Describe your illustration style in ten words or less.
A mass of characters with interesting personalities.
What items are an essential part of your creative space?
Lots! My desk space is always a bit chaotic, which is how I like it. Sticky notes are particularly essential – I have them everywhere, with tiny sketches and ideas hastily scribbled and stuck somewhere. Antique prints and photos, small ceramics, stacks of books, bottles with plants and flowers…I like to be surrounded by things I love and find inspiring.
Do you have a favourite artistic medium?
I’m actually a big fan of plain old graphite pencil on paper. I work in coffee shops a lot, so I tend to take a sketchbook and pencil with me wherever I go. I find sketching very relaxing and can spend hours doodling ideas.
Too many to list. However, Egon Schiele deserves an honourable mention because of his exceptional line work.
Can you share a photo of your creative work space or part of the area where you work most often? Talk us through it.
Right now I’m in a small village in the Yorkshire Dales. My current desk has a lot of bottles with pheasant feathers, driftwood, and small odds and ends I’ve found on walks. I travel whenever I’m able so sometimes I live out of a suitcase for fairly long stretches. This particular space is only temporary, but it’s been a nice space to work in.
What is your favourite part of the illustration process?
Oh, easily the developing ideas stage. I love it. There’s nothing better than thinking about new stories and designing characters, compositions and colour scripts. In fact, I’d probably be very happy doing that for the rest of my life if I wasn’t also keen on seeing a finished book on the shelf from time to time!
What advice would you give to an aspiring illustrators?
Perseverance is key! Being resilient and talking to people in the industry are both incredibly helpful as it makes you realise that everybody goes through ups and downs and disheartening and exhilarating times as an illustrator. Freelance life can be tough but rewarding.
Rebecca is an illustrator and designer from Scotland. Growing up in Australia, Rebecca has a deep appreciation for beaches, farmers markets and good coffee, and enjoys her job of writing and creating children’s books and visual development for animation.
For more information please follow Rebecca on instagram.
I’m actually a big fan of plain old graphite pencil on paper. I work in coffee shops a lot, so I tend to take a sketchbook and pencil with me wherever I go. I find sketching very relaxing and can spend hours doodling ideas.
Name three artists whose work inspires you.
Too many to list. However, Egon Schiele deserves an honourable mention because of his exceptional line work.
Which artistic period would you most like to visit and why?
Art nouveau. Many of my favourite artists are from this period, and I’ve always been drawn to artworks depicting the bohemian lifestyles of the late 1800s.
Who or what inspired you to become an illustrator?
I don’t think there was a particular thing or event that inspired it. I haven’t put a pencil down in 25+ years so it just kind of happened, really. I do think a childhood of reading adventure stories and beautiful children’s books from my grandma’s bookshop might have had something to do with it though.
I don’t think there was a particular thing or event that inspired it. I haven’t put a pencil down in 25+ years so it just kind of happened, really. I do think a childhood of reading adventure stories and beautiful children’s books from my grandma’s bookshop might have had something to do with it though.
Can you share a photo of your creative work space or part of the area where you work most often? Talk us through it.
Right now I’m in a small village in the Yorkshire Dales. My current desk has a lot of bottles with pheasant feathers, driftwood, and small odds and ends I’ve found on walks. I travel whenever I’m able so sometimes I live out of a suitcase for fairly long stretches. This particular space is only temporary, but it’s been a nice space to work in.
What is your favourite part of the illustration process?
Oh, easily the developing ideas stage. I love it. There’s nothing better than thinking about new stories and designing characters, compositions and colour scripts. In fact, I’d probably be very happy doing that for the rest of my life if I wasn’t also keen on seeing a finished book on the shelf from time to time!
What advice would you give to an aspiring illustrators?
Perseverance is key! Being resilient and talking to people in the industry are both incredibly helpful as it makes you realise that everybody goes through ups and downs and disheartening and exhilarating times as an illustrator. Freelance life can be tough but rewarding.
Rebecca is an illustrator and designer from Scotland. Growing up in Australia, Rebecca has a deep appreciation for beaches, farmers markets and good coffee, and enjoys her job of writing and creating children’s books and visual development for animation.
For more information please follow Rebecca on instagram.
