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 2018 in Review

So 2018 was a bit of a crazy year. I feel like I say that every year, but I think your late 20s are the pivotal years when big things happen and you start making strides in the world rather than just bumbling along cluelessly (or maybe that’s just me). The two biggest things that happened this year where that my first book, The Joy of Watercolour came out, and my husband and I bought our first home in London. It was so exciting to have my first book published, and the reaction has been incredible. It has sold so well that it went to reprint within a month. The best thing for me has been the reaction on social media. I absolutely love seeing people painting the projects in the book and getting in touch asking for advice or just telling me how much they enjoy it. I absolutely loved the process of creating a book from start to finish and I’m excited to be writing another book next year.

At the beginning of 2018 I wrote down my goals, one of which was to buy a house, which honestly I feel ridiculous just writing down, but somehow it’s happened. It’s funny how things work out; what started as a very stressful situation, being forced out of the flat my husband and I had rented for five years with no warning, led to us buying a beautiful flat that we love. It’s a Victorian conversion with lots of original features and I’ve had the time of my life with decorating and sourcing furniture. I wrote about the living room here and I’m planning more interiors posts in the new year.

This year also included a once-in-a-lifetime trip to San Francisco, which I still need to blog about. On this trip I had the chance to meet my literary agent Leslie face-to-face for the first time after years of working together. The trip was absolutely incredible and we both loved California. Visiting Yosemite was a particularly memorable part of the trip. I had time to take a couple of meetings while I was in San Fransisco which have led to some exciting things for 2019.

This year I had make peace with the fact that the repetitive strain injury in my wrist is likely to be permanent, and I will always have a lack of strength and range of movement in my right hand. This means my live illustration career is over, but I’m not too upset about that, I think it’s important for your career to always be evolving and changing to meet your needs. I really feel my passion lies in writing and illustrating books and encouraging others to be creative.

I worked with some lovely brands this year. At the beginning of the year Kikki K spent a day with me and made this beautiful video. If you want to learn a little bit more about me and my background I definitely recommend watching it. I also had Papier visit me in my studio and create this stunning video of me painting one of their wedding stationery designs. I’m working on some new wedding stationery designs for Papier at the moment which will be launching in the New Year. I also had the opportunity to design an Emma Block illustration Easter egg with Godiva, which was a rather bizarre but absolutely lovely job. 

This year I did a lot of editorial work with clients including, Vogue Brides, Next, Magnolia Journal, In The Moment Magazine, Prima, Sister Mag, The English Garden, The House The Lars Built and Eve Mattresses. I do think my style evolved a bit this year, embracing the dry texture of gouache more than ever.

In terms of personal goals this year I read more books, the majority of which were by female authors, got back into the habit of working in my sketchbook, and developed a gym routine, which I’ve now completely abandoned since moving house. In the new year I’m hoping to find a new gym, and get back into reading and working in my sketchbook, make the most of living in London and visit lots of exhibitions with friends and family. I’m really excited about what 2019 will bring, and I can’t wait to start writing my second book.

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.

The Joy of Watercolor Book Launch

This week I celebrated the UK launch of my book and I have to say after my wedding it was probably the happiest evening of my life. I’m so lucky to have such incredible friends and family who made the evening so special. The Village Haberdashery hosted the party in their colourful modern craft shop and event space, Your London Florist provided the beautiful flowers, Kathryn from Wander For A While took photos on the night and  My Little Cake Tin made the most incredible sweet treats I have ever seen. Everyone who came  is so creative and kind, and their support means so much to me. 

Also let’s talk about THAT cake. My Little Cake Tin made a cake inspired by watercolours and flowers and I think it’s the most beautiful cake I’ve ever seen. Tarunima made my wedding cake two years ago, and I’ve always wanted to work with her again because she is so incredibly talented, and such a lovely person. I didn’t really give her any direction on the cake, she just took inspiration from my book and far exceeded my wildest expectations. And of course it was absolutely delicious, like everything she makes. 

We almost sold out of books on the night, but The Village Haberdashery have a few signed copies left in stock, which you can buy in store or through their website. 

