How I got started as an Illustrator

I often get asked how I got started as an illustrator, so here is an up-to-date account. This is just my story of how I became an illustrator, it is definitely not a guide on how to become an illustrator. Everybody’s path is different and everyone’s circumstances are are unique. I think my situation was certainly a little bit unusual!

Like most artists and illustrators I have loved drawing and painting since I was little. When I was 13 I left mainstream education due to ill health and didn’t go back to regular education until I was 16. I studied using distance learning and during this time and always kept drawing and creating. I went back to full-time education when I was 16 and did a National Diploma in Art and Design at Suffolk College. At the same time I started my blog and started showing my work online. I was really encouraged by my tutors at college and by the community I found online to keep producing work and sharing it. When I was 17 my work started to attract interest from clients as a result of my blog and I picked up my first job is illustrating greetings cards for Woodmansterne and Moo. I also started my Etsy shop and started selling prints, originals (very underpriced!) and greetings cards. As I wasn’t 18 yet my dad had to help me set it up as I didn’t have my own PayPal account.

After college I went to study a BA in Illustration at Middlesex University in London. Whilst studying at university I continued to produce my own work in my sketchbook, update my blog, run my online shop, and take on occasional professional projects. In my third year at university I was approached by a publisher and asked to illustrate a book called Tea and Cake. I worked on this book alongside my final major project at university and presented some of the work from this book at my degree show. Once I graduated university I continued working on the illustrations for this book and doing freelance illustration jobs. At this point I was working on a mixture of illustrations for greetings cards, magazines, and some branding projects for small businesses and blogs. It would definitely be a mistake to think I was some kind of overnight success. I was working full time as a freelance illustrator at 21, but I’ve been doing professional jobs here and there since I was 17 and gradually growing in experience and confidence. I made all the usual mistakes, undercharging from my work, accepting work without a proper contract etc. I just made these mistakes whilst I was still very young

I’ve been working full time as an illustrator for 10 years now, and in that time a lot of things have changed, but somethings haven’t. I still produce illustrations for magazines, books and greetings cards, I still have an Etsy shop, although it’s currently on a break, and I still find most of my work by putting my illustrations online.  In 2015 I began teaching and I have now taught hundreds of students how to paint with watercolours and gouache. I’ve now written and illustrated my own books, The Joy of Watercolour and Get Started with Gouache, with several other books in the pipeline due for publication 2022. It’s almost 10 years since I left university; I am now 30, writing my fourth book, expecting my first child and feeling just as lucky to be a full-time illustrator as I did when I first started.

I hope that was mildly interesting! For more some actionable career advice check out his blog post.

Getting Better at Drawing People

People often ask me how to get better at drawing people. The way to get better at drawing anything really is to draw from life and to practice. The best way to understand anatomy and facial structure is to go to a life drawing lesson, and I believe their are online life drawing classes. For me the best way to get better at drawing people in a more natural way, understanding how to show movement and body language, is people watching. Obviously at the moment location drawing trips can be tricky, so these are the two ways I’ve been drawing people in lockdown.

Number one, look out of your window. I live on busy road, people walk past my window all the time walking their dogs, going to the park, carrying their shopping. I try to take a mental picture of their outfit and posture and do a very quick sketch as they walk past.

Another great tool for drawing people going about their everyday lives is Google Maps! I’ve seen a lot of artists use Google Maps during lockdown for painting buildings and landscapes, but it’s also great for people. You can see enough of people walking down the street to get a sense of their character, how they dress, how they walk, but you don’t get caught up in tiny details as you can’t really see anyone’s face. I love visiting different areas I know on Google Maps and seeing how differently people behave in different spaced, people walking in a relaxed way by the seaside or people powerwalking or slumped over in the city. I’ve noticed how often couples and friends dress alike, and how they usually walk perfectly in step with each other.

The top row of the sketches were all created from google images, and the bottom row of people spotted from my window. I find these pages full of little people really useful and often adapt them for projects when I need someone walking or standing in a particular way.

Keeping a Sketchbook

Sketches from Paris

When I was at university keeping a sketchbook was of utmost importance. We had a sketchbook for each project we worked on and a personal sketchbook. We spent a huge amount of time drawing from life on location, in London and on class trips around the world. When I asked my tutors if I could take a week off school to go to Paris on my own and sketch they said yes. At the time I didn’t quite get the true importance of regular sketching, and sketches seemed like a means to an end, a way of progressing through a project. But when you sketch regularly you build up a personal reference library for yourself, that you can use it for years to come. When I’m starting a project and need reference images or inspiration the first place I go is to my sketchbooks. Whether I need an image of some roof tops, some spring flowers, or a couple walking, I know that I will have a sketch of that somewhere. Of course I could find reference photos online for all of those things, but it’s just so lovely to be able to use my own sketches as reference, to turn the pages of my sketchbook and have all the memories of that time and that project come flooding back.

Sketches from Peru

I fell out of love with sketchbooks for a few years, I think because I’ve always struggled with pencil sketches. I think in terms of colour, texture and shape, not line, so pencil was always a bit limiting for me. When I realised I could just paint straight into my sketchbooks instead of worrying about pencils it reinvigorated my sketchbook practice.

A sketchbook should be whatever you need it to be, it can be full of pencil sketches, notes, doodles, paint swatches, paintings both finished and half completed. Sketchbook is a place to record experiences and ideas.

Sketches from Mallorca

Sketches from Tuscany

Sketchbooks I like:

For watercolours – Hanhemule Watercolour Book

For gouache: Moleksine Art

For pencil sketches - Moleksine Cahier

Fabriano Bouquet Collection of 7

Finding your Style

I often get questions from people about finding their style, and yesterday I had a really great question. Somebody asked me how she could learn from me, but not just make replicas of what I teach and really make the drawings and paintings her own. I thought this was a great question, so I thought I would share my answer here in case it’s useful to anybody else.

Just for fun I have included some examples of my work from as early as 2006 up to last year. As you can see my style has changed hugely over this time as I’ve experimented with materials and my drawing skills have improved.

Personal work completed whilst I was at sixth form College

It is definitely tricky when you’re starting out for your work not to look too much like the illustrators that you admire.

Personal work completed whilst I was at sixth form college

My first piece of advice for finding own style is to draw from life. Set up a still life and sketch it, paint a vase of flowers, sketch your pet, try a self portrait. Drawing from life is really important to develop your drawing skills and to help you find your style.

Personal work completed while I was at university

The other thing is it’s important not to just be taking inspiration from contemporary illustrators. Create work inspired by your favourite films, or the books that you love. Look at illustration throughout history. Look at fine art, set design, photography. Try to find really broad sources of inspiration that represent your interests, and that will help you find your style.

Work from my final year of university

I hope that was helpful! Have you found your style, or are you still finding it?

Recent work from my sketchbook

Teaching with Watercolor Summit 0.2 Gouache Edition

One of my big goals for this year is to teach my first online workshop, and I am so pleased to announce that I am! I am so, so excited to be teaching along with seven other amazing artists in the Watercolour Summit 2.0 Gouache Edition. It’s an online creative summit, which means people from all around the world can join in.
I’m so excited to be sharing my knowledge on painting with gouache, with a particular focus on painting people.
Registration opens in April. Go to artsummits.com/emmab to sign up.

