Tell us a little bit about yourself! When did you start creating?
I’ve always been creative since I was very little. I was quite a shy, introverted child so I often tucked myself away with pencils, pens and paper. My earliest memories are of people always asking my parents, ‘Where is Lizzy?’ The response was always the same – ‘she’s somewhere colouring’ they would say.
Later, when I became a parent, drawing and painting with my children was always something we could share and enjoy together as well as reading picture books together of course. I think I would enjoy the picture books more than my children sometimes, pouring over colour, composition, characters and the sheer beauty and joy a picture book can bring. This is about the time I started to dream up becoming a picture book illustrator, illustrating and sketching at home in my spare time and teaching young children in a primary school by day.
I’ve worked hard over the years to do both but it wasn’t until my partner died and I had four children to raise on my own that my life perspective started to shift and I focused my attention on making my dream a reality.
How would you describe your artistic style in three words?
- Warmth
- Heart
- Joyful
Can you walk us through your typical creative process? Do you sketch first or dive straight in?
I’m very much a dive-right-in type of person! I think having always had young children under my feet and leading a busy lifestyle has led me to work fast and to use any spare time that I have wisely. Now my children are older I have more time and I’ve found I am slowing down my process a lot more and embracing the in between moments I might otherwise have skipped.
These days I’m much more likely to spend some time in my sketchbook without thinking about the end result or producing a finished portfolio piece. Sometimes its good to slow down and enjoy the process because that’s when the magic can start to happen.
What creative conundrum have you had in the past six months and how did you solve it?
I go to a life drawing class every week and I hate it and love it in equal measure! Without realising it until now, I illustrate very much in my own little world and draw from my imagination. I rarely look at any reference when I’m working so I’ve discovered when I try to observationally draw, for example in my life drawing class, I tend to take one look and then draw what I think I see rather than what is before me. I find this such a creative conundrum and it hurts my brain!
It’s like unlearning and relearning everything you thought you already knew but I love to stretch myself creatively and I think it is such a good practice to step outside of your comfort zone, even if I do want to crumple up my drawings quickly before anyone sees them!
What can a client do to help you when briefing?
I absolutely love working with people. I’m a talker so as long as I know who to contact and communicate with throughout the project we’re working on together then I’m very happy. I’ve found all input from others whilst working on different books to be really helpful and I love to hear the thoughts and ideas that everyone has. It always helps push my illustrations to the next level.
Time for some quick-fire questions…
What is your drink of choice?
Tea, tea, tea and more tea! I am a Yorkshire lass – I think that might be why!
What is a song that makes you want to get up and dance?
It would have to be some song to get me up and dancing because I have classic ‘mum-dance’ moves which are best not shared… although I have been known to bust some kitchen-mum-moves to some of my daughter’s favourite music mostly to embarrass my teenage girls. But at heart I’m a quiet music kinda gal and I’m at my most happiest when listening to Joni Mitchell.
How would you describe your agent, Lucie Ludds, in three words?
- Amazing
- Hard working
- Caring
And finally, what’s the best piece of advice you’d give to an illustrator just starting out?
Don’t hide your talents away where nobody can see them because we all want to see them! Be brave, work hard and don’t give up – you can do it!
