HOW

I have so many journals and notebooks lying around that are bursting with ideas and imaginings. Rather than working on a single design at a time, I often approach new works as part of a complete collection. This means finding the ideas that connect to one another and grouping them by season, style or occasion.

By looking through photos, books and colour palettes, I explore how different elements of design might fit together and I start to think about some special words to complement the artworks. From the very beginning, I consider more than just the subject matter - I think about composition and colours too.

Once I’ve found a comfy space that’s bathed in natural light, I start to sketch. Using pencil, I sketch outlines for all of my designs by hand. These can sometimes take a day or two to get just right, before I transfer them to watercolour paper and start painting. I use watercolour paints and pencils, and occasionally gouache and ink to add depth and rich hues to my designs.

I photograph my finished illustrations and use digital software to place and size the artworks. I select fonts for messages and finalise the design before arranging for samples to be produced. This step ensures the colours really pop and the finish is just right - making sure that every piece has my signature premium look and feel. Once everything’s polished and perfected - it’s time to press “go” on the final production run.

When the final pieces are delivered it’s just like Christmas morning! It’s so exciting to hold the finished items in my hands and know that, soon enough, they’ll be winging their way around the world to my lovely customers.