Earlier this Spring I responded to an open call for artists to provide illustrations for a Timeline wall for the new Living Barracks Museum here in Berwick-upon-Tweed. The brief seemed made for me, as someone who read History at University and has had a lifelong interest in heritage and as a Berwick-based illustrator looking to work on some more challenging commissions - and I’m so pleased to share that I was accepted to work on the project!

When I received the grant funding for this project back in September, I set myself quite a challenge. A series of original ink illustrations. A set of community workshops. A self-guided walking trail. And an exhibition. Looking back now, with Illustrating Wilson's Tales open at Berwick Library as of today, it's hard to believe how much has been packed into the last few months — and how much I've learned along the way.

Creating those first three illustrations — one each for Launcelot Errington and his Nephew Mark, Patrick Hume and the Governor of Berwick, and Grizel Cochrane — was an immersive experience. Each one involved working through the full process: moodboards, character development, thumbnail sketches, layout drawings, and finally the finished ink and wash artwork. It was slow, and deliberately so. All that thinking and decision-making felt essential.