Confessions of a Workaholic

I asked on Instagram if anyone would be interested in blog post about how I, a former workaholic, learned to embrace work life balance. The answer was a resounding ‘Yes’. So many creative freelancers have relentless working practices that end up harming them mentally or physically. I was one of them. In the last four years I’ve been suffering with wrist problems, which I have learnt to manage but not cure. I’ve tried physiotherapy, medication, steroid injections, wrist supports etc, but the thing that’s made the biggest difference is taking breaks and sorting out my life work balance.

When I left uni I was a total workaholic. Going straight from university to full-time freelancing I had no structure in my life, I worked seven days a week, often working until 11 o’clock at night. After about four years of doing this it all caught up with me. After one particularly big project with a rush deadline I started getting shooting pains in my wrist and arm, and it all went downhill from there. At my worst just holding a knife and fork or brushing my teeth was a struggle. I could only draw about 10 minutes a day.

I really had no choice but to find a way of working that was sustainable for me physically, emotionally and financially. This is how I changed my habits and moulded my career into something that was no longer actively harming me.

Take breaks

I think everyone who is creative knows that feeling when everything is going right and you just want to keep working, but it’s so important to take regular breaks. I take little breaks throughout the day, and then stop work at about 6 and have a lazy relaxed evening. Some people find the Pomodoro technique helpful, which gets you to take a five minute break every 25 minutes, but personally I prefer to listen to my body and take a break once I feel my mind wandering all my wrist getting achey.

Be more productive

For me working very productively in a short period of time is how I manage to do most the things I want to do despite my wrist condition. It’s much better for me, my work and my wrist if I have a really productive few hours of work, rather than working all day and not getting much done. My usual work day is two or three hours of drawing and painting, and about two hours of admin (emails, invoicing, social media etc.) It’s so much better to work in a really focused way without distractions for a few hours, then enjoy total relaxation without worrying about work, rather than being distracted by other stuff when you’re working, then being distracted by work when you’re supposed to be relaxing.

Rest properly

As I mentioned above it’s important to stop every day life stuff seeping into your working time and distracting you. It’s equally important to stop work stuff seeping into your relaxing time and stopping you from properly resting. I don’t reply to emails in the evenings or on weekends, and I’ve set my iPhone so the access to social media is restricted late in the evening. You don’t need to be on 24/7. Just because someone has emailed you at 10 pm doesn’t mean you need to reply to them straight away. Proper rest is so important. When I’ve been really busy and everything gets on top of me I have days where I cannot get out of bed and end up sleeping most of the day. That’s fine, I let my body have the rest needs and start afresh the next day. If you don’t listen to your body and let it have the rest it needs it will eventually make the decision for you and force you to stop, which is never fun.

Change your mind set

For most of my life I felt incredibly guilty about wasting time or being unproductive. The only way to silence that nagging voice of guilt was to work incessantly. Then I injured my wrist which meant I feel guilty about working and hurting my wrist, but still guilty about not working and being unproductive. It was a no-win situation and I had to change my mindset, recognising rest as something that is productive and good for me. I needed to realise that going for a walk in the park was good because exercise and sunshine are both good for me, going for a coffee with my husband is good because quality time is an investment in our relationship, having an evening watching TV is good because sometimes your mind and body just need a rest. Everything and everybody needs to recharge at some point, and reframing downtime as something positive that was ultimately going to aid my productivity helps me feel less guilty about it.

Sometimes good enough is good enough

There are times when you do need to do your very best and give something 100% of your time and effort, but there are other times when okay is okay. You don’t have to be the best at everything all the time. I’ve never gotten around to setting up my own online shop, I just use etsy because it’s convenient, and that’s fine. I’m really bad at sending out newsletters, they take me so long to write that I’ve kind of given up. Not the end of the world. Until two years ago I was still using a Hotmail email address for all my business, I still got plenty of work. There will always be a long list of things that I could do to improve my work, my business etc but it’s all fine and I’m doing fine. Don’t need to beat myself up about not being perfect in every single way.

Charge more

There can be many reasons why we overwork. Sometimes it’s fear of failure or guilt around being unproductive, and sometimes we just need the money. Raising your prices and charging more for what you do gives you the freedom to say no to work when your schedule is already full. Charge more, work less might not sound very realistic but it’s exactly what I’ve done. When I started my career I was working all hours and earning very little. Through gradually raising my prices, getting better at negotiating, and learning to say no I’ve managed to earn a really good income and achieve a really good work life balance.

Redefine success

If your idea of success is being constantly in demand and working all the time then I think it might be worth tweaking that definition. My idea of success is to do what I love every day, make a good living, have lots of time to spend with my friends and family, get to travel to new countries, to enjoy the city that I’m living in, and do work that fulfils me and inspires others to be creative.

What does success look like to you?

My London Little Black Book

As a Londoner I often get asked for recommendations for what to do when visiting the city. Here’s a list of my favourite places to shop, eat and drink coffee.

The photos in this post were all taken from the official website of the various venues mentioned. All the photos are copyright of the venue mentioned, unless otherwise noted in the caption.

Art Shops

L. Cornelissen

The most beautiful art shop in London is Cornelissen. It looks like something out of Harry Potter. It’s also right next to the British Museum, so I would recommend visiting both at the same time.

Cass Art is a chain of affordable art shops that can be found all over London. The flagship store is in Islington, but I also often pop into the Soho store, and there is one next to the National Portrait Gallery.

If you are exploring East London then Cowling and Wilcox and Great Art are in Shoreditch are also both were a visit.

Present and Correct is more of a stationery shop than an art shop, but they have a great range of pencils. you’re not following them on Instagram and Twitter already, you definitely should be.

Choosing Keeping is an independent stationery shop that stocks a wide range of supplies for painting, calligraphy and bookbinding. It’s a beautiful store and a great place for finding more unusual brands and products.

Choosing Keeping

Coffee

Clerkenwell Grind

One of my favourite places for coffee is Notes coffee shop, which is just opposite the National Gallery. My husband and I are often in Charring Cross due to the large number of book shops and guitar shops so we get coffee here regularly. They’ve also just opened a shop in Kings Cross.

Another favourite coffee shop is the Grind chain. You can find the coffee shops in Soho, Shoreditch and Clerkenwell. The Clerkenwell cafe is definitely the prettiest.

Saint Espresso, in Islington, and next to Baker Street station both do great coffee.

Kaffeine in Soho also do great coffee and light meals. I had a butternut squash and gruyere tart there which I still think about fondly.

Brunch

Bourne and Hollingsworth

I love brunch at Café Miami in Hackney, everything on the menu is delicious and it’s such a sweet little café.

Bourne and Hollingsworth in Clerkenwell is a classic for brunch, although you definitely need to book ahead. The interiors are absolutely beautiful. Also if you’re going mid week they have a great lunch time set menu.

Cafe Miami. Photo by @mybeatificworld. That’s my hand grabbing that toastie. It was so good.

Lunch/dinner

Blanchette

I love lunch at Blanchette in Soho. It’s such a beautifully quaint little French restaurant, and it does delicious French style Tapas. They also have a great lunch set menu. My top tip for eating out in London is always look out for a lunch set menu as they are often very good value.

Another favourite is the Ivy Café in Marylebone. The Ivy group have restaurants all over London, but my favourite is the Marylebone café as it’s cosy and intimate, and one of the more affordable ones. Top tip, order the zucchini fries. The Ivy Cafe is also know for it’s beautiful exterior decorations, especially at Christmas.

Brasserie Zedel is great for a reasonably priced classic french food with beautiful interiors. This vast underground restaurant feels like you’re stepping back in time. I highly recommend the tarte tatin.