Joules x New Designers

It’s that time again, fledgling designers are being pushed gently out of the nest and into the real world. It’s an exciting time, and I was lucky enough to visit New Designers to take a look at the new talent graduating this summer and learn more about how Joules champions creativity.

Last year I visited New Designers with Joules and my friend Nancy, and this year I was lucky enough to do it again. It is so lovely to combine my love of design and social media in such a nice project. We started the day with lunch at Bourne and Hollingsworth before wandering over to the Business Design Centre to check out the work on display.

I was really impressed by the work on display, and I’ve highlighted some of my favourites breaking it down into several main trends that I saw emerging.

A Sense of Place

I noticed that many of the projects on display were strongly inspired by a particular place. This is very important to Joules, as the print designers to take regular research trips around the UK to gather inspiration for their seasonal prints.

The winner of the Joules prize for graphics and illustration Megan Williams from Nottingham Trent University. Her work was sophisticated and diverse tackling everything from packaging design to public awareness campaigns. I particularly liked her project exploring the Leicester dialect, which combined photography and handwriting text and created a strong sense of place. The judges picked her work as it is is colourful, sophisticated and shows a sense of humour and a real maturity.

One of my favourite projects in the exhibition was Amaia Kurschincki's project taking inspiration from a trip around Mexico. Having been to Mexico myself I immediately and recognised the blend of folk art and religious iconography and loved the colourful tactile quality of her work.
 

Evy Prentice from Norwich University created work inspired by taking walking tours of Norwich. Colourful screenprinted models were inspired by the Dutch influence in East Anglia.

Elysia Anthony studied illustration at Norwich university and specialises in printmaking. Her work also takes inspiration from the Norfolk landscape. She translates sketchbook pages full of energetic observational drawings into dark and moody etchings.

Handmade Processes

Despite the technology available for creating and printing designs always progressing, I saw a strong return to traditional techniques, in particular screenprinting. Many of the students spoke about how they preferred the tactile qualities of painting or screen printing. Handmade processes are very important to Joules as all of their prints start with multiple sketches and paintings. Handmade and the traditional is still a big part of the design process

Remy Goddard's work made us smile as soon as we saw it. Her work is charming, naive yet sophisticated and evokes strong childhood memories of summer at the sea side. Her work really makes use of handmade processes, with everything painted by hand or cut from paper. Even reproduced onto textiles you can still see Remy's distinctive brushstrokes and the characteristic sharp edges of cut paper. She also had a beautifully fresh colour palette and it was a joy to be able to flick through her portfolio and see her original artwork. She was chose, as the winner of the Joules Print Award as the judges felt her work personified Joules' playful side and was perfect for the brand.

I loved the muted, abstract work of textile student Eve Campbell from Glasgow School of Art Her screen printed concrete tiles particularly stood out to me and created a wonderful backdrop to her work. It was also lovely to be able to flick through her sketchbooks

Another textile artist using screenprinting was Becca Smith from Leeds Arts University, whose work was much more colourful and full of exuberant line work. Her work celebrated the glorious every day, from cheese graters to spectacles.

I also loved the textured screenprinted designs of Sarah McCann from Heriot-Watt University. She uses a sophisticated colour palette and a range of mark making techniques.

Traditional Techniques

It was great to see so many unusual and traditional techniques being used. Robyn Nisbet, from the University of Dundee, created a beautiful range of natural dyes which she used to screen print textiles and garments with stunning results.

Anna Hopkins from Loughborough University combined traditional techniques of weaving and cyanotype to create a stunning range of textiles and products. To create the cyanotypes sun reactive fluid was painted directly onto the fabric then leaves and flowers were laid on top to allow a pattern to develop

I was so bowled over by the talent and creativity of these graduates. Every time I visit New Designers I leave feeling so inspired. I definitely recommend looking at these ladies' websites and following them on Instagram, they are definitely ones to watch and I’m sure they all have exciting careers ahead of them. Thank you so much to Joules for this opportunity. 

Disclaimer: I was paid by Joules to attend New Designers and write this post, but the words and thoughts in this post at all my own. 

