Happy New Year and welcome 2020!

Hope you’ve had a fab Christmas. We’re now in January and a new decade – eek!!

Well actually, I favour this time year, knowing that the days are slowly getting longer; each day gaining 1.5 to 2 minutes of daylight in January and 2.5 minutes in February.  September to December always feels like an upward climb, with the summer ending and the long nights drawing in. Then, there’s Christmas to organise. However, this time of year makes me feel like things are changing and there’s lots to do.

January feels like a breath of fresh air and I start looking forward to the year ahead. This year I’d love to perhaps take up dancing or join a running club. I also want to go on a couple of city breaks. Prague and cities in Italy appeal to me, with their historic architecture, cultural attractions and cuisine.

I’ve been reviewing my work from last year and I’d like to share with you a small selection of my favourites.

Small selection of my favourites from 2019

Above are my personal faves from 2019. I went back to using traditional media and produced more patterns than illustrations. I love the effects you can achieve with gouache, watercolour and ink using different sized brushes. I like to create textures, as well as painting animals and other shapes as silhouettes.

I think my best work over the year came mainly from the 100 day project and also the last couple of months before Christmas. In the 100 day project, I concentrated on a variety of animals, from pets & garden bugs to jungle creatures such as wild cats and birds. In the autumn, I studied mushrooms, owls and gnomes. At the start of winter, I drew festive trees, penguins, game birds, holly and a polar bear wearing a floral crown.

Overall, it was a good, though hectic year and even though I was very busy with exciting client work, I also managed to create artwork for myself. This is something I will continue to do in 2020.

It’s funny looking back to the end of 2018. I tried toning down my colour palettes (I was just experimenting with neutral shades) and I realised this year that I’m at my happiest when I’m painting in ‘technicolour’… along with just a few neutrals!

Finally, wishing you a happy and healthy New Year! 🙂

Emma Jayne x

Christmas is fast approaching, with just three more sleeps to go! The weather has been pretty wet and cold recently and I’m still crossing my fingers for snow (especially on Christmas Day!).

Here are my best nine for 2019. It’s interesting seeing what designs people have favoured over the past twelve months. As you can see, cats and sea-life have been popular, including blue and red tones.

Best nine for 2019

This year has been the busiest yet my most enjoyable as a full time, freelance illustrator. I love being busy, just drawing and painting in my little studio.

I have created two fashion collections, which I’m really excited about being able to share with you next year. I’ve also created six patterns for apparel; one children’s book, six book spread illustrations, two editorial projects and have been featured in two magazines.

I have enjoyed researching and painting different types of animals for the 100 day project. That is where I found my creative voice! What I got most from the 100 day challenge was my awareness of what’s going on in the environment and the effects human activity is having on it.

I’ve loved painting and experimenting with pattern layouts in 2019, as well as creating numerous colour palettes. It’s really interesting seeing what shades sit well together, whether they be complimentary, contrasting or tonal. This will always be a continuous development path for me in my design career.

Here are a few of my personal favourites throughout 2019.

Personal favourites

This started off as a very loose sketch which I first drew about ten years ago. I decided to bring it to life and add colour.

At the time I produced this illustration, we were having a mini heatwave and I was so looking forward to taking a break; to relax and enjoy the sunshine.

I loved creating collages from summer flowers and insects, using gouache paint and markers. The textures you can create from both when combined together look stunning.

During the autumn, when the temperature dropped and the nights became longer, I tried to absorb myself within this season by drawing owls and autumn fruits & foliage. What I loved when drawing these creatures were their facial expressions. Priceless!

I had lots of fun drawing this rather dapper polar bear. I combined a winter animal with Christmas, illustrating the bear wearing a festive floral crown. He’s pretty cute isn’t he?

Finally, I’d like to say, “thank you” for joining me on this year’s creative journey! Your support and comments are truly appreciated. 🙂

Emma Jayne x