Say the word ‘studio’ and most people picture the same thing: an easel, half-finished canvases propped against the wall, maybe a smell of turpentine. Say ‘illustrator’ specifically, and you might add a stack of picture books, or a wall of pet portraits.

Mine looks nothing like that.

I was attracted to illustration as a career in part because of the variety of things illustrators do. Illustration is all around us: on products we buy, in newspapers, magazines and books that we read, on advertising hoardings and public transport, as wayfinding tools in the places that we live… the list goes on and on!

I'm a total magpie — always looking for the next shiny thing— so being able to pick-and-mix what I work on really appeals to me. In the last five years of working as an illustrator I’ve tried all sorts of things, but have gradually settled into three main areas of work: commissions (increasingly for organisations rather than private clients), creating self-initiated work to sell (originals and products, online and at markets and events) and teaching.

So when I open my doors for Berwick Open Studios on 26–27 September here's roughly what you'll find instead.

When author Amanda Roberts approached me to illustrate a map for her new historical fiction novel, Lady of the Quay, set in mid-16th Century Berwick-upon-Tweed, I had no idea it would grow into one of the most interesting projects I’ve worked on to-date. As an illustrator living and working in Berwick, and someone with a long-standing interest in history and architecture, this project felt like the perfect fit! What began as a commission to create an illustrated historical map soon evolved into a full custom book cover design.