For a quick and cheap meal in London Franco Manca is my go to. They make great sourdough pizza have branches all over London.

Brasserie Zedel

Bookshops

Daunt Books

Daunt Books in Marylebone is a beautiful bookshop, and the rest of the street is lovely as well. They also have a shop in Hampstead.

I love Foyles on Charing Cross Road. It’s huge, it has almost every book you could possibly be looking for and it has a lovely café as well.

There is also Hatchards in Picadilly, the UK’s oldest book shop.

Museums and galleries

One of the best things about London is it’s incredible range museum galleries, almost all of which are free to enter.

The V&A is one of my favourite museums in London, it’s absolutely vast and so inspiring. The café is also beautiful.

Wallace Collection

The Wallace Collection is one of my favourite places in London and a true hidden gem. It’s famous for its beautiful interiors, stunning artwork and ever so Instagramable pink courtyard cafe. I recommend going straight to the café and ordering a pot of tea, it comes in lovely cast-iron teapots, and then exploring the rest of the house. Entry is free and it’s a great place to sketch.

The Tate Britain is definitely my favourite out of the two Tates. The classic architecture and the serene atmosphere appeals to me. I love the permanent collection and they have some great exhibitions.

The Fashion Textile Museum have some great exhibitions. This summer I’m looking forward to their exhibition on Peruvian textiles.

Tate Britain

Cocktails

The Night Jar

The Night Jar is a underground speak easy style bar in Old Street. It’s pretty small so it’s worth booking in advance, especially if there is live music that night. Cocktails here are fun and inventive. If you want to drink a cocktail from a giant seashell or an edible waffle cup this is the place. It’s sister bar The Oriole is also lovely.

The Ned is an absolutely beautiful hotel and former bank which has been lovingly restored to its 1920s glory by The Soho House Group. They have regular live music on Sundays and often there is swing dancing. It’s lovely to have a drink and have a little dance, there are lots of pros so even if you can’t dance it’s nice just to sit and watch. There is something lovely and old-fashioned about complete strangers coming up to you and asking for a dance. I’m a terrible dancer but I normally have a go.

The Ned

Hotels

charlotte street hotel

I love the Charlotte Street Hotel, it’s very old school with a bit of a twist. The rooms are beautifully designed by Kit Kemp. Every room is a total delight. I’ve been here for the afternoon tea and cocktails, but I’d love to have the opportunity to stay.

I’ve been to the Leman Locke hotel as part of an event with WeekendIN, which means I’ve had a chance to eat at the restaurant and see inside the bedrooms. It’s almost like a studio flat with calming pastel minimalist decor. It’s perfect if you’re in London for work, or just want to stay somewhere that feels more like a (very trendy) home.

The Hoxton have hotels all over the world now, but the original in Shoreditch is a classic. Ive been there many times for coffee and events, there’s always something going on at The Hoxton. The location is great and the rooms look lovely.

Leman Locke

I hope this list is useful. Let me know if there’s anything else you would like to see added to the list. I’m probably going to add new places as I discover them.

Fear of the Blank Page

I don’t personally like the phrase ‘creative block’, but fear of the blank page is definitely real! As an artist and an art teacher I have learnt there are so many things that can hold people back from be creative. Having no ideas, having too many ideas, perfectionism and worrying the painting will be a failure, worrying about wasting expensive materials, and good old fear of the blank page. As a professional illustrator I’m used to painting a lot, but I recently took a break due to travelling and moving house, and I was shocked by how much my confidence had dropped in that time. If I feel nervous about doing a painting after a ten day break, I can only imagine how people feel if they haven’t painted or drawn for years. Here are my top tips for getting over that fear and getting creative again.

Start small

This usually works for me. If you haven’t painted in a long time and you’re feeling anxious the last thing you want to do is start on a huge canvas or an expensive piece of watercolour paper. Even starting a new sketchbook can be scary. Working in a small sketchbook, or on a small piece of paper is a good way to start without worrying about wasting materials or time. Don’t start a huge project, just start something simple you can finish in an afternoon. It doesn’t need to be perfect. It’s just the start.

Keep a list of ideas

I’m sure we all know that feeling, you’ve finally found the perfect time to sit down and do some painting and you can’t think of what to paint. Keep a private Pinterest board or a Instagram collection of images that inspire and write down things that you would like to paint in a notebook. That way it’s there to reference when you’re in the mood to paint.

Make yourself comfy

Again this is one always helps me. Make yourself comfy, make a cup of tea, get your desk arranged nicely, put on your favourite music or podcast in the background and start slowly.

Gather research and reference images

Sitting down and immediately starting to paint puts a lot of pressure on yourself. It’s so much easier when you’ve got a starting point. Try collecting some small objects and drawing from life, or look through photos you’ve recently taken, are there any elements that would translate well to a painting? When I’m out and about and I don’t have time to sketch something I see I often take a quick photo and then paint it later.

Try a workshop

If you’re really feeling lost the guidance of a workshop can really help. The tutor will be on hand to advise and encourage you, and attending a workshop is about giving your self permission to do nothing but learn and be creative for a couple of hours, which is really important. Shameless self promotion, I teach watercolour and gouache workshops regularly in London. Find out more here.

Try a drawing exercise

Sometimes you just need to loosen up and do a few exercises to get used to making marks on the paper. At the beginning of my life drawing classes at university my tutor used to make us draw with our eyes closed, draw with our left hand, draw with a continuous line and draw two minute poses. The point of these exercises is to encourage creativity and get rid of perfectionism. Don’t worry about the end result, just enjoy the experience of mark making.

Follow a tutorial

Following a tutorial is a great way of being creative without having to worry what you’re going to paint. You can find painting tutorials online and in books. Shameless self promotion yet again, my book is full of projects for all skill levels and is a great way of getting back into painting and building up your confidence.

A little Guide to the Suffolk Coast

I love Suffolk; I think it’s a little bit overshadowed by Norfolk as a mini break destination, but Suffolk has so much to offer. It’s only an hour and 10 minutes from London on the train and is full of beautiful villages and charming seaside towns. This is by no means an exhaustive guide to Suffolk and for this first instalment I have decided to write about the Suffolk coast line, which is recognised as an area of outstanding natural beauty.

Aldeburgh

Aldeburgh is a lovely little seaside town with a pebble beach, colourful houses, boutique shops and a nostalgic British charm. It also has a generous helping of art with Maggi Hambling’s scallop shell and Antony Gormley’s figure on the Martello Tower, plus several good art galleries, including Thompsons. Aldeburgh is known for its fish and chips, with queues stretching up the road at lunch time.

Walberswick

Walberswick is a favourite place from my childhood. I have fond memories of going crabbing with my little brothers and playing in the sand dunes. The highlight of Walberswick is definitely its slightly wild, windswept feeling beach with sand dunes aplenty.It also has extensive heath and marshlands with picturesque herds of dosing cows. Around this part of Suffolk there is a trend for black painted wooden clad buildings, which I love as they look so striking against Suffolk‘s flat landscape.There isn’t very much to the village of Walberswick, but I recommend having lunch at The Bell or The Anchor.

Southwold

Across the river Blythe is Southwold. You can walk across the bridge or get the ferry. The ferry is simply a wooden dingy sailed backwards and forwards by a man who charges £1 per person, dogs are free. The journey only takes a few minutes and it’s lovely to take part in something that has been a Walberswick tradition for so long. Southwold is a very pretty town with a great selection of shops, cafes, pubs, bakeries and galleries. Highlights include The Swan Hotel, which has been recently renovated and has beautiful rooms, and the lighthouse. 

