Madi Illustration.

Quote of the Day.

noreply@blogger.com (Madi) — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 19:32:00 +0000

- Pablo Picasso.

Amelia's Magazine | Elizabeth Lau S/S 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Madi) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 22:45:00 +0000

An illustration created to accompany an interview with fashion designer Elizabeth Lau in Amelia's Magazine. Totally need that jumper in my life, it's a beaut!

Check out the full article here.

Notonthehighstreet.com

noreply@blogger.com (Madi) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:10:00 +0000

Today I have super exciting news. I have been secretly working away putting together my storefront for my new notonthehighstreet shop, and now it is finally LIVE!

My storefront!

I have had to take lots of new shiny photographs of my products too. These are a few of my favourites. You may have noticed that I have also updated my Etsy shop with new photos, so it's looking a bit brighter over there too.

I'm A Little Bit Scared Of... Children's picture book

Happily Ever After Greetings card.

Dressing Up Illustration Print.

So please feel free to pop over and have a little look around, and let me know what you think! :]

Amelia's Magazine | Simeon Farrar S/S 2012.

noreply@blogger.com (Madi) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 19:10:00 +0000

An illustration created for Alia Gargum's interview with fashion designer and artist Simeon Farrar in Amelia's Magazine. I fell in love with this dress as soon as I saw it - it's such a pretty design, and I loved illustrating it.

Check out the full article about Simeon Farrar's S/S 2012 collection here.

Little Hedgehog tee!

noreply@blogger.com (Madi) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 13:09:00 +0000

This morning I received a very exciting package in the post - my copy of my Little Hedgehog t-shirt, which has been printed by All Tropical!

You may remember that I won the All Tropical weekly design competition last month with my hedgehog design - well, this is the result! It's ace to see Mister Hedgehog looking all cute on a real t-shirt. :]

The tee will soon be available to buy for yourself from both Asos and the All Tropical shop.

On the twelfth day of Christmas...

noreply@blogger.com (Madi) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 16:28:00 +0000

...my true love sent to me; twelve drummers drumming!

An illustration created for Elaine Tang's special December artist spotlight on her blog. Check it out to see an illustrated version of the Twelve Days of Christmas, each day created by a different illustrator.

2011 | A round up of the year.

noreply@blogger.com (Madi) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 22:41:00 +0000

Almost a year ago, I started illustrating again after a break due to being ill, and at that moment I threw myself head-first into the world of freelance illustrating. For the most part, it's been a positive and productive year and I have learnt a great deal. I still don't consider myself a proper freelance illustrator, as I am yet to have my first proper paid commission, and this makes it very easy to dwell on the things I haven't yet achieved which, especially in a job where you're mostly working alone, can hugely affect your motivation and make you lose focus of the bigger picture. A year is a long time, and it's easy to forget the little things you actually HAVE achieved. So, as 2011 ends, it seems like an ideal time to have a little look back over the year, and see what I have achieved, as well as thinking about my creative goals for the year ahead.

During 2011, I have;

re-designed and updated my website.
opened my Etsy shop in February, and have now sold a total of 30 items.
designed two winning t-shirt designs for All Tropical.
self-published my children's book I'm A Little Bit Scared Of... which is now available to buy on Amazon.
formed Pencil, Paper, Scissors Collective with three other illustrators, and been involved in a collaborative illustration project.
created a number of illustrations for Amelia's Magazine, including my very first fashion illustrations.

I don't think I'll ever be really satisfied, as there's always that little voice in my head telling me I could have worked harder, could have achieved more, but all in all I don't think it's too bad a list!

My creative goals for 2012;

Find a job (hopefully a creative one) to help support me alongside the freelance work.
Teach myself how to use Illustrator (I learnt the basics at Uni, but have totally forgotten!) and become more proficient at Photoshop, so that I have the skills needed to apply for creative jobs.
Be more motivated and pro-active when it comes to my illustrations; try not to let my mood or other things happening in my life affect my work.
Work on developing my portfolio so I have more hope of finding an agent (fingers crossed!).
Secure some commissions, and limit the unpaid commissions I chose to take on.
Develop ideas for a new children's picture book.
Set aside some time to create illustrations just for fun - if I focus purely on commissions and deadlines, then illustrating stops being enjoyable and becomes a chore.

Now I just need to get started! :]

There are a few exciting things to look forward already in the coming year, including an illustration which will be published in the second issue of Lionheart Magazine, and the opening of a new online shop which will be selling some of my work! Yay!

