Work: The Staff Room

My wonderful bosses gave the staff a lovely opportunity of putting up an exhibition at work. With one days notice! So here are some photos of my slightly makeshift exhibition that ran for a week and a half at The Vintage Emporium in Hereford.

I managed to sell a few pieces too which was a big confidence boost and really rewarding!

Work: Doodle

Sometimes at work, it's hard not to draw what you see because you're always surrounded by fascinating, beautiful things!

Sometimes the temptation is just too much and things like this happen...

Window: Rose Tinted Rags

My newest love is chalk art and I just want to draw on every single window I can see at the moment! So when my mum, Sandra from Sew Love Home, asked me to do some work for her window display in Rose Tinted Rags I was more than happy to venture over with her for the day and draw on the window!

I'm also very biased, but I do love her work!

Window: Tandem Bakery

When you first graduate, it's really difficult to see yourself as a professional. You still feel like you need to learn so much more before you can put yourself out there into the art world!

I racked my brains for a good few months about how I could approach the professional side of being an illustrator. I already have an online shop and take my work to fairs but I needed a push, something different. I approached a couple of galleries but found it very intimidating, not that that would stop me doing it again!

I then decided I definitely wanted to do something with the chalk art as I've been enjoying it so much! I contacted two local, independent businesses whose shops I really like and have an organic, homemade ethos and asked if I could do some chalk art on their windows... and they both said yes!!

The first window I have done is for Tandem Bakery, which is a new independent business in the middle of Hereford. Before I met with the owner I took that the name of the bakery implied togetherness, never been alone, so I devised a pair of characters who were always meeting in different situations. Heather the owner of the bakery liked the idea and named the couple, aptly, Mr. and Mrs. Tandem!

Tandem Bakery can be found on Widemarsh Street in Hereford.

Personal: Pressed Leaves

I have come to realise that I really enjoy drawing on natural materials! Starting with the stones and pebbles, which I've been doing for about a year now, and then enjoying drawing on the pumpkins so much for Halloween this year, I thought I would incorporate something which has always been one of my favourite things in nature - Autumnal leaves 

I have always loved Autumn and, when the leaves start to change colour and fall, I can be found running through them, kicking them up into the air and collecting me favourites to take home and inspect further! So, whilst doing this the other week, I decided to press some of the most beautiful leaves I could find so that I could do something with them.

The results were these Leaf 'prints'. Similar to my painted stones with the dot work and patterns, I think the leaves look really effective.

Work: Modified Blackboard Wall

When the shop I work at opened three months ago, I was asked to quickly to draw up a blackboard wall of all the shops within the building which was done so quickly and roughly that I had never really been happy with it.

Due to the fact we have pop up shops within the building, the list had changed and I thought I would take the opportunity to draw up a much better, neater, professional looking blackboard wall using my chalk pens instead of just regular chalk. This made it look a lot smarter and easier to read too.

I added the logo from each shop as well to make it look more recognisable for customers as they walked through the building. I can then rub away each one as they change and replace it with the newest shop name.

Work: Hallo'ween Sign Writing

I am lucky enough to work in a shop where creativity is encouraged and, also, my boss knows how much I enjoy being creative so gives me lots of fun and craftsy tasks to do!

This weekend is Hallo'ween weekend and also we are launching a book/record shop in one of the rooms in our building - so lots happening and LOTS of new signs needed to promote it!

My boss bought 12 large pumpkins and painted them with her daughter and handed me a Posca pen and a Sharpie and asked me to do some lettering on them.

Firstly, she wanted me to write the logos of each of the shops on the smaller pumpkins.

This was really fun because every typeface was different and every logo had a different element, so it meant picking the right pumpkin to fit the text/image on and make sure that it was readable, because the pumpkin is, obviously, a roundish shape!

Next I did the shop logo - The Vintage Emporium

I then opted to do a standard HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

These were then placed together in the window display at the front of the shop.

Then, for the book and record shop, my boss asked me to make a 'Welcome' pumpkin as it was a new section of the shop. I decided to use a mish-mash of different vintage typography styles so make it more eye catching. 

I enjoyed making this pumpkin sign the most! Just cause it was experimental and fun. Soon after I had finished a group of college students came in and were taking photos and asking about how long it had taken me to do, which is great because it means it evoked a reaction and response and that's what I wanted!

I looooove making art on natural materials anyway, so this was a really enjoyable project!

Personal: Birthday Card

I am given the endearing nickname of Lady Trifle by one of my friends, so I made them a lady trifle birthday card, full of butts, boobs, legs, lips and lashes.

Delicious!

Tattoo: My First Tattoo!

The other day I went to Colly who gave me my first ever tattoo! (bar the ones I poked into my fingers but I don't count those!)