Thorpness

Thorpness is a strange little village by the sea. It mostly consists of holiday cottages built in the early 1900s, the Meare, a shallow yet extensive man made lake for boating, almshouses built in the 1920s that looks like they could be  mediaeval, and the house in the clouds, which was originally built to hide the eyesore of having a water tower in the village. In 2003 it was named Britain’s weirdest village, so it's not just me that thinks it's a bit odd. It also has a stretch of quiet and windswept beach. It’s definitely worth paying a visit to see the house in the clouds and go boating on the lake.

Orford

Orford is a small village near the coast, on the banks of the river Ore. It’s famous for its castle and the excellent Pump Street Bakery. I definitely recommend popping in for a hot chocolate or a sausage roll. You might recognise its distinctive pink building from Instagram.

Snape Maltings

Not far from Orford you'll find Snape Maltings, a converted barley maltings turned arts venue. This complex of buildings houses everything from concert halls, galleries, vintage shops, print studios and cafes, set in stunning natural surroundings. It has a couple of excellent pieces of outdoor sculpture, which work so well as part of the landscape.

Felixstowe

Whilst Aldeburgh, and Southwold feel distinctly upmarket, Felixstowe definitely isn’t, but that’s where its charm lies. There is something nostalgic and a teeny bit tacky about Felixstowe. It’s a very affordable place to eat and drink, with a scoop of ice cream costing £2.20 rather than the £2.95 you'll find in Southwold. I particularly recommend the Little Ice Cream Company for excellent ice cream. Felixstowe boasts a newly renovated pier and a long stretch of pebbly beach with colourful beach huts. At the far end of Felixstowe the beaches are a bit more wild and dog friendly through out the year.

I hope you have enjoyed this first instalment. I'm hoping to write another covering the lovely villages you find inland at some point. 

A Little Guide to Sóller, Mallorca

My husband and I love a European city break, but I've realised in the rush to do and see as much as you can in three or four days it's not always that relaxing. We decided to book a springtime European getaway with a focus on slowing down and relaxing. Ideally we wanted somewhere beautiful and rural, but neither my husband or I drive which poses a bit of a problem. Sóller in Mallorca was the perfect solution, as this small town is surrounded by stunning countryside, yet it’s easily accessible by bus and train.

Sóller

We flew into Palma and then got the antique train through the mountains straight to Sóller. I had read reviews on Trip Advisor urging me to get there early and be prepared to fight for a seat. As we were travelling out of season and mid week there was no queue at all and our carriage was almost empty. The beautiful antique train takes a scenic route through the mountains, passing olive groves and fields of sheep. A single ticket is €18, so it’s not cheap but it’s a beautiful journey. It’s also worth checking out the train station in Sóller, which includes a free permanent collection of works by Miro and Picasso. Possibly the most cultural train station I’ve ever been to.

Sóller is a gorgeous little town, fairly untouched by modernisation. The main shopping street is still full of independent boutiques, butchers, greengrocers and many, many ice cream shops. The main plaza is particularly picturesque as it features a huge church, orange trees, outdoor restaurants and cafes and an antique tram which winding through it all. The antique tram runs regularly between Sóller town and Port de Sóller carrying waving tourists. We stayed in a hotel in the centre of town then walked and cycled in the surrounding areas. Our favourite restaurant was Bar Molino, a family run place on the edge of own.  It doesn't look like much but it is the place to find authentic flavours, friendly service and big portions.

On our second day we hired bikes and planned to cycle to Port de Sóller via the scenic route. The scenic road actually involved cycling up a mountain. We zig-zagged up the mountain for over an hour, at every corner hoping we were at the top, and when we finally made it to way we thought was the top my husband got a massive puncture and we had to walk the bikes all the way down the mountain to the bike shop. You’ve got to laugh. The tire was replaced and we decided just to take the main road and cycled to the port in less than 10 minutes. We had a lovely lunch on the sea front, I did some painting and we explored the area on our bikes. 

Ecovinyassa

I developed a bit of an obsession with oranges whilst in Sóller: I probably drank about a gallon of freshly squeezed orange juice and came home with a memory card full of pictures of orange trees. To fuel this obsession further we paid a visit to Ecovinyassa, an organic orange farm in the Sóller valley that offers tours. We spent an hour wandering around the orange groves and learning about different varieties of oranges and organic farming methods, and just generally taking in the beauty and tranquillity of the scenery. The tour finishes with a jug of orange juice and a snack of bread with fresh tomatoes.

Fornalutx

There are lots of beautiful walks in the surrounding area. Our hotel gave us a map of hiking trails, and we did a few of the shorter ones, walking to Biniraix and Fornalutx. The walk to Fornalutx via Binibasi is particularly lovely. The scenery is so magical, I'm not sure that photos really do it justice. There are miles of orange and lemon trees in every direction, remote stone villages dotted along the mountains, wildflowers growing along the edge of every road and blue mountains rising in the distance, with a delicious smell of orange blossom, jasmine and woodsmoke everywhere you go.

Deia

Another day we decided to get the bus to Deia. The timetable said it would only take 25 minutes, but it took more like 40 as it wound its way through the mountains, slowing to a crawl every time we passed another car. There were a few hair raising moments as we squeezed past another bus along a cliff edge. Deia is a mysterious, quiet town, once home to the writer  Robert Graves, and the setting for the BBC drama The Night Manager. The bus dropped us in the town and then we decided to walk down to the sea, which as it turns out is quite a challenging 30 minute walk following the path of the river until it meets the sea. I don't mind clambering over styles or small streams, but it's something to bear in mind if you're planning at visit. We had a drink in a picturesque restaurant jutting right out into the sea (it was used in The Night Manager). It was the most expensive orange juice I'd had all week but it was worth it for the breathtaking views. We sat and watched braver folk than us swim in the crystal clear turquoise waters. 

The Can Prunera

On our last day the weather was a little cooler so we explored Soller town a bit more in the morning. We visited the Can Prunera, a stunning art nouveau townhouse that is home to a collection of modern art. The rooms are beautiful, and the way the furniture and artefacts are arranged you feel like the owners have just stepped out for a minute. It’s easy to imagine these elegant people of the Fin de Siecle catching the wooden tram down to the port, or strolling in the main Plaza.

Mallorca is such a gem of an island, and so much more than just a party destination or somewhere for a bit of sun and sand. I feel like we have only just scratched the surface of the wonders that Mallorca has to offer, and we are keen to go back. I would recomend it to anyone; pack a book and some comfy walking shoes and prepare to relax. 

A very short film of my time in Mallorca. Music Mysteries by Dan Lebowitz

How to Sketch While You Travel

Is there anything more relaxing than sitting painting in the sunshine whilst on holiday? However it’s so easy to pack your paints and sketchbook in your suitcase and then leave them there all week! I’m definitely guilty of taking my art materials on holiday, but never actually using them. When you are on holiday and you’ve got a limited amount of time to do and see things it can be difficult to make time to sketch. Here are my top tips for making it happen.

Preparation

Paint
Think carefully about the materials you are bringing. You want to choose things that are compact and lightweight. At home I use a Schmincke Horadam Watercolour Set that comes in a metal tin, however this is very heavy, so on holiday I take this Winsor & Newton Watercolour Set which comes in a light plastic palette with lots of mixing space. It's the perfect paint palette for travelling with.

