What's actually in an illustrator's studio (probably not what you're picturing)
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.
Three desks, three jobs
My studio is built around three separate work zones, and each one does something different.
There's an angled drawing desk for the kind of drawing that needs a steady hand and a proper line of sight, but big enough to pin roughs and references to.
In theory, it also helps my posture when I’m doing a lot of drawing, but I still regularly have to remind myself to sit up straight!
Then there's a big table in the middle of the room where I work flat — reference books open, watercolours or inks out, paper pinned down with (most) of my materials and supplies stored underneath.
This table is where most of my hand-painted work happens.
And then there's a computer desk, which surprises people the most.
It's not a side note to the "real" work — it's where everything gets scanned, collaged, and built into finished pieces. A lot of what I make starts as dozens of separate hand-drawn elements that only become a map, a book cover, or a set of panels once they're brought together digitally. And it is also, of course, where I work on all the other elements of my business like marketing, admin and accounts!
Sketchbooks aren't props
I keep a sketchbook not to show people, but to get better. It's where I draw badly on purpose, try things that don't work, and occasionally stumble on something that does. If you look through them on the day, you'll see plenty of work that never went anywhere — which is, I think, the actual point of having them.
I’m addicted to Pith Supply sketchbooks, which are made here in Berwick. They’re open for the Berwick Open Studios events, so do go and check them out as they’re running some workshops (including one to make your own Pith sketchbook!) They’re Venue 25 on the Berwick Open Studios map: Pith Ltd, Sea View Works, Main Street, TD15 1RS.
Alongside my sketchbooks, I have a growing shelf of reference books. Birds, buildings, historic costume, maps — whatever the current commission or self-initiated project demands. Illustration that's meant to be ‘accurate and identifiable’ (I'm not a trained scientific illustrator, so I won't claim more precision than that) starts with good references, not guesswork.
What's actually for sale
On the day, alongside all of the above, I'll have out:
Fine art cards and prints
Original illustrations
A few gift items like tea towels, mugs and coasters
All available to buy directly, no gallery or shop mark-up, or postage charges in between.
The practical bit
Address: 24 Glamis Hill, Berwick-upon-Tweed, TD15 1NX
Dates: Saturday 26 & Sunday 27 September, 10am–4pm — first weekend only, I'm not open on 3–4 October
Access: partially accessible — a few steps, no handrail
Dogs welcome, family friendly, garden open
I'm Venue 1 on the Berwick Open Studios map, so if you're planning a route around town, I'm an easy one to start or finish on.
Come and see the magpie pile for yourself!