About me

Drawing has and always will be one of my favourite things to do.  I've been drawing for as long as I can remember, and have always been encouraged to follow my love of art. 

I studied Illustration at the University of Plymouth.  I chose to specialise in the children's market and I graduated with a First Class degree in 2019.  That same year, I was highly commended for The Macmillan Book Prize and was awarded the University of Plymouth's Earl Richard Narrative Prize for my final year project.

Throughout my time at University I travelled as much as I could and went on trips to Venice, Bologna, Nice, Berlin (back to Venice and Bologna) and Brussels.  Wherever I went, my sketchbook went too and in the summer of my second year, I was lucky enough to travel to Newfoundland, Canada to work with Dr J. Matthews and in collaboration with the Oxford University Museum of Natural History (OUMNH) to illustrate Ediacaran fossils. 

Printmaking and me

My first 'printmaking' lesson was in year 8 and I made a pattern out of fish using a polystyrene plate.  It was fun but I didn't really think much more of it.  I was then properly introduced to printmaking in year 12 when I was studying A-Level art here in the UK.  My school's art technician specialised in printmaking and we had two beautiful printing presses we were able to use.  I learnt how to prepare my paper, ink up plates and create my own prints.  When I later looked around Universities, one of my main dealbreakers was whether I would have access to printmaking on my course. 

After I left school in 2016 I bought myself a printing press.  It prints up to A3 and is probably one of the most exciting deliveries I've ever had.  I spent the summer preparing my paper in the bath, running  down to make a print in the garage and then hanging my work on the line to dry.  So when I started uni I was sure I would print all my work but I didn't.  I didn't actually use a press until my second year when I was illustrating Ediacaran Fossils.  The project called for a scientific look and etching seemed to be the perfect answer.  Then in third year I fell in love with screen printing and had huge success with my screen-printed children's picture book.  But screenprinting is hard to do at home and I found myself focusing on drawing instead.

I didn't touch printmaking for the next 4 years until I became a primary school teacher and taught mono-printing to my art club.  I was so inspired by the children's and enthusiasm that I went home and started experimenting with printing again and haven't looked back.  At the moment I'm working on how to include drawing in my printmaking and am having lots of fun while I'm at it.   

Teaching

Alongside being an Illustrator, I am also a Primary School teacher.  Just as we were coming our of lockdowns, I got a job in a UK boarding school and I spent the year being a TA in year 4/running an art club and working in a boarding house.  After that year I completed my PGCE in Primary Education at St Mary's University and got my first job as a teacher. 

I love teaching all the subjects but art, reading and science have special places in my classroom.  Just like with printmaking, I'm teaching types of art I haven't done since I was at school and it's wonderful.  I feel like I'm learning all over again!