Crafty Weekend

Last weekend was Crafty Fox Weekend in London! It was my first time trading at an arts & crafts market and I LOVED every second of it.

Here are a couple of pictures of my work on display:

Crafty Fox is a fantastic market. The quality of the work you see there is good and the variety of styles is very carefully picked and put together. You can tell by looking at what’s on display, that the organizers and curators are very specific, know what they are looking for and have incredibly high standards.

I was honoured to be selected to take part in their Uncovered Scheme for artists who are new to market trading. I had a mentor (the amazing Rod, from Rodology) who helped answer all my question and gave me several valuable tips, from the best way to display my products to the amount of change I should have on the day, etc. He was great. Thanks, Rod! :0)

I also got to meet talented artists and people who like me, were new to trading as well. Oh, and most importantly: I talked to lots and lots of lovely customers! People were very interested in my work and asked me lots of questions, which was wonderful and flattering! A few of my friends and family also dropped by, which was extra sweet.

Overall, a very successful day! Time just flew by. Thank you, Crafty Fox, for such a wonderful weekend.

Lots of love,

Crafty Fox

This time next week I will be in London getting ready for my very first Crafty Fox Market!

If you live in the UK and have a passion for all things handmade, you will have heard of Crafty Fox. It is one of the best Arts & Crafts fairs in the country. I have been a fan for ages and now for the first time, I will be there as a trader. I’m so excited, I can’t wait!

I have been putting lots of illustration goodies together for the market: greeting cards, postcards, Art Prints of various sizes, etc. I will also have a couple of framed originals, which I think is always a good idea.

A little sneak peek of one of my postcards. They are available in my Etsy shop too, if you can’t make it to the fair.

You can see the full trader listing here. There are lots of cool stuff and very talented people. If you’re around on Sunday 5th October, come and say hi! I will be on the second floor, so come and find me. :0)

See you there!

The Piano Room

In preparation for a lovely Arts & Crafts event taking place in London in October (more about that later!), I’ve been going through some of my old illustration pieces.
This one was originally black and white, drawn on very textured recycled paper. Just for fun, I decided to colour it whilst trying to maintain some of the original texture.

I was quite happy with the result, I must admit. I don’t usually revisit old illustrations or rework them, but this time, I was glad I did it! I didn’t think the colours would work so it was a nice surprise.

I created this illustration years ago, while I was reading The Great Gatsby. I was inspired by Daisy Buchanan, one of the main characters, though looking back now, I think the style of this illustration is more Jane Austen than Fitzgerald. Check out the original drawing here.

I’ll make a couple of tests to see if this piece works as an Art Print. If it does, I will produce a limited number for my Etsy shop and advertise here so, watch this space! :0)

Lots of love,

 

Mummyhood after Adland

I LOVE doing illustrations for personal blogs and small online businesses. From the early days of Wardrobe Mistress a few years ago, to So Many Lovely Things recently, and quite a few interesting projects in between, it will always be one of my favourite things to do! It’s fun and the result is immediate: after you deliver the artwork, you’ll see it live a few days later, probably sooner. In a few hours, perhaps! – This is definitely one of the benefits of being an illustrator nowadays: instant reward.

Anyway, this is the header I illustrated for From E to ABC.

For those who don’t know, “E” refers to e: A Novel, by Matt Beaumont, about the everyday life of an advertising agency.

Like me, the blogger, Mrs W used to work in advertising. In fact, we started our careers together as graduates in the same agency in London! I quickly realised that she was bright (exceedingly so!) and hilarious, so we became very good friends.

Her blog is about her journey from the Ad world to motherhood, and she tells it like it is, in her very own brilliant way.

Judging by this header, you can tell that I am going through an objects phase, right? Anyone who knows me or my work, knows that I love drawing girls. (Girls, girls, girls, always girls!) I still do, of course, but I am trying a couple of different things at the moment. Mainly objects and patterns. I’ll post them here very soon!

Read From E to ABC: Mummyhood after Adland here.

Lots of love

 

Maystagram

Oh my God, is it June already? I can’t believe it. Slow down, 2014! You’re making me dizzy!

May was a beautiful month.

♥ The ground looked like this:

♥ I saw the Jean Paul Gaultier exhibition at the Barbican Centre in London.

Yes, this was one of the corsets he designed for Madonna’s Express Yourself performance (Blonde Ambition Tour , 1990). You know… when she used to be cool. – Watch here.

♥ I visited Chatsworth in Derbyshire. Or Pemberley for the Jane Austen fans out there. It was GORGEOUS, as I knew it would be. Mr. Darcy has exceedingly good taste. :0)

♥ And I did lots and lots of illustrations. I worked on a number of private commissions and I am currently working on my second children’s book. More about that soon, I promise.

So long, May! So long, Spring. It was a pleasure.

Hello, June. Hello summer. Please come on in. Make yourself at home…

♥♥♥