This was my first time travelling with gouache. I had just bought a set of Holbein Artists Gouache, which come in tiny 5 mL tubes. These teeny tiny tubes are perfect for travelling as they take up no space at all.

Brushes
Water brushes, brushes that contain water in the handle, are ideal for painting on the go. I also like to bring small travel brushes with me. The set of Winsor and Newton watercolours I linked to above comes with a size 5 brush with a short handle so it fits perfectly inside the palette. You can get travel watercolour brushes with detachable or retractable handles that keep the bristles intact whilst travelling.

Sketchbook
I might be completely biased, but I love my sketchbooks from Papier. Yes, they might have my illustrations on the front, but the paper inside is great for pencil sketching, gouache and watercolours. The sketchbook is paperback and staple bound so it opens up completely flat and is very light to pack. The pages are thick enough that you can paint on both side.

Pencils
If you are packing traditional pencils make sure you bring a pencil sharpener, and if you are taking a mechanical pencil make sure you bring some spare leads. I bought my Blackwing pencil with me which has a great rubber on the end.

Pencil case
I used a make up bag as a giant pencil case which I could fit my sketchbook, paint set, brushes and pencils into. Having everything all in one bag made it easy to keep everything together.

Choose your Colour Palette
It’s a good idea to pick a colour palette before you go as it will allow you to limit the amount of art supplies you need to bring. Some people might say that you never know what will inspire you, and therefore what colours you will need, but realistically knowing that I was going somewhere with stone houses with green shutters and lots of orange groves that I would need a good green, orange and stone colour.  Think about the place that you are going and the colours you are most likely to use. For example if I was going to Japan during cherry blossom season I would want to take some great pinks with me. If you are bringing watercolours you will probably just bring the whole set, this applies more to tubes of gouache, colour pencils or felt tip pens. On my holiday I brought five tubes of gouache - white, raw umber, permanent yellow, permanent green and flame red. I also took a set of watercolours.

Top tip -

If you are short of space you can just take a set of watercolours and a tube of white gouache. You can mix the pigment from the watercolours with the white on the palette to make gouache of different colours. 

Make it Happen
 

Make Time
Doing a sketch or painting takes a bit of time, it’s not like taking a quick photo. Plan times when you are likely to be able to do some painting and take your sketchbook out with you. I found that waiting for my food to arrive in a restaurant was a great time to sketch, as we were always eating outside in picturesque locations.

Compromise
One of the tricky parts of painting on holiday is compromising the people you are travelling with. Explain to your travel partner that you want to do some painting and suggest that they have a go sketching as well, or bring a book to read. On holiday I did lots of painting and my husband read. 

Edit
Don’t feel like you have to paint everything you see in front of you. If you are inspired by one small detail of what you can see, like a particular person, a beautiful tree, or a cute dog it is fine to just paint that one thing. It’s also fine if you don’t finish your painting or sketch in one sitting. Take photos of the scene and use them, plus your memory, to finish it later.

Save it for Later
If there is something you want to paint and you don’t have time grab a sneaky photo and paint it later. I always like to do some holiday paintings in my sketchbook when I get home whilst it is all still fresh in my mind.

Enjoy the Moment
Don’t worry about creating a masterpiece or a beautiful sketchbook. Painting on holiday is about the experience, not just the end result. Painting while travelling is a great way to force yourself to slow down and really take in your surroundings. Enjoy the moment and don’t worry too much about the outcome.

I hope those tips have inspired you to get painting on your next holiday. Let me know if you have any questions. Here are some great blog posts about sketching while traveling from my friends Jackie and Viktorija.

More from my trip to Mallorca coming up soon!

A Little Guide to Lisbon

Lisbon has always been on my must visit list, so when I decided book a mini break as a treat for finishing writing my first book it was an obvious choice. I couldn’t wait to explore the cobbled streets and colourful alleyways of Lisbon. We went at the beginning of October, and were expecting pleasantly warm weather, what we actually got was a heat wave with highs of 32°. Perfect weather for wafting about in a sundress, drinking beer and eating ice cream, although it did make the steep hills and hundreds of steps in Lisbon a bit of a challenge.

Santos and Bario Alto

We stayed in an airbnb in the historic Santos neighbourhood, on the charming Rua da Esperanca, which translates as Hope Street. It was a quiet and pretty neighbourhood, and an easy walk into the busier neighbourhoods of Barrio Alto. We arrived just before three in the afternoon, so we had plenty of time to explore our first day. One of our favourite local finds was  Mercearia da Milla, which is a lovely delicatessen selling great coffee, pastries, salads and sandwiches. After grabbing a coffee we made our way into town for a wander and a chance to get our bearings. For dinner we popped into the Time Out Market, which everyone raved about. Unfortunately it just wasn’t for us. The food looked great, but having to bring your food on a plastic tray to a vast communal table in hope of finding a seat somewhere near your partner as well as having to shout to each other among the crowds of people just wasn’t our kind of thing. I’ve realised that any restaurant described as having a 'buzzing atmosphere' just isn’t for me. I picked up an incredibly tasty custard tart at Manteigaria, the first of many, to eat on the go. It was warm, flakey, fragrent and slightly gooey; the best. We found a little family run restaurant in a quiet alleyway near where we were staying and had an excellent, and very affordable dinner there instead.

Alfama, the flea market and the tram

The Museum of Antique Art was just around the corner of where we were staying, so of course I dragged my husband there on our first morning. The museum is a real mixture from mediaeval art work to the home furnishings of the Portuguese royal family. One of the most memorable exhibits in the museum was a triptych by Hieronymus Bosch. It was my first time seeing a Bosch in the flesh, and we must’ve spent about 20 minutes just staring at it. After a few hours in the museum we decided to go to the flea market in Alfama, which is pretty much the opposite side of Lisbon. We made our way there slowly throughout the day, with lots of stops for iced coffee, beer, ice cream and a chance to take in the beautiful views. Santini in Chiado was our favourite spot for ice cream. Our route took us through the Praça do Comércio, a large plaza that looks out onto the river Tagus. From there we made our way into Alfama, the oldest neighbourhood in the city which is beautifully higgledy-piggledy and colourful. After walking up what seemed like hundreds of steps we made our way to a mirador (view point) where we enjoyed an iced coffee and a stunning panoramic view of Lisbon and the Tagus. After that we continued towards the flea market via George castle and the church. The flea market itself is vast, and I would describe it as containing everything you could possibly imagine, but don’t actually want to buy. Everything from rusty nails and vintage matchboxes to cheap shampoo and tourist postcards. It’s great fun to wander round and have a look. After that we decided to get the historic Tram 28 back, as we couldn’t face walking all that way in the scorching sun. Tram 28 is a traditional wooden tram from the 1930s and it’s a great way to see the city

Fado

We had dinner at the same place as before, partly because I had left my scarf there and partly because it was really good. After that we made I way to Barrio Alto to hear some Fado. Fado is to Portugal as Flamenco is to Spain. It is a haunting and melancholy music. There are many Fado bars in Barrio Alto and Alfama, and they get very busy in the evening.
 

Cascais

We debated going to both Cascais and the castle district of Sintra in the same day and getting a taxi from one to the other, but in the end we decided it would be more relaxing to spend the whole day at Cascais instead. Cascais is a beach resort 30 minutes from Lisbon on the train (€5 return). It has lots of beautiful sandy beaches, stunning historic mansions, beautiful parks and lots of restaurants. It has such a relaxed, chilled out vibe, I would love to go back and stay longer. My favourite part was finding a teeny tiny hidden beach tucked behind a stunning mansion. There were only four people on the beach and you could only reach it when the tide was out.