Watercolour in Blossom with Papier

Earlier in the year I had the chance to work with Papier, one of my favourite clients, on some content for their magazine. The team came over to my studio to film me painting one of the pieces from the stationery collection. The cherry blossom stationery suite is quite an elegant, pared back watercolour design, and it’s lovely to see it come to life in the video. It’s such a treat to work with talented photographers and filmmakers, and every time I work on a project like this I learn something new. I’m so happy with the final film and photos, but you would never know how much tidying and re-organising it took for my studio to look like that. Behind the scenes whole room is a tip to make room for all the lights and tripods!

You can read the accompanying interview over on the Papier website.

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!

2017 in Review

It’s that time again, the year in review blog post! I’m terrible at remembering what I’ve done in a year, and tend to think I haven’t done much of anything, which is why I’ve got my diary out so I can go through the year month by month and remind myself of all the exciting stuff that’s happened. My hopes for 2017 were to grow my business in bold new directions (hello book deal!) but also to achieve more work-life balance and spend more social time with my husband and friends. I’m very happy to say I think I’ve done it!

January

My year started off with some pretty exciting work as I traveled to Berlin in January to live illustrate for SisterMAG. In January I started hosting my own watercolour and brush lettering workshops at West Elm. Until then I had been running workshops for soemmmebody else, and taking sole responsibility for teaching, promoting and running workshops was a little bit scary. I kept having dreams that I hadn't sold any tickets or that I turned up without any materials. I’m happy to say neither of those things happen and I have now taught a whole year of sell-out workshops at West Elm. I’m very excited to be adding some new workshops to my repertoire next year, including my gouache workshop which has already been very popular. I worked on a couple of book covers in January and provided illustrations for the Mollie Makes Creativity magazine. My husband and I also booked tickets to Peru!

February

This was the month but I got my book deal! At the end of 2016 my amazing agent sent out my book proposal to a few different publishers, and by February I had an offer! I read the email on my phone walking back from a Pilates class and when I met my husband for coffee I started crying out of shock and happiness. This month I taught a couple of brush lettering workshops with Etsy, which was really exciting as I wanted to work with them for a long time. I also did some illustrations for the Betty Collective website.

March

In March I went up to the north Norfolk coast to visit my aunt and uncle. One of my goals for 2017 was to take more time off, and visiting family who happened to live in a beautiful part of the country was a great way of doing that. That month I also did some live illustration with Dermalogica in Selfridge’s, and Viktorija and I hosted a second London Drawing Club event at the beautiful Barbican conservatory. I also illustrated some very popular postcards for Mollie Makes and illustrated a lovely article for Stylist Magazine.

April

In April we celebrated my grandparents 60th wedding anniversary, and the day afterwards my own wedding was featured on Love My Dress. I had a super busy month of workshops, trying to squeeze in as many as possible before my trip to Peru. I also did some live illustration with Reiss at Brent Cross shopping Centre. I also made time to see the amazing Hockney exhibition with Viktorija.

May

I spent most of May travelling.  I had a quick trip back to Suffolk to see my parents at the beginning of the month, and then I was home for one night before heading off with Nancy to a trip to Somerset with Joules, and then three days later I was heading off to Peru. Our time in Peru was absolutely amazing, and you can read more about it here. It was such an incredible trip and a great way to celebrate our first wedding anniversary.

June

In June I taught a really lovely watercolour workshop for Pinterest as part of their interior design awards, at the beautiful Bourne and Hollingsworth Building. I also taught a very special watercolour workshop with Oasis that took place in London Zoo. I got to chat to the zoo keepers and feed two pygmy hippos, which made it one of my top workshops ever. June was also the month that I initiated my Monday afternoon dates with my husband. He is a jazz musician so mostly works evenings and weekends, which means we need to be organised about spending quality time together and not just working all the time. He rarely works on Monday, so we decided that was the best day to take an afternoon off and do something fun together. In the last year our Monday afternoon dates have included trips to the cinema, exhibitions, lunches out, walks in national parks, vintage shopping and we've explored lots of new neighbourhoods in North London.

