Artist Spotlight: Jessica Gutteridge
A while ago, we launched our Artist Spotlight blog series, where we’ll be interviewing some of the artists in our wonderful community. If you missed the last one, we spoke to Chloe Evans about her design process and inspirations. Catch up here.
Today, we’re interviewing Jessica Gutteridge. She’s an illustrator & designer and proud owner of the online store Witch Crafts. Keep reading to find out a bit more about her and her work…
Who are you and what do you do?
My name is Jessica and I’m currently a freelance Illustrator/graphic designer. I have an online art store called Witchcrafts where I make witchy goodness in all forms.
Where did your creative journey start? Did you always want to do this?
I’ve always been creative, but like any artist I had self doubt through the roof till I was about 20. I worked on my skills constantly and I think being at university finally gave me the final kick to make something for myself. I created my art store then with a few odd prints for sale and it really took off. I always wanted to do something creative but it’s only from leaving university that I realized I could work for myself.
Do you think greetings cards are important in the world today?
I think they bring a little bit of joy to whoever is receiving them and that might just be what someone really needs.
What inspires you to keep creating? How do you get past drawing block or boredom with your work?
The internet is a great thing, whenever you feel your inspiration lowering or you want to stop, there’s an amazing community of people who can encourage you to keep going! If I’m feeling a block I tend to go through my old work, pick out what I love about creating those pieces and have a play around with new things.
Who are your favourite artists/creators at the moment?
I follow a hell of a lot of artists on Instagram, at the moment I’m in love with a lot of digital artists. Digitally painted, typography, etc. I’ve always been really inspired by tattoo artists and do try to follow artists who create those similar vibes on paper.
Can you tell us a little bit about your process? How do you create your work?
I haven’t jumped onto the Ipad hype yet (even though I’m practically pining for one) so my process is heavily pen and ink based. I scan things in and have a play digitally on photoshop! When I started my online store I invested in good printing materials like a printer, etc, so I create and sell everything from home.
If there was one piece of advice you could give to a creator at the beginning of their journey, what would it be?
Don’t give up! Everyone starts off a little crap. Don’t compare yourself to others and have fun just exploring all the different ways you can create art! You don’t need to stick to one field. If you want to draw in pen one day ace, if you want to try your hand at sewing the next, cool!
Finally, do you have any projects in the works or exciting things you would like to plug?
I’m now on Patreon! I’m giving away my new zine called Crystal Magic! with every pledge over $9. I’m so excited to be giving my supporters more personal work. You can check it out here www.patreon.com/witchcraftsx
You can check out Jess’ online store at:
and her instagram here:
www.instagram.com/witch.craftsx
