About
Growing up beside an allotment & overlooked by woodland I have always had the privilege to be surrounded by wildlife. Strong memories of building grass hides, hand-rearing hedgehogs & watching fox clubs play together in the snow are just some of the happy memories that form the basis to my growing collection of paper goods. In a sometimes chaotic world, I aim to create a moment of calm, achieved by using subtle tones and delicate line drawings. Each illustration begins life as a pencil-drawn idea in a sketchbook, once I am happy with the image I refine any detail with a black fine liner and work on adding colour digitally.
Reading books was an integral part of my childhood as my mum was a librarian and my dad (despite his dyslexia) would read the best bedtime stories, complete with character voices. I could easily get lost in C.S. Lewis Narnia, farmyard adventures with Dick King-Smith & Roald Dahls Matilda is still a firm favourite even as an adult. There is a real magic to storytelling and I try in my own little way to capture this in my designs.
My passion for narrative & imagery led me to university, where after completing an experimental Art Foundation course I embraced on a Graphic Design & Illustration degree, graduating in 2013 with first class honours. Having learned techniques to hand-make books & the process of picture book illustration I created a short story about a boy and his cat. Each of the 50 copies was hand-bound and taken to sell at local craft fairs, I received warm feedback and launched my very small business The Paper Creative. These creative processes & experiences have enhanced my passion for Children’s book design and I can often be found writing short stories along with creating new illustrations in my rural Leicestershire studio space. I have big dreams of heading off to the Bologna book fair in Italy one day with my published books, although I have yet to be brave enough to share them officially.
Sometimes it can be hard to share your ideas, but good things can come from it. Once my illustrations of Mary Poppins & Chitty Chitty Bang Bang were shipped to the actor Dick Van Dyke in America as part of his 90th birthday celebrations after his wife spotted them on my Instagram account. Another time after creating an illustration of HRH Queen Elizabeth as a response to the sad news of her passing the illustration was spotted and shared on the BBC memorial feed.
I have currently ( 2023 – 2024 ) embarked on a year of personal development by curating my own illustration course called ” The Illustrators Year” Visiting exhibitions, drawing on location, listening to interviews and trying new mediums are all part of the challenges which aim to push my creative style and understanding of Illustration.
My inspiration is always sparked when I am out walking, which can be locally in the fields or along the Norfolk coastline. I often feel creative when I see handwritten shop signage, unexpected colour combinations or wildlife. At these moments I drag out my sketchbook and record the imagery or notes using them at a later date to create greeting cards, books or prints. I would love to hear from you if you have any questions about my creative journey please email thepapercreative@hotmail.com
