Lex & Tim Murphy

I've had a little extra time over the last day or two so I made two illustrations inspired by the resourceful, funny and brilliant kids of Jurassic Park (apart from when Lex is hacking the park's door locking system and the velociraptors are trying to get into the room and Ellie is trying to reach the gun with her foot Tim you could've just passed her the gun dammit)

Women Inherits the Earth

So much has happened since I last updated! I'll keep it short as I try to keep this blog as a space where my work can (hopefully) speak for itself.

So in January of this year I quit my full time job (I was a garment printer by day, illustrator by night, and working every hour under the sun because of it) to become completely self-employed and focus on forwarding my career as a designer and illustrator.

At the same time, my partner and I decided to embrace a different sort of change and made the decision to move from Essex to London.

Because of these two huge upheavals in my life, the first half of 2015 has been terrifying, stress-inducing, sleep-depriving, jolly good fun. At times I didn't think I was going to pull any of it off but I got there and here I am, living frugally but comfortably in our little flat in E16. I pay my bills by drawing pictures and I feel like 10-year old me would be pretty happy about this.

One of the first things I did when I became A Proper Freelance Person was open a little Etsy store. I only put a few prints up for sale but I've made over 50 sales in 6 months so I'm pleased as punch. My Jurassic Park inspired "Dinosaurs Eat Man, Woman Inherits The Earth" illustration has by far been the most popular, so I also opened a Society6 store to widen the range of merch it's available on.

So to wrap up, I guess this post is a thank you for everyone who's been so supportive of me the last few months, anyone who's bought a print or shirt, and anyone who enjoys looking at my drawings. Thanks for allowing me to do my dream job.

jumble sale

it's been a bit quiet here lately. this blog post is a little bit of a jumble i'm afraid - i've been quite busy so haven't had time to regularly update.

my life has had a few changes recently and it's all been very exciting! i guess my biggest news is that i have a new job. i'm still illustrating freelance on the side, but it wasn't realistic for me to continue attempting it full-time, especially as i am keen to move out next year.

i am assistant manager at a new print shop opening in colchester called my icon art & clothing. we're a specialist printers selling t-shirts, canvas prints, bags, mugs & hopefully more. i've only made a few designs for them so far as everyone's mostly been busy preparing the shop for opening, but here's one design inspired by my favourite film:


you can buy one (if you'd like!) here and also have a look at my other star wars inspired design here.


i was asked by the colchester circle magazine to design an invite for their up-and-coming birthday party this month. when a client gives me a completely open brief i tend to meander towards my safety zone of pastel colour palettes and a fun 60s vibe. party times!



the end of september saw the grand opening of the most exciting building colchester has ever seen (jn my little ol' opinion), firstsite. it's beautiful golden exterior has been teasing the town for months and we've all been eagerly waiting to see what it was hiding behind it's lovely shiny doors. it certainly didn't disappoint. with work from some amazing artists such as andy warhol, barbara hepworth and henry moore, the building is just what the town needs - a contemporary, fresh and exciting social space that doubles up as a beautiful gallery.

i was lucky enough to be asked to help design some of the promotional and informative leaflets before the grand opening. i haven't seen one of the leaflets in print yet but will be sure to share photos as soon as i do. i got to work with the creative co-op and nial of harringtonmoncrieff producing little illustrations & devices for a cute booklet for children and families about the art in the building. my input wasn't huge, but still, it was a lovely thing to be a part of:



another exciting event i got to be a part of was the wivenhoe church ale festival. the day was cold & windy but the atmosphere completely made up for it. i got to spend six hours live drawing and painting the event as it happened. all i have is a silly photo of myself during the day, but no pictures of my final pieces? i don't know.



this is just some of the stuff i've been up to. i have lots of other work to share with you but it either has yet to be signed off by the client or hasn't gone to print yet so i'd be naughty to put it online.

what a terribly messy & rushed blogpost! i do apologise.