June is the month that I really started writing my book properly. The last few months I had been waiting to get the contract sorted, and I didn’t want to start actually writing it until everything was signed, although I had been researching and planning it in my head. It was so exciting to actually sit down and start writing my book! For me the challenge was finishing up all my other projects and saying no to new work to give myself the time I needed to do it.

July

I spent most of this month writing my book and enjoying the heat wave in London; going to barbecues, street fairs and summer parties. I also had the chance to go to a really lovely bloggers event in Somerset, which was such a lovely break away from the city and work. I had to hand in the first half of my manuscript on the first of August, which meant the last few weeks of July were very busy getting things finished and organising hundreds of images and pages and pages of writing.

August

August was all about writing my book, and I only taught one workshop all month to make sure I had plenty of time to focus on it. People always say how difficult it is to write a book but I actually really loved it. It was so nice to just work on one creative project continuously for three months, and not have to deal with contracts, negotiations invoices and everything else that comes with being freelancer. I also managed to enjoy the sunshine in London a bit and visited Columbia Road flower market with friends. I also worked on some content with Pink Lady Apples.

September

In September I had to hand in the second half of my book. This time I was much more organised, having named all the files correctly as I went along and kept the manuscript in better order. It turns out writing a book in order from start to finish makes life a lot easier than writing it in any old order you feel like! In September I also taught my first ever Instagram workshop which completely sold out and was a big success. I’m teaching another one in February.

October

In October my husband and I headed off to Lisbon as a post-book writing treat. Whilst I might have finished writing the manuscript and painting all the illustrations, there was still edits and changes to make, which I worked on during October. Fortunately the edits to the book were very light and not much needed to be changed. In this month I also personalised notebooks with brush lettering for Papier at Brides the Show, and did some live illustration at Harrods. I also had an interview and photoshoot with Moo in my flat, which was really exciting as Moo were one of my very first clients, read the interview here. I also worked with my friend Kathryn on the branding for her new company Wander for a While. I also developed some new products for my shop including note books and new Christmas designs.

November

November was a bit of a funny month. I had so many hospital appointments and social engagements that I felt a bit all over the place. The hospital appointments were for my wrist (for my ongoing RSI) and for my troublesome tooth. Fortunately both seem to have settled down for the moment. I also spent a lot of time preparing for an onslaught of festive workshops in December and sent out lots of Christmas Etsy orders. I also worked on some lovely magazine illustrations that I can't show you yet and some branding for The Market Beautiful. I also got to attend Weekend:IN again, this time in East London.

December

In December I taught lots of Christmas bauble painting and lettering workshops with clients including Topshop, Battersea Power Station and Seven dials. I also finalised the cover of my book with my publishers and got to see a first proof copy of my book. It was so exciting to see all those months of work come together into 250 beautifully designed pages.

So that was my year. I achieved my main goal of getting a book deal and writing a book, I also managed to travel and spend lots of time with friends. I think there’s a bit of a myth that as a creative freelancer you have to be badly paid, working constantly with no social life, and definitely no exercise routine, and it’s just not true. This year has been all about saying yes to exciting opportunities, no to the projects that aren’t right for me and learning to look after myself.

I’ve got some pretty big goals for next year, which include travelling more and hopefully writing more books. I’m so excited to see my first book come out this August, and I can’t wait to share it with you. Thank you so much to everyone who has come to my workshops, bought something from my shop or just followed me on Instagram, Your support means so much to me.

How to Wear a Beret

So apparently the beret is back in fashion, which is news to me. Was it ever not in fashion?? Essentially I just want to be French and living in the 60s, which goes a long way to explaining my love of berets and Breton striped tops. I’ve been wearing a beret every winter as long as I can remember, but maybe for most people the beret has been an item best left in the fancy dress box? Well no more, the beret is here to stay for this winter at least. To me a beret is about looking artistic, quirky, a little bit french and most importantly keeping your ears warm. There are many ways to where the beret . Here are some of my favourites. 

What style do you go for? I'm a mix between the classic and back of the head. You can pick up a beret from Accessorize, Topshop, And Other Stories or La Redoute (for authentic french style), but be quick, they are selling out fast.

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?

Writing a Watercolour Book!!

