for illustrators for Amelia's Magazine and worked hard all summer. I was on holiday in Venice when I got an email saying I'd been chosen for the book, and I'd never been so excited or happy! I've produced quite a lot of illustrations for them now, and am so grateful because without this, I'd still be lost. Thank goodness for that email, eh?

I have since contributed to Cellardoor Magazine, Craft Guerrilla, been featured on numerous blogs, been a finalist in a Company Magazine fashion illustration competition and jointly set up Tea & Crayons Collective with five of the loveliest girls I could ask to meet. This year has changed me so much and I am now more confident, happy and excited for my future than ever before! This year, I think, is going to be great! 

:)
 

I just want to share some of my New Years Eve photos before I leave. For years, I have been so disappointed by New Years, so decided to do something completely different - stay in with my lovely boyfriend!

We made mulled wine, lit candles, had nibbles, danced around, drank winter pimms and were just generally very silly - perfect night in! :) Happy New Year everybody! xx