LX Factory

On our last day we visited the Estrela Basilica, and paid to go up onto the roof, which was amazing, but not for those scared of heights. After that we had a wander in the park and explored the quiet neighbourhood Estrela. Looking for somewhere for lunch we stumbled across the Mercado de Campo de Ourique. There were vegetables, meat and cheese for sale as well as stalls selling hot food. The food section was similar to the Time Out market but much more quiet and family friendly. My husband had steak and fries and I had huge salad.

After that we decided to walk to the LX Factory which is a little way out of the city centre. We did an awful lot of walking on our last day! I’d been trying to drag my husband to the LX Factory since the first day but he is very resistant to anything that sounds too trendy. We had a coffee then explored Ler Devagar which Is probably one of the most beautiful bookshops in the world. For a bibliophile like my husband this definitely made the journey to the LX Factory worthwhile. The bookshop is built around a huge antique printing press, which printed the very first ever newspapers in Portugal. Currently on the printing press, which is about the size of a small house, there is an exhibition of kinetic art run by a charming and eccentric old man. He makes electric sculptures out of old bits of rubbish and delights in showing them to visitors. There was something so wonderfully absurd and charming about them that you couldn’t help but to grin from ear to ear.

After that we walked back to the Santos neighbourhood and had a beer in a rather smart bar overlooking the river next to the Museum of Antique Art and waited until it was time to call an Uber.

This painting inspired by the lovely old neighbourhood of Alfama is now available as print in my shop. 

Instagram for Creatives Workshop

Last month I hosted my first ever Instagram for Creatives workshop. The aim was to share what I had learnt about using Instagram to grow my business with other creatives. I wanted the talk to be inspirational, but also packed full of useful information and advise the students could implement straight away. There was a big focus on not seeing Instagram as a popularity contest, but using it as a tool to grow your business and we started the workshop by defining and writing down our goals. It was such a lovely afternoon and I had such a nice bunch of women to talk to.

I am very pleased to announce I have a another Instagram for Creatives workshop coming up in January. You can book tickets here.

The workshop was hosted in a beautiful East London venue and refreshments were provided by My Little Cake Tin. My good friend Nancy came along on the day to help with a bit of styling and took the photos. I booked the space via Breather, get £45 off your first booking with the code BKA5JG. 

Why it Doesn't Pay to Work for Free

Working for free has been a big issue for a long time in the illustration industry, but I really feel it's becoming a bit of a problem at the moment. You would assume that as you become more established and successful as an illustrator people would stop asking you to work for free in exchange for exposure, but what actually happens is you simply get bigger brands and clients asking for free work . The way I see it there are two types of clients that ask you to work for free. There are smaller clients that aren't making much money and assume that because they are working for free that you should too. This only works if you truly believe in what they're doing and actively want to collaborate. Just because their business isn't financially successful doesn't mean you should have to work for free as well.

The second type of client that asks you to work for free are the big businesses and well known brands. These clients are household names and they assume their reputation and influence means they  don't actually need to pay anybody creative. They can just pay you in exposure and you will happily work for free so that you can put the work in your portfolio and name them as a client on your website. Unfortunately this isn't really a good idea and too many illustrators fall for it. There have been times I've worked for free earlier in my career and regretted it.

Just to make it clear I'm not having a go at new illustrators that are currently doing work for free. I've done it myself, I know how tempting it can be! I just wanted to share my experiences with the benefit of hindsight. Also all the photos used in this post are of me doing paid work, not free work. I just thought a post without any photos would be very boring. 

Live illustration for SisterMAG

Maybe they'll like me if I work for free 

A client that asks you to work for free will never respect you. You might expect them to be extra nice to make up for the fact that they are not paying you, but actually these clients are usually the worst since they don't value you or your time. My experience has always been the better paid the job, the better you are treated by the client. This is particularly relevant when you're working at events, teaching workshops or doing live illustration. A client checking to see if you need anything or offering you a drink makes a big difference when you're working flat out for hours.

Live illustration for The Betty Collective

Maybe they'll pay me next time

I've fallen for that one before. The client has run out of budget this time but surely they'll pay me next time? The truth is that if you've agreed to work for free once, and you've done good work for the client, there is no reason why they would start paying you in the future. If having no budget worked out well for them last time why would they change it in the future? The exception to this is small independent magazines who sometimes will start paying contributors as they grow.

Running a workshop for Pinterest

But it would be great exposure

Generally my feeling is a company too small to be able to afford to pay you won't be able to offer much exposure, and a company big enough to offer huge amounts of exposure should be making enough money to pay you properly. Free work only leads to more free work. The best exposure that I have received has been as a result of paying work. Additionally a lot of the brands that contact me and offer me exposure have less followers on social media than I do!

Live illustration for Betty Magazine

But I don't need to make money from my illustrations I'm just doing it for fun

That's your choice, but ultimately it's bad for the industry. If clients can always find somebody to do the work for free they will keep asking for free work and keep allocating zero budget to illustration. There have been times when I have given a client a quote and they have come back to me saying 'this person is willing to do it for free, why can't you'? When you agree to work for free it's not always apparent the knock on affect you have on other people.

Running a workshop for Etsy

Is it ever okay to work for free? In certain circumstances yes, for  example for family, charity or causes that you really believe in. There are also some occasions when you can offer to work for free and make a calculated decision about how it will benefit you. For example the first time I ever did live illustration over two years ago at The Bloggers Market I offered live portraits for free in exchange for a tweet or Instagram. This was completely my decision and I wasn't pressured into it, also it wasn't a big business, it was run by girls my age. I had never done live illustration before and I didn't feel that I could charge a client for it until I knew I could actually do the job. The event went really well and it was so popular that it attracted the attention of the venue (The Hoxton Hotel) who immediately booked me for several of their upcoming parties (paid) and corporate events, which then lead to even more paid work live illustrating.

What do you do if a company asks you to work for free? You can politely explain why you don't work for free or you can just not reply at all. If you'd like to work with them in the future I would recommend sending back a polite email, but otherwise don't give it anymore of your time. 

What do you think? Would you work for free? Have you worked for free and regretted it?

Joules x New Designers

Last week the team at Joules invited myself and my fellow blogging buddy Nancy to afternoon tea and a chance to explore New Designers. New Designers is one of the most important design events in the UK, offering design graduates a chance to showcase their work to the creative industries. For the first time Joules sponsored an award at New Designers; one lucky graduate won a cash price, a paid placement and a paid assignment to create a mural for their pop up store in Wells-next-the-Sea. Joules were looking for someone with a good understanding of colour and print, with eye catching, fresh designs that also have comerical apeal.

The winner was Chloe Hills, who studied Textile Design for Fashion & Interiors at Bath Spa University. Her winning piece was designed to create the feel of an overgrown jungle, with prints created large scale to maximise impact.  I got in touch with her to ask her a few questions about what inspires her and how she created her final piece. 

The theme of my hand painted wallpaper piece was Dark Florals & Foliage, giving it a slight twist by adding a pop of accent colour, to this very moody theme and creating over-sized imagery. What inspired my final wallpaper, 'Love-Lies Bleeding' was  my collections of floral imagery that I gathered over the summer from RHS Hampton Court Flower Show, RHS Wisley Gardens, and from trips up and down the country visiting many gardens.  I wanted to combine a contemporary feel with a very traditional theme using abstract shapes and a sophisticated colour palette. 