I announced over on my Instagram and I forgot to share the news on here: I am writing a book!! Last summer I had an idea for a book. I realised that most watercolour books are very old-fashioned and very traditional, and I wanted to write something modern fun and accessible. I got in touch with my friend Lesley who helped me write a book proposal, which ended up being a whopping 23 pages long, and presented to some publishers. In the New Year I got offered a book deal and I am spending this summer writing the book. I am used to having ideas for illustrations in my head then making them happen on paper, but having an idea for a book then turning it into a real book deal with the big publisher is something completely new. It's just crazy that this project went from dream to reality. I am loving the process of writing this book. I am just having so much fun coming up with projects for it. The publishers have given me a lot of freedom to choose what I want to teach in the book which has been brilliant. I love teaching people to paint and encouraging them to find their creativity, so it's really exciting to be able to do that on a much wider scale due to this book. I would describe this book as everything I know and love about watercolours. It's for people who want to paint colourful, joyful things to put on their wall and not take it all too seriously. At this point I have just passed the halfway mark and I've handed the first half of my manuscript to the publishers. I can't believe I've written a half a book already. I've got just over a month to finish the second half. My book will be coming out next summer. Follow me over on Instagram for sneak peeks of my progress.

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.

National Stationery Week

Happy National Stationery Week! I love stationery and I'm not the only one. Hoarding unused notebooks that were too pretty not to buy seems to be a pretty common problem. Maybe you do the same? I don't know why stationery bring so much joy. Maybe because it's an affordable treat that can be both practical and beautiful.
Here are some of my favourite stationery items. I love metallic stationery at the moment, particularly my gold scissors from KikkiK, my amazing hexagonal gold pen from Not Another Bill, rose gold paperclips from Paperchase and gold bulldog clip from Papermash.
When it comes to writing implements you can't beat MUJI. I love their mechanical pencils and black gel pens.

Personalisation is the ultimate luxury when it comes to stationery, whether it's an embossed notebook or personalised notecards. For personal stationery Papier is your one stop shop. They create beautiful customisable stationery designed by a range of illustrators and artists (including myself). Their designs are fresh and elegant and the quality of the product is simply outstanding. The paper has a gorgeous texture and it looks like the designs have been hand-painted straight onto them rather than printed. 

My favourite stationery shops:
Choosing Keeping | Present and Correct | KikkiK | Papier | London Graphic Centre | Paperchase | MUJI

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.

Finding Inspiration

In this blog post I wanted to talk a little bit about inspiration. I personally define inspiration as feeling motivated to do something or create something. It's that feeling when you read a great book and immediately want to sketch the main character, or you go somewhere so beautiful that you can't stop taking photos, filming or sketching.
In interviews I often get asked how I stay inspired, which I've always found a really odd question as I'm inspired pretty much 100% of the time. There is never really a moment when I'm not planning new ideas or thinking about things I want to paint in my head. I actually dream about paint, it's a bit odd.

But I think for most people finding inspiration and staying inspired is a bit more of a challenge. I think for a lot of people there number one destination for inspiration is Instagram and Pinterest. I love Instagram and Pinterest, I think they are amazing places to share your work, build a community, find new customers and clients and to get a general idea of what's going on in the creative industry is. However I don't think they're good place to seek inspiration. What normally happens after a Instagram binge is that you end up getting slightly overwhelmed by image after beautiful image. The problem is there is no context to these images, you have no sense of how long they took to create, or even when they were created chronologically, and how many first drafts had to go into creating the final piece. You might have scrolled through two years work in 30 seconds. What I generally find happens is that seeing so much beautiful work by other people in a short space of time makes me doubt myself. It makes me feel that simultaneously my work should be more colourful yet more muted, more complex but more simple, basically less like me and more like everybody else that I admire. And what usually happens is that I don't feel motivated to create at all, I just get stuck in a cycle of endless scrolling. Not that I don't love seeing beautiful work on Instagram and discovering new illustrators, but if you're starting to doubt your own work it's time to put the phone down. Best case scenario and you feel a bit down and wonder why you bother, worst case scenario is is that people actually try to imitate what they are see on Instagram and end up copying the artists that they admire. My work has been copied many times by students and amateur painters. I understand why it happens and how easy it is to do. If you are spending a lot of time looking at the same few artists work it's natural that your work will start to look like their's. The best antidote to this is to seek inspiration from as many different sources as possible, preferably away from a computer screen. 