Finally, a massive thank you to all of you who have supported me this year; those of you on Twitter who have helped me through the "I'm never going to be a successful illustrator, I can't even DRAW!" moments, those of you who read and comment on my blog, those of you who have bought something from my shop. All of you, I hope you have a super 2012. ♥

END OF YEAR SALE!

noreply@blogger.com (Madi) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 23:02:00 +0000

I just wanted to let you all know about the sale which is taking place in my Etsy shop at the moment. There is currently a lovely 15% off everything in my shop, and this discount is available until the end of December; so now is the perfect time to spend your Christmas money and treat yourself to some illustrated loveliness!

Here's how it works;

Etsy shop; Use coupon code BOXINGDAY11 at the checkout.

Easy peasy. :]

* All my Christmas cards are also included in the sale, so why not pop over and snap up some discounted cards all ready for next year!

Amazon | I'm A Little Bit Scared Of...

noreply@blogger.com (Madi) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 22:45:00 +0000

Super exciting news! My children's picture book I'm A Little Bit Scared Of... is now available to buy on Amazon and Amazon UK! Yay! I am probably a little more excited than I should be, but it feels so amazing to see it on Amazon!

Of course, the book is also still available to buy in my Etsy shop, and directly through Lulu. :]

The Young Creatives | Advent Calendar.

noreply@blogger.com (Madi) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 21:33:00 +0000

My Christmas themed illustration was revealed today, behind door number 16 of The Young Creative's advent calendar. When I was little, one of my favourite parts of Christmas was putting the angel on top of the tree, and that memory was the inspiration behind this illo.

Also, my work was recently featured on Design Splat. There's also a lovely interview with me all about myself and my work, so don't forget to pop over and have a little read.

Happy 9 days til Christmas everyone. x

Flamingo Love tee!

noreply@blogger.com (Madi) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 17:41:00 +0000

Oh my goshhh, check out what arrived in the post this morning... My Flamingo Love tee, which has just been printed by All Tropical!

You may remember that I won the All Tropical t-shirt competition back in June with my flamingo design - well, this is the outcome! I'm SO excited to see my design printed onto real t-shirts - it looks ace, and the quality is lovely. :]

The t-shirts even have my name printed on the back, just below the collar. Aces. They will soon be available to buy for yourself on both Asos and in the All Tropical shop.

If it snows...

noreply@blogger.com (Madi) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 16:38:00 +0000

...let's go outside and make snow angels.

All Tropical | Little Hedgehog Tee.

noreply@blogger.com (Madi) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 15:40:00 +0000

I just want to say a super big thank you to all of you who rated, commented on, liked or shared my hedgehog tee design over on All Tropical this week. I found out earlier today that my design WON this week's competition, which means my little hedgehog will be printed onto t-shirts which will then be available to buy through Asos and All Tropical's shop. Yay! Super excited! :]

Also, just a little reminder that if you still need Christmas cards, my shop is the perfect place for you to find some, with cards suitable for both lovers and haters of the festive season. I also listed a couple of new prints earlier, so it's definitely worth a peek.

Christmas cards!

noreply@blogger.com (Madi) — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 16:36:00 +0000

Just to let you all know that my Christmas cards have finally arrived, and are now available to buy in my Etsy shop. Yay! The cards can be bought individually, or as a set of four designs. Christmas is getting super close now, so don't miss out.

There is also a cheeky Bah Humbug card available, which even comes with a little bag of complimentary humbugs - perfect for any scrooge in your life! Check them out here.

All Tropical | Little Hedgehog.

noreply@blogger.com (Madi) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 16:03:00 +0000

Hello my lovelies! I have a little favour to ask. A few weeks ago I illustrated a little hedgehog, and I decided he could look pretty cute as an autumnal tee design, so I've entered him into this week's All Tropical weekly design competition.

All I need now is a little bit of help from you guys! It would be ace if you could pop over to the All Tropical website, and rate my design. If you're feeling extra lovely, then please leave a little comment too! If you haven't voted before, you will have to register with the site first, but it only takes a second and you don't get any annoying emails from them afterwards, promise. ♥

I would love to see my little hedgehog printed onto real life t-shirts, but I really need your votes to make that possible. You can also vote for my design by liking it on Facebook, or tweeting about it on Twitter. The more of these you do, the more likely that my design will get printed, so please be ace and vote. A super big thanks you to all of you who do - I really appreciate it. :]

Torn Magazine | Issue two.

noreply@blogger.com (Madi) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 15:46:00 +0000

A few of my Christmas-themed illustrations have been included in the latest issue of Torn Magazine, along with a lovely feature about myself and my work. Torn Magazine is a free, downloadable arts and culture magazine, and the current issue - a Christmas special - is packed full of festive loveliness, so make sure you pop over and download your copy now.