I decided to hand paint this piece because I wanted to be more hands on with the design as a final piece and my aim throughout was to make an immediate visual impact which I felt the hand painted finish would do, as sometimes a design can get lost within a digital print for example. For me , It was also about getting the colours right which was something that I felt I had control over which was key. There is something unique too about it being hand painted, as it is it a one off piece. Plus it is exciting and I enjoyed doing it! 

I am always on the look out for colour combinations. Colour inspires me greatly especially unusual and unexpected combinations when it comes to a new and exciting project the first thing I do it seek out on trend colour schemes. I like to revitalise a palette and think carefully about my proportions of colour. Inspiration comes from plants, gardens, natural sources, scenery and also architectural features from my surroundings.  

What really surprised me about the exhibition was the high quality of work and the professional presentation. I was worried I was going to see the same old things again (I think we've all had enough of pineapples prints) I was really impressed by the fresh approach and unique ideas of the students. Here are a few of my favourite trends.

Monochrome Textures

You could see the influence of Scandinavian minimalism in some student's work, with the use of cool greys and interesting textures. These textiles are perfect for modern interiors. Jane Woolley creates beautifully tactile throws and cushions using natural fibres. Chloe Scott uses lino printing to create her cushions and textiles, and Isabel Cross brings her limited colour palette to life with touches of gold.

Jane Woolley

Chloe Scott

Isobel Cross

Painterly Detail

Painterly detail was a huge trend, whether it was loose water colours or detailed gouache paintings. Tana Pither's stunning work is painted with gouache and inspired by botanical illustration and old photos of the East African coast. She has had placements at House of Hackney and Timorous Beasties, and you can feel the influence of that in her work. 

Tana Pither

Tana Pither

Natalie Percival creates beautiful textiles with her loose watercolours, inspired by the rugged scenery of Norway and the rolling hills of Surrey.  Matthew Hodges work is simply delightful, inspired by the flora and fauna of British summer time and a love of colours. 

Charlotte Atkins bought a fresh approach to tropical prints, with bold brushstrokes, a monochrome palette and sheer fabrics. 

Charlotte Atkin - Matthew Hodges

Pastel Geometrics

Nadia Aggoun's work mixes the geometric with the botanicals in soft pastels shades. Her work reminds me of the patterns found in geometric tiles.

Nadia Aggoun

Quirky Details

Isla Rustrick and Lizzie Porter stood out for their quirky details and hand drawn approach to textile design. Isla Rustrick was inspired by OAP style icon Iris Apfel and her work involves screen printed illustrations and knitted details. Lizzie Porter's work also includes niave hand drawn details and embellishment. 

Isla Rustrick - Lizzie Porter

The thing that really surprised was the lack of online presence these graduates had. Often the graduates didn't have a website at all, or they had a free website that was difficult to use. New Designers is such a wonderful platform, and it's a shame that the online presence of these graduates didn't match up to their incredible work. You don't need anything complicated, it's so important that the website is easy to use, easy to find, and people can contact you. If not you don't know what work you might be missing out on. You can read some of my top tips for graduates here.

This post was created in association with Joules, but all words and thoughts are my own.

Peru Part 2 - The Sacred Valley

We arrived in Cusco airport and got a taxi into town to buy our Boleto Turistico, a ticket that gets you into many of the ruins and museums across the Sacred Valley. You can pay for them individually, but the Boleto Turistico is much cheaper.  It is valid for 10 days and you get a stamp for every site you visit. We then got a collectivo to the Incan village of Ollantaytambo. Collectivos, also known as combis, are shared minibus taxis, and are a cheap convenient way to get around. They leave when they are full and passengers get on and off along the route. It was a two hour journey through the Sacred Valley to our destination, but the route was stunning as we slowly descended through the mountains.

Ollantaytambo

Ollantaytambo is a unique intact Incan Village, and is often people's last stop before reaching Machu Picchu. This can give the place a bit of a backpacker vibe, but instead of just passing through, we decided to stay there for four nights. It is referred to as a living Inca Village, because the traditional Incan streets are intact and it is still inhabited by the indigenous  Quechua speaking community. The people living here in Ollantaytambo today are the direct descendants of the people who built the town.

On our first day we explored the ruins of Ollantaytambo. We went slightly off the tourist trail and found a path that led us right up the side of a mountain, leaving the tour groups far behind. The route we took gave us a spectacular view of the valley and the low-lying clouds. We then climbed up to the granaries on the opposite mountain. These mysterious sloping buildings look like churches, perched on the inhospitable hillside, but they are in fact store houses that were used by the Incas to store grains.  

Moray and Maras

The next day we decided to visit some of the local sites with a driver, as recommended by our hostel. We visited Moray, Maras, Salinas de Maras and Chinchero in one day for the cost of about £40, plus tip. The mysterious circular terraces of Moray look like an amphitheatre, but it is believed they were actually used as an agricultural laboratory. As the different levels of the terraces receive different amounts of wind and sun, it allowed them to see which crops grow best in different weather conditions.

We also visited the salt flats at Maras. You can wander around the extensive salt mines on a network of wooden bridges. Warm salty water drips constantly between the hundreds of salt ponds. Salt has been mined here since pre-Incan times. Naturally salty water emerges from an underground spring and evaporates in the sun leaving pools of white crystals behind.

The town of Maras its self is very small and very quiet and has an unusual and slightly eerie atmosphere. Our driver took us on a route from Maras to Chinchero via the back roads, which in the winter are completely impassible. This was a wonderful opportunity to see the unspoiled Peruvian landscape. You see whole families working in the fields growing traditional crops like corn and wheat, the way they have done for hundreds of years. At one point we had to make an emergency stop as a herd of piglets ran across the dirt track. The scenery is stunning, with golden green fields of wheat and dramatic snow topped mountains.

Chinchero

The little town of Chinchero is famous for its traditional weaving community, and was one of my favourite places in Peru. The Incans knew it as the birth place as the rainbow, and it certainly produces a lot of colour and beauty.  At over 12,000 feet it was the highest altitude we experienced, I must have been an alpaca in a past life because I was completely impervious to the altitude. We later met people who had gotten serious altitude sickness from visiting this village. There are numerous collectives of weaving families who sell their wares together and give demonstrations of the traditional processes. The alpaca wool is washed and spun by hand before being dyed with natural organic dyes. Purple corn, lichen and cochineal are used frequently. The women demonstrated how the shade of red produced by the cochineal can be changed by adding ingredients like salt or lime juice. The finished yarn is then woven to create beautiful textiles used in traditional dress and homewares. The weaving process is elaborate and lengthy, and the traditional designs incorporate many symbols of Peruvian nature, such as pumas, lizards, rivers and mountains. The most expensive textiles are those finely woven with alpaca wool; they are very detailed and are often used in clothing. The dense weave keeps out the rain and different towns have different traditional designs. My favourite type of traditional Peruvian textile is the Frazada, which means blanket in Spanish. They are made in two halves and then sewn together. These are a chunkier, heavier textile and quicker to weave, which is why they are less expensive. They are used as rugs and blankets are and cut up to make backpacks and cushion covers. In the square in front of the white washed church of Chincero,  women in traditional dress sell their colourful textiles. This open air market backs onto the Chinchero ruins.