So where do you find inspiration? 
This will vary for everyone. What inspires me may not inspire you, and that's a good thing. Peoples unique and diverse sources of inspiration are what makes their work unique. 
 

Museums and galleries
I always find walking round a museum with a sketchbook or visiting a beautiful exhibition really inspiring. There is something about seeing great works of art close up, seeing the texture of the paint and the individual brush strokes that makes me want to pick up a paintbrush soon as I get home.

Travel
I find travelling so inspiring, and when I travel I deliberately pick places that I know want to sketch or paint. I love going to the colourful cities like Seville or Marrakech or places with a strong history of folk art like Mexico or Peru.

People watching
People watching is such a great free source of inspiration. If you draw people in your work it's great to spend time observing real people, their body language what they wear et cetera. My favourite well-dressed old people and adorable children.

Old films and documentaries
I love the costumes and sets in old films. Anything with Audrey Hepburn oh Marilyn Monroe is a good start. I also love watching documentaries about inspiring creative women. Iris, and The Eye Has To Travel are two of my favourites. 

Vintage shops and antiques fairs
If you like drawing objects then vintage shops and antiques shops are great places to find inspiration. I don't know why it is but I find old objects have so much more character and are just more drawable than new objects. I would rather draw a typewrite than a MacBook any day.

Colour combinations
Keep an eye out for beautiful, accidental colour combinations in every day life. An iPhone is a great way to record these little moments of colour inspiration that might otherwise be forgotten. 

So basically every time you leave the house or switch on the TV the potential for inspiration is there! These are just a few of the places I find inspiration, hopefully this has encouraged you to try something you and seek out inspiration.

My Favourite Art Materials

I often get asked about the art materials I use, so I thought I'd list some of my favourites here.

For years I have used Winsor and Newton watercolours and gouache. Gouache is essentially an opaque watercolour so I use them both together. I have recently invested in a set of watercolours from Schmincke. They are about five times the price of a Windsor and Newton Cotman range, but there is a big difference in quality. The Schmincke set a much more highly pigmented and the colours are very vibrant. The paint has a different consistency to which makes it much easier to pick up large amounts of colour with one brushstroke. They have taken a little bit of getting used to as the colours are almost too bright for my usual work. They are a beautiful set of paints to invest in, but if you're just starting out I would recommend sticking with the Winsor and Newton as they are still great quality and really good value. If you know how to mix colours a set of 12 to 20 colours should be fine. I really like the ProArte Prolene brushes, Cotman brushes from Winsor and Newton and the Aquafine Brushes from Daler Rowney , they’re great for painting and brush lettering. I also love to use sable brushes, Series 7 Kolinsky are the best, but the Pro Arte sable brushes are good too.

Schmincke Horadam Watercolour Set
Winsor & Newton Watercolour Set
Winsor & Newton Designers Gouache
Winsor & Newton Cotman Watercolour Brushes
Pro Arte Series Sable Brushes
Daler Rowney Aquafine watercolor brushes
Winsor & Newton Series 7 Kolinsky Sable Water Colour Brush
Pentel Aquash Water Brush Pens

When it comes to coloured pencils I’m mostly concerned with the colour and quality of the pencil, so I use lots of different brands. I like the softness of water soluble pencils best.

Caran Dache Prismalo Aquarelle Pencils
Staedtler Karat Aquarell Watercolour Pencils

I don’t use a sketchbook as much as I used too. I love the romance of them, but when it comes to scanning in sketches or using a Wooden Artist Lightbox
it makes more sense just to sketch onto A4 printer paper. I do like to take a sketchbook with me when I travel though. I was taught to stretch watercolour paper when I was studying art GCSE, and I've never done it since. I just really can't be bothered wetting, taping and waiting for paper to dry. I use blocks of watercolour paper that don't need stretching. My favourite band is Fluid and I use the hot and cold press paper. Hot pressed has a smooth surface and Cold Pressed has more texture.