Illustration Friday | Round.

noreply@blogger.com (Madi) — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 18:27:00 +0000

For Christmas, I would like a snow globe.

A little bit of nostalgia | Old work.

noreply@blogger.com (Madi) — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 13:20:00 +0000

I spent part of this weekend sorting through my stuff in the loft, and discovered loads of my old artwork, both from school and from my foundation course. Obviously it's not the best work I've ever done, but I found it interesting to look through and see how my style has developed and changed since then, so I thought I'd share a few of my favourite pieces.

All of the above were taken from a still life project I completed whilst I was at school. Looking back, I can see that my work had an illustrative edge to it even then, although I was doing a fine art course. I think it's interesting to see how my work has developed - I was much more into painting back then, although this was the time that I started experimenting with collage.

A mixed media piece based on a Banyan tree.

My final piece from a project about reflections.

Burst Magazine | Christmas Postcards.

noreply@blogger.com (Madi) — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 19:54:00 +0000

My robin postcard design has been selected to be included as part of Burst Magazine's limited edition Christmas postcard set, which will be sold to raise money for the Cambridge Hearing Trust fund.

For just £5, you will receive 12 Christmas postcards featuring the designs of myself and 11 other awesome artists, 2 stickers and a mini fold-out magazine! So what are you waiting for? Pop over and order your pack now!

Movember Monster.

noreply@blogger.com (Madi) — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 18:01:00 +0000

During November each year, Movember is responsible for the sprouting of moustaches on thousands of men’s faces in the UK and around the world. The aim of which is to raise vital funds and awareness for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer and other cancers that affect men.

This is my Movember moustache themed illustration for Creature Mag's Moustache Illustration Awards.

Mister Hedgehog.

noreply@blogger.com (Madi) — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 16:55:00 +0000

I'm really into hedgehogs at the moment, they're just so cute!

The Matchbox Art Show.

noreply@blogger.com (Madi) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 19:33:00 +0000

I have recently been working on my matchbox artwork for Enter the Clutter's Matchbox Art Show. The exhibition will include the work of 50 artists, all of whom will have transformed a matchbox into a miniature masterpiece! Very exciting!

Here are a selection of photos of my contribution to the show;

The matchboxes will be exhibited in Brighton at the Polish and Pin Open House on the weekends of 26th-27th November and 3rd-4th December. If you're interested, you can find out more information here. The matchboxes will all be for sale, and the ones I've seen so far look incredible, so it's definitely worth checking out if you're in the area!

Illustration Friday; Stripes.

noreply@blogger.com (Madi) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 17:56:00 +0000

A little stripy-scarfed snowman, all wrapped up against the cold.

This design is taken from a Christmas card, which will be available to buy in my shop very soon.

Illustration Friday; Scary.

noreply@blogger.com (Madi) — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 23:38:00 +0000

Happy Halloween!

This illo was featured on Illustration Rally as part of their Halloween Rally, and also in Creature Mag's Halloween Special.

Christmas cards.

noreply@blogger.com (Madi) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 15:33:00 +0000

So today it is officially two months til Christmas. Although it feels far too early to even be thinking about Christmas at the moment, I have spent the last few weeks designing Christmas cards which will be available to buy in my shop very soon. It was hard to find inspiration at first, especially with the sun shining through the windows, but thanks to a few Christmas tunes, and the arrival of some much colder weather, I am now feeling totally ready for snow and gingerbread men and pretty wrapping paper. Eeeee.

These are the final designs for my cards, which I will be getting printed soon. Any feedback - comments/suggestions etc - would be really appreciated before I send them off to the printers, so either leave me a comment or tweet at me. Also, if you think you might like to buy some cards once they're printed, then please let me know that too, as it will help me decide how many cards to order. :]

I have also designed a card for all those Christmas haters amongst you - perfect to send to the scrooges in your life. The card will be available to buy in my Etsy shop soon, and will of course come with a little bag of complimentary humbugs. :]