Work: The Staff Room

My wonderful bosses gave the staff a lovely opportunity of putting up an exhibition at work. With one days notice! So here are some photos of my slightly makeshift exhibition that ran for a week and a half at The Vintage Emporium in Hereford.

I managed to sell a few pieces too which was a big confidence boost and really rewarding!

Work: Doodle

Sometimes at work, it's hard not to draw what you see because you're always surrounded by fascinating, beautiful things!

Sometimes the temptation is just too much and things like this happen...

Window: Rose Tinted Rags

My newest love is chalk art and I just want to draw on every single window I can see at the moment! So when my mum, Sandra from Sew Love Home, asked me to do some work for her window display in Rose Tinted Rags I was more than happy to venture over with her for the day and draw on the window!

I'm also very biased, but I do love her work!

Window: Tandem Bakery

When you first graduate, it's really difficult to see yourself as a professional. You still feel like you need to learn so much more before you can put yourself out there into the art world!

I racked my brains for a good few months about how I could approach the professional side of being an illustrator. I already have an online shop and take my work to fairs but I needed a push, something different. I approached a couple of galleries but found it very intimidating, not that that would stop me doing it again!

I then decided I definitely wanted to do something with the chalk art as I've been enjoying it so much! I contacted two local, independent businesses whose shops I really like and have an organic, homemade ethos and asked if I could do some chalk art on their windows... and they both said yes!!

The first window I have done is for Tandem Bakery, which is a new independent business in the middle of Hereford. Before I met with the owner I took that the name of the bakery implied togetherness, never been alone, so I devised a pair of characters who were always meeting in different situations. Heather the owner of the bakery liked the idea and named the couple, aptly, Mr. and Mrs. Tandem!

Tandem Bakery can be found on Widemarsh Street in Hereford.

Personal: Pressed Leaves

I have come to realise that I really enjoy drawing on natural materials! Starting with the stones and pebbles, which I've been doing for about a year now, and then enjoying drawing on the pumpkins so much for Halloween this year, I thought I would incorporate something which has always been one of my favourite things in nature - Autumnal leaves 

I have always loved Autumn and, when the leaves start to change colour and fall, I can be found running through them, kicking them up into the air and collecting me favourites to take home and inspect further! So, whilst doing this the other week, I decided to press some of the most beautiful leaves I could find so that I could do something with them.

The results were these Leaf 'prints'. Similar to my painted stones with the dot work and patterns, I think the leaves look really effective.

Work: Modified Blackboard Wall

When the shop I work at opened three months ago, I was asked to quickly to draw up a blackboard wall of all the shops within the building which was done so quickly and roughly that I had never really been happy with it.

Due to the fact we have pop up shops within the building, the list had changed and I thought I would take the opportunity to draw up a much better, neater, professional looking blackboard wall using my chalk pens instead of just regular chalk. This made it look a lot smarter and easier to read too.

I added the logo from each shop as well to make it look more recognisable for customers as they walked through the building. I can then rub away each one as they change and replace it with the newest shop name.

Work: Hallo'ween Sign Writing

I am lucky enough to work in a shop where creativity is encouraged and, also, my boss knows how much I enjoy being creative so gives me lots of fun and craftsy tasks to do!

This weekend is Hallo'ween weekend and also we are launching a book/record shop in one of the rooms in our building - so lots happening and LOTS of new signs needed to promote it!

My boss bought 12 large pumpkins and painted them with her daughter and handed me a Posca pen and a Sharpie and asked me to do some lettering on them.

Firstly, she wanted me to write the logos of each of the shops on the smaller pumpkins.

This was really fun because every typeface was different and every logo had a different element, so it meant picking the right pumpkin to fit the text/image on and make sure that it was readable, because the pumpkin is, obviously, a roundish shape!

Next I did the shop logo - The Vintage Emporium

I then opted to do a standard HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

These were then placed together in the window display at the front of the shop.

Then, for the book and record shop, my boss asked me to make a 'Welcome' pumpkin as it was a new section of the shop. I decided to use a mish-mash of different vintage typography styles so make it more eye catching. 

I enjoyed making this pumpkin sign the most! Just cause it was experimental and fun. Soon after I had finished a group of college students came in and were taking photos and asking about how long it had taken me to do, which is great because it means it evoked a reaction and response and that's what I wanted!

I looooove making art on natural materials anyway, so this was a really enjoyable project!