Illustration Commission - Ice Hockey!

 Just popping in to share a recent commission with you. This was a personal commission from a friend to give as a gift and although it was completely out of my comfort zone, it was really fun to illustrate and I am very thankful to be given the opportunity to work on something so different! (I loved all the detail that needed to be included). I've been told the recipient was really happy with it which is always wonderful to hear. I hope you like it too!

Let me know what you think...

  

New - Portrait Illustrations

Back again! I've made a promise to myself that I'll definitely keep on top of my blogging and illustrating this year, so expect to see a lot more of me!

These two illustrations, showing sales managers stood in front of important local landmarks, were produced for a London Estate Agents last spring. They were used on flyers and in shop windows to help advertise the company in the local area. 

I love likeness commissions so this was a bit of a dream job! (I also really enjoyed the building side to this brief). What do you think?

I'll be back soon with some new work. And as I haven't said it already, I hope you're having a fantastic start to the year!

Personalised Letter From Santa

I'm very excited and happy to reveal an illustration I recently produced for Megan Claire. I've been a big fan of her cards and prints for some time and was thrilled when she commissioned me to illustrate Santa Claus himself to be sent out as Personalised Santa Letters! I had so much fun putting this piece together, challenging myself and working with unfamiliar subject matter (that tree was certainly out of my comfort zone but the feeling when I completed it, to a standard I felt proud of, was amazing). I even had Mr Nicolini posing for me for this special piece!

And below is how you will receive your personalised letter from Santa! Megan has designed the piece beautifully and I know children will absolutely love it. I can only imagine how exciting it must be for them! (I know I'd have adored it as a child!) If you'd like to purchase this piece, head over to the Megan Claire website.

New Illustration - Cat Portrait

Hi everyone! I know it's been a while but wanted to share my latest illustration with you! I'm really happy with how this little guy turned out - I was a little nervous about working with so much fur, but really enjoyed working on this image.

The recipient was really pleased with the results, which is my favourite part of being a freelance illustrator - the wonderful people (and animals) I get to work with!

Let me know what you think! I'll be back with more work soon. For now, don't forget to have a look at how the Mr Nicolini blog is progressing!

Portrait Illustration - Margaret Thatcher

Hi everybody! I wanted to get some personal portrait work fitted in between jobs, mostly in order to challenge and keep myself motivated, but partly because I thought it was about time I had something new to show! It can be painful waiting to reveal new work that is yet to be live.

One thing I really love about portrait illustration is creating that likeness and I know, for me, this improves over time and the more I do the better I feel the outcome is. This is why I like to keep illustrating and creating pieces for myself when I have no commissions to work on. Practise really does make perfect. I love private and family portrait commissions because creating something completely personal to them and hearing of their delight is such a wonderful feeling. At the same time, I enjoy illustrating famous figures and attempting to capture a likeness that audiences can recognise.

So I decided, for my latest personal piece, to illustrate somebody particularly topical, Margaret Thatcher. I haven't illustrated her as a way to show my thoughts and opinions on her or the subject, but merely to keep my work current and a challenge to myself. 

Let me know what you think! And take a look at my other blog, contribution blog Mr Nicolini. I've been so impressed with the work I have received so far; if you would like to take part, please do not hesitate to get in contact! 

Next week I'm going to get back to work on this illustration that has been put aside for some time now. Excited to continue!

Etsy - Abby's Illustrations

Hello everybody! Sorry I've been a little quiet for a while, I'm busy working on new projects which I should be able to share with you soon (I get very impatient waiting for illustrations to go live!)

I just wanted to let you know that I've reopened my Etsy shop, stocked with a number of custom portrait and pet portrait commission options. Perfect birthday, Father's Day, everyday or (for the extremely well prepared) Christmas presents! If you are interested and have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask!

I'll be back soon with more updates! I hope you're all enjoying this (finally) sunny weather!

Abby x

Arise Magazine - Portrait Illustration

Hello everybody! It's been some time since I posted, so Happy New Year! I've been quite busy over the last couple of months so haven't had much time for blogging. I just wanted to pop in to share some of my latest work to be published. I produced this illustration of Ugandan fashion designer, Gloria Wavamunno, to accompany an article on one of her favourite places, Buganda Road Craft Market in Kampala.

I illustrated this some time ago now, so it's quite nice to look back at it and share it with you now it's been published. You can find out more about Arise Magazine and it's content here.

I'm busy working on an exciting new project at the moment and I cannot wait to share more information with you. I'll be working on this until March so it may be a slightly long wait! In the meantime i'm working hard on the Mr Nicolini blog as well. I'll be launching this on his birthday, February 5th, so keep your eyes peeled! :)

New Baby Illustration

Good morning! Just wanted to share an illustration with you this morning!

This adorable baby has been printed and is on it's on the way to Holland this morning. How exciting! I've just finished the draft illustration for my biggest client yet. I've loved it and can't wait to work on the final illustration! Will of course share it with you when it's live (which won't be long!) Have a lovely week and I'll be back with more soon :)

Portrait Illustration

Hello! I just wanted to come and show you the illustration I'm working on at the moment. I've been wanting to do some self-initiated portrait work for some time and so have finally began!

One thing I really love is jewellery and intricately detailed illustration, so this piece has been an absolute dream, combining my love of fashion and portrait illustration. It's taking some time but I'm enjoying it.

Below is some of the detail when the line work is taken away. I actually really like how this looks; I may remove the lines when I'm done! I'll keep you updated. You can follow me on twitter, I'll be posting work in progress pictures on there! Have a lovely weekend!

Evie - pet portrait illustration

 I was delighted when Abby Wiltshire commissioned me to illustrate a picture of her lovely dog, Evie. She's absolutely gorgeous and although I was a little terrified about drawing all that fluffiness, I'm very happy with the results. I hope you like it too!

Don't forget, if you would like your own pet portrait or portrait illustration, you can order one here. And if you'd just like a print, you can get one in my shop too! :) Below is a few shots of my work in progress with this piece.

Have a lovely weekend everyone! :)

Promotional Work

Just popping in with a quick post!

Yesterday I was working on some promotional postcards, so thought I would come and share them with you! I'm planning to get a large bulk of these printed in an A6 format to hopefully spread the word of my personalised commissions. Let me know what you think! :)

Have a wonderful weekend everyone! :)

Bleubird Vintage

 I started following James Kicinski-Mccoy, or as she has become known to the internet world, Bleubird Vintage, after seeing re-tweets on twitter. As soon as I saw her blog, I fell in love. It is full of posts including fashion, photography, craft, home-schooling, family (beautiful family!) and much more. Everything is incredibly inspiring and I would recommend reading it to absolutely everybody. There will be something for you!

I was recently asked by Hels Martin to illustrate a picture of her and her youngest daughter, Gemma Bird to accompany her interview in Lionheart Magazine. Of course, I jumped a the chance. I illustrated two in the end and one can be found in the magazine. I hope she will see and like what I have done! They were beautiful photographs to illustrate.

Both illustrations were created using photographs from Bleubird Vintage and you can find these and many more over on her blog! Do go and look at her posts, you'll feel warm!

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!