Flexi-Sketch Book
Moleskine Cahier Sketchbook
Daler – Rowney Heavyweight Cartridge Pad
Fluid Watercolor Paper Block
Cass Art Heavy Weight Cartridge

My favourite art shops in London are London Graphic Centre and Cass Art. They both have online shops, and most of the materials mentioned can be bought on Amazon.

I hope this was helpful! Let me know if you have any questions.

Top Tips for Recent Graduates

Graduation is always a scary time, and after the degree show comes down it’s easy to feel a little bit lost. Here are 10 little nuggets of advice to hopefully get you through this transition period.

1. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do it

When I was preparing for my degree show a lot of people were saying things like ‘well obviously I don’t expect to work as an illustrator’ and ‘everyone knows there’s no work in the illustration industry’. These things aren’t true. It’s not easy but it’s not impossible, and somebody’s got to take the photos, design the clothes and draw the pictures we all enjoy, so why shouldn’t you be the one to do it. I have made my living solely as a freelance illustrator since graduating 5 years a go. (update: I’ve now been freelancing full time for 8 years and I’ve just bought a flat in London. Nothing is impossible)

2. Stay passionate and keep producing work

If you’re passionate about your, work prove it. Don’t put down your sketchbook for 6 months after graduating. Keep writing/drawing/taking photos and producing new work. A portfolio with nothing but uni work in it doesn’t look great. I update my website every time I complete a new project.

3. Get a website

This is essential, and something that really should be sorted out before your degree show. A web address on a business card that leads to a blank page doesn’t leave a great impression. Making a simple but effective website doesn’t need to be expensive or difficult. Squarespace, Cargo, and WordPress are all great platforms. In the 21st century your website is your CV, so keep it updated. Also make you you use own your own domain name. You can buy yours at 123reg or godaddy. I currently use Squarespace for my website and blog: it's easy to update and comes up well in Google searches. A very large percentage of my customers are also readers of my blog, so for me this is one of the most important aspects of my online presence.

4. Look out for graduate opportunities

There is a relatively short time span when you are classed as a graduate, not just a student or a run of the mill freelancer. Take advantage of graduate schemes and awards while you can. Lots of big website and agencies like It’s Nice That run graduate showcases that guarantee a lot of exposure. This is something I really wish I had known about when I graduated.

5. Make the most of student discounts

You probably have about a month left of your student discount. Now is the time to join the Association of Illustrators and take advantage of your Apple student discount. Another thing to be aware of is once you’re are no longer a student you have to start paying council tax straight away, potentially making the last month of your tenancy agreement an expensive one.

6. Get a part time job

Working full time in your chosen career field is always the ideal, but sometimes you need a part time job to pay the rent before you get there. I would advise a part time not full time job so you still have the time and energy to devote to your work, but you know what will work for you. Look out for studio assistant job where you can learn from a successful artist as well as earning money.

7. Set up an online shop

Setting up a simple online shop somewhere like Etsy can help you start making an income from your artwork straight away. Whether you’re freelancing or working a day job it’s always nice to have another stream of income. Selling something like prints or greetings cards is fairly low risk as the minimum orders aren’t huge and they sell well. I recommend Printed.com. Doing craft markets is also a great way of making an income form your work and getting yourself out there.

8. Use social media

I can’t see why you wouldn’t want to utilise this amazing (free!) platform. Social media is a great way for clients to find you, as well as building an audience, interacting with like minded people, getting your work out there and finding a community. The platforms I get most work from is Instagram. As a highly visual platform it makes sense to use it was an illustrator. I also use  Pinterest, have a newsletter and I blog.

9. Keep your options open

When I first graduated with a degree in Illustration I thought I might do some drawings for greetings cards and magazines. I never imaged that I would draw live at big events, that I would teach hundreds of students brush lettering and watercolours, that I would be whisked off to France with Stylist Magazine and that I would write books. My career has developed in ways I could have never imagined. Be open to trying new things.

10. Don’t give up

To be honest the only person that can put an end to your dreams is you. Success never comes overnight. It takes years of hard work to build a career in the creative industries.