Pisac 

Pisac is famous for its market, and is busiest on the main market days when tourists pour into the town from a fleet of coaches. The market is a colourful maze spread over the cobbled town square, and sells everything from the most beautiful textiles to the tackiest tourist tat. A lot of the goods are mass produced and there is more of a hard sell here, which is why I prefer shopping in Chinchero. After wandering through the market we decided to head up to the ruins. These were our favourite ruins; they were a challenging walk with spectacular views and Inca terraces and fortresses dotted all over the mountain. We had the trail almost completely to ourselves. At the top of the mountain we met a tiny little old lady selling bottles of water from a huge bag on her back.

Where to Eat

As a pair of jet lagged coffee snobs it's always important to us that we find a good local cafe. Our favourite in Ollantaytambo was Cafe de mi Abuelo. The coffee was good, the staff are friendly, the top floor has an amazing view over the mountains, and they have great home-made alfajores. Also they have a daily happy hour, which means you get two Pisco sours for around £4, which is exactly what you need after a tiring day of walking up mountains. On our last day we discovered Cafe Mayu, which is right next to the platform in the train station and has excellent coffee. It is attached to El Albergue restaurant and B&B. Uchucuta was our favourite restaurant, and did an excellent alpaca steak with red quinoa and Andean sauce. We also visited Hearts Cafe regularly, a casual cafe and restaurant whose profits all go to local community work. The Living Heart charity does lots of fantastic work in the local community, and I am proud to support them with the sale of this print.

The Sacred Valley is a magical place with truly unique people. Stay tuned for part three and four where we spend a night in the Urubamba Valley at Inkaterra and then venture on to Machu Picchu.

How to Paint a Chair

Family Heirloom

A couple of years ago my granny decided to buy some comfier furniture and gave me a 1920s chair she no longer had room for. It's somewhere in between a dining chair and an armchair, it's probably what you would call a cocktail chair, though I have yet to drink a cocktail sitting in it. It was originally bought for my aunt as an engagement present from an antiques fair in Alexandra Palace. It's been passed about the family a fair bit and now ended up with me. It is a beautiful chair and still in great condition, but after a 100 years of people sitting on it, the light cream fabric was looking rather grubby. I booked a free consultation to see how much it would cost to have it professionally reupholstered. The lady who did the consultation was absolutely lovely, and quite accurately guessed from my flat full of IKEA furniture that £900 was a little bit more than I was willing to spend on one chair. Thus I began to do some research on a cheaper alternative and stumbled across the idea of painting the chair, which sounds like the kind of thing they would do on the Great Interior Design Challenge. Given that I was never going to spend £900 to have it reupholstered and it was only going to get more grubby as time went on I decided to have a go painting it.

A Quick Fix

I bought two cans of fabric spray paint from Simply Spray in Hunter Green. I was also very tempted by the coral, but I decided the dark green was a more versatile colour and would cover up the discolouration on the fabric better.

I covered the wooden legs in masking tape and my husband carried the chair down to the garden where we gave it its first coat of paint. The cans are really easy to use, just point and spray. The key is to cover it from all angles and keep the spray nice and even. It was dry to the touch after an hour or so. After a few days we dragged it back outside for coat number two, which made the colour richer and deeper and generally gave the impression of it being a green chair, rather than a beige chair that had been spray painted green. 

The Final Result

All in all I'm really happy with the results. It was cheap and easy to do and it looks great. The fabric is a little bit less soft them before but it is a very firm chair made with horsehair, not a soft squishy chair you would lounge about in, so it doesn't make much difference. 

I love how it looks next to my umbrella plant and styled with my Peruvian cushion. The green and botanical theme continues with the botanical style prints that I've painted to go above the chair. This is the perfect spot for a cup of tea and a bit of reading/Instagram checking.

If you've got an old piece of furniture in need of a makeover, or you've spotted a piece at the charity shop with potential, I definitely recommend using this process. Let me know what you think in the comments. Would you ever spray paint your furniture?

A Few Wise Words

Over on Instagram I shared some of my top tips as part of #MarchMeetTheMarker. They were just a few nuggets of wisdom I have cleaned in my 5 1/2 years of freelancing. It was one of my most popular ever Instagram post, so I thought I would share it again here. Obviously I am a freelance illustrator, but I think this advice could apply to any freelance creative.

Value yourself
If you don't nobody else will. When I first started illustrating I completely undercharged, and I think it's something that every artist and Illustrator does when you start out. Confidence and charging what you are worth go hand-in-hand, so make sure you value yourself and the work that you do. Don't buy into the 'starving artist' myth. For a while I told myself that I was lucky to be doing what I love for a living so it didn't matter but I wasn't making much money. That attitude will stop you from ever earning much money; if you don't expect to be paid well then you won't. When I realised that I worked very hard and that my work was of value and I had every right to be paid well for what I did, I started asking for more money and getting it.

Trust your instincts
I have learnt again and again to always trust my instincts. So many times when something hasn't felt right a project has gone wrong or things haven't worked out. Trust your instincts about what is a good opportunity and who are the right people to work with. When I first started freelancing I assumed that every opportunity was a good opportunity but sometimes that just isn't case. In fact any email that starts with the word 'great opportunity' is usually a request for you to work for free! One of the things I love about freelancing is that I don't have to say yes to everything. The more my career develops the more I have the freedom to say no and to only do the jobs I really want to do.

Take a risk and make things happen 
I've been very lucky that some incredible opportunities have come my way, but I've also learnt that I can't just sit around waiting for my dream job to come along. I've got to go out and make things happen myself. I find it so scary putting myself forward for things and contacting people, but when it all works out and I secure the project of my dreams it's the best feeling ever. Putting yourself out there can mean blogging, updating social media regularly, emailing at directors and editors or doing mail outs. It's important to find what works for you.

Illustrating a Book Cover

Last year Text Publishing got in touch with me about illustrating a book cover for an upcoming chapter book. It was a really lovely project so I thought I would share a behind-the-scenes peak with you guys.

They had a fairly clear idea of what they wanted from the cover so I went straight in with the sketch. The feedback was that the plant life needed to be more varied and more wild looking. After my second sketch got the go-ahead I started on the artwork. I painted the mirror and the girls separately and then layered them on photoshop so they could be edited and moved. 

I painted the botanical wallpaper straight onto green paper which looked really lovely and definitely set the tone for the piece, but it was difficult to edit in photoshop. Ultimately I started the background again, painting individual plants on a white background which could then be removed in photoshop. The individual plant motifs could then be arranged on a green background which meant the design was much more flexible. The plant motifs were also use to create a gorgeous decorative title page. I also painted some little botanical flourishes to be used for the chapter headings.

A Guide to Painting Easter Eggs

Painting blown easter eggs has become something of a yearly tradition for me. I have produced a little step by step guide to painting eggs, just in case you want to have a go!

First you need to blow your egg, that way you can keep your creation forever without it going off. Use a metal skewer to make a small hole at the top of the egg and slighter large hole at the bottom. Use the skewer to break the yolk, then blow the contents out into a bowl. Rinse the egg throughly then leave it to dry.

I like to paint my eggs with a base coat of regular house paint first (not gloss). A good tip is to make a little donut of blutack to rest your egg on, so it doesn’t roll around. Use a wide flat brush to apply one or two even layers of base coat. When the base coat is dry I lightly sketch on a design in pencil, then use acrylic paint and ink to finish it off.

Simple designs and repeat patterns work best. Alternatively you could just draw on the painted egg with a sharpie. Painting on a round surface is tricky, so embrace imperfections! Display your egg with pride and impress all your friends.