I met with her three months back and discussed what I wanted. I showed her this picture.

I drew this when my niece was born almost two years ago. Her name is Rosa. The words come from a song I love by the band Why? I had been holding onto it for a while with the hopes of getting it tattooed but, every time I looked at it, I wasn't sure about whether I wanted it permanently on my skin, so I asked Colly to alter certain aspects of it. I think you are always so critical of your own work that it's hard to be 100% happy with it so creative input from another source can be really helpful... especially with something so permanent!!

This is the outcome - I love it! Although the changes a quite subtle, it makes all the difference. She used a mixture of tattooing techniques, using a gun to do the outline and hand-poking to do the shading.

Present: Painted Globe

So, a couple of days ago I posted that I was doing a typography based project for someone as a gift and I can now show you the outcome!

It's a painted globe!

Yes, my friend is a keen adventurer and I was unsure on what to get him for his birthday so I decided I would paint a globe to tie in with his love of travelling.

I bought the globe from my work place.

I decided to paint over the map so that I would have a blank canvas to put my work on, however quite soon after doing this I wished that I hadn't and had left the map as a background!! But it was too late and I had to commit myself to an idea. I looked up didn't quotes about travel in the hopes of finding something that wasn't too cheesy and settled on the simple phrase 'Adventure Awaits'.

I did a LOT of doodling trying to get the typeface right!

I used paints and pens to try and get the style I wanted and, eventually, settled on using a Posca pen because it meant I have the smoothness of paint but more control.

I struggled for a few days on what to do with the imagery, so I decided to keep it simple and draw some planes puffing out little clouds of smoke with funny expressions on!!

I used a limited colour palette of cream, gold, black, white, blue and green.

 



Pinterest

We all know... Pinterest is addictive!
I could spend hours on end scrolling through ideas and inspirations and creating boards with the hopes of, one day, doing a bit of DIY and making some beautiful somethings out of nothings!

You can find me on Pinterest here.

I have a board of my illustrations on there as well as others that inspire me.

Give me a follow and I'll take a look at your page too!

Personal: My New 'Daytime' Job

Because I have yet to make enough money from drawing to live off (but it WILL happen one day, yes yes yes!) I have a part time job which I go to every weekday morning in Hereford. I work in a four-story vintage shop called The Vintage Emporium that sells vintage, antique and retro furnishings and fashion items, as well as having a beauty room and photography studio in the attic! It's a really exciting job and it's full of inspirational eye candy which alters on a day to day basis.

My boss is a creative herself and encourages the creativity of her staff. She hired people who have creative backgrounds and who are actually creating in one way or another - I work with two other illustrators, a seamstress and a photographer! It's a really lovely atmosphere to be in.

Thankfully, because we are encouraged to be creative, we are let loose in the shop to actually BE creative!! Most of this is with sign writing. These images are of the temporary signs I have made within the shop until I can get my hands on a Posca and some spare time to make it look like how I want it to! However, it's great experience so far, and people are already responding well to it!



Personal: It's A Secret for Now!

I LOVE making presents. I think it's the thing I'm most thankful for that I am a creative. Giving someone something that you have created just for them, tailored to their likes and wants, well... it's just lovely.

I'm not going to say too much about this project just in case wandering eyes happen to spy this post, but it is predominantly type based and is super fun already!



Personal: Customer Photo

Recently, I sold one of my lino prints to a very supportive first time customer of mine who has been very pro-Emma Pryce Illustration on Facebook (which I appreciate greatly!) She told me that she loves the sunflower lino print and had been waiting until she had enough money to buy one.

She then sent me this photo of the framed print in her home (with her additional amazing decor!)

Thankyou Charlie!



Uni: Post for Neil

Having graduating from art college, you kind of feel like you can't send your old tutors regular post...

(there was bunting inside!)

Personal: Back To The Future Day!

HAPPY BACK TO THE FUTURE DAY EVERYONE!
Yes, yes, it's silly I know, but still it's quite exciting. After this week, Back to the Future will all be in the past...

So, to commemorate this obviously momentous occasion, I drew a picture!

I wanted to make it look a bit like a retro movie poster to suit the theme of the day so I took some key elements from the film - Marty McFly, Doc, the Delorean, the hoverboard and the date (as displayed i the Delorean) - and arranged them together. I then grouped it together by putting lightning in the background. After this mock up, I drew it out properly and started to colour it in.

 

 

I wanted to do a black background as a lot of the promo images for the original films used a black background with the Delorean leaving a trail of flames behind it.

I was pretty pleased with the outcome. Doc's expression isn't quite crazed enough though!!!

It is now for sale in the Vintage Emporium in Hereford.