Author: Sophie Hargreaves

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:

www.witchcraftsart.com

and her instagram here:

www.instagram.com/witch.craftsx

Last month, we launched our new Artist Spotlight blog series where we speak to our wonderful creators in our Artist community. To kick off the series, we interviewed Abi Ruddock and found out what drives her creative process (catch up on her blog post here).

This month we are speaking with the amazingly talented Chloe Evans – a freelance illustrator and designer. Keep on reading to find out more about her creative process and what keeps her inspired

Hello Chloe! First of all, thank you for being a part of our Artist Community. Tell us a little bit about yourself…

My name is Chloe and I illustrate under the name Chloe Fae Designs. My full time job is an in-house designer for kids denim wear which is really fun and an exciting industry to be a part of. On the side I am a freelance illustrator specialising in illustrations for children’s books, greeting cards and surface pattern design. I also run my own Etsy shop where I sell greeting cards, prints and other paper goods.

Can you tell us a little bit about your creative journey so far? Have you always aspired to do what you do now?

I have always been into art since I was a little kid. My creative journey probably started in high school as I loved my art classes and I pretty much pursued art ever since – taking it for my A-Levels, going to art college and then onto a degree in illustration. There hasn’t really been another career path for me, I just always knew that to enjoy my job I would need to do something creative! 

What are your thoughts on Greetings Cards in our world today?

I think greeting cards are super important and are a great way to stay connected with friends and family. I think sending a card on a special occasion or even just to say hi and catch up is so much more meaningful than just a text. Buying the right card with a cute or funny message shows that you have really thought and made the time for that special person in your life.

What inspires you to keep creating? Do you ever get stuck with a creative block?

Seeing other illustrators work on in instagram or in stores (such as on cards, stationary etc) inspires me to keep creating. When I see a cute illustrated character or a positive illustrated message it makes me feel happy and I would love to spread that joy to people who may view my work. I still struggle with creative block from time to time. What helps me is usually starting a new project that I feel passionate about or experimenting with a different medium.

Who are some of your favourite creators at the moment?

This is such a hard question as their are so many great illustrators out there! A few of my favourite artists at the moment are Katie Abey, Holly Exley (if you are a creative I definitely recommend watching her Youtube videos!), Amy Lesko and Amber Davenport.

Can you tell us a little bit about your process?

All of my illustrations are pretty much created digitally on my iPad on the Procreate app. I like to sketch out initial ideas and compositions in my sketchbook. I also love adding different textures to my work so often my digital work is layered with pencil and paint markings from my sketchbook.

If there was one piece of advice you could give to a creator just starting out, what would it be?

Create what makes you happy and have confidence in yourself and your work! Being a creative is not easy but if you are passionate about creating, step out of your comfort zone and work really hard you will achieve amazing things! 

Finally, do you have any projects in the works or exciting things you would like to plug?

I have recently started a personal project over on my Instagram @chloefaedesigns where I am illustrating an A-Z endangered animal series. Make sure to check it out if you want to see some super cute animals! I might eventually turn this into a poster/print at the end of the project which you will be able to purchase from my Etsy store.

Thank you so much to Chloe for giving us some fantastic insight into the hard work and skill that goes into designing our cards. Check out her amazing collection of cards and be sure to sign up for your first month free! 

We love your feedback – if you have an artist suggestion or any ideas for how we could improve our service, let us know below!

At Wuzci it is our ambition to create a platform for Artists to showcase and sell their work. We love to uplift our creators and provide our customers with the very best designs.  To celebrate the fantastic creators we have in our network, we wanted to give them the opportunity to talk about their work in a little more detail and shed some light on the process behind each of our card designs.

So without further ado, our first Artist Spotlight is the hugely talented Abi Ruddock. There is a design for everyone in her card collection – from Gin Queens to those hitting those special milestone birthdays. Keep reading for some insight into her work and top tips for pushing your creative journey.

Hello Abi! Tell us (and our lovely readers) a little bit about yourself..

Hi I’m Abi, a textile and surface design graduate from Huddersfield University and a lover of all things patterned!

Looking on my website you would say that my print work is abstract and it is normally inspired by nature or naturally occurring patterns with minimal colour. My day job is quite different though: I am a senior designer at a company that designs doormats for high street and blue chip retailers across the country. My responsibility doesn’t just lie with designing the product; packaging and marketing the product to the customer also falls under my role. Photography is another one of my passions and I use that to help develop my design work.

Where did your creative journey start – did you always want to do this?

Textiles has always been part of my family and I remember my grandma trying to get us (my sister and I) to draw, cross stitch and knit from a young age! That developed through school and I completed my foundation degree in Art and Design and found my feet as a designer. When you spend all day doing what you love you just know that it’s what you want to continue to do in the future. 

 Do you think greetings cards are important in the world today?

 I think anything that can put a smile on someone’s face is very important. Cards and correspondence with loved ones is extremely valued by lots of people and the joy of a card dropping onto the doormat almost makes your friends and family feel closer than they may be! If they are responsibly produced and discarded they can’t damage our environment and can only add to a world that could always do with an extra smile.

 What inspires you to keep creating? Do you ever get stuck with drawing block?

I think having varied design products helps me to stay inspired. From womenswear to doormats, card design to branding and marketing. 

 Working in so many different areas means my research is always wide which helps with ideas. I tend to deal with blocks by either swapping to another project or taking some time away from designing – such as walking the dog with camera in hand!

 Who are your favourite artists/creators at the moment?

 I’m really inspired by ceramists at the moment, Hannah Tounsend has always been one of my favourites. I am also really inspired by processes. The naturally occurring patterns in Raku pottery is my absolute favourite, Old Brewery Pottery In Keighley always brings a smile to my face when I see them in person.

 Can you tell us a little bit about your process? How do you create your work?

When I’m designing I like to start with a trend, commercialise that  through research and then draw and design. If I was designing fashion prints i would have to create repeat designs but for cards and doormats these are normally placement prints! Repeat designs are formed using computer aided design tools such as Adobe and I work on producing collections.

 If there was one piece of advice you could give to a creator at the beginning of their journey, what would it be?

My once piece of advice would be to get as much commercial experience as possible, whether that is volunteer work or a job that enables you to develop your commercial awareness. My work has changed dramatically through learning in my full time design position.

 Finally, do you have any projects in the works or exciting things you would like to tell us about?

Not right now but I have lots of new ideas on the horizon that I can’t wait to get started on when time allows! I’d really love to grow my following on social media though so please give me a follow on Facebook and Instagram and let me know what you think of my work!

Thank you so much to Abi for being the first of our Artist features. Check out her amazing collection of cards and be sure to sign up for your first month free! 

We love your feedback – if you have an artist suggestion or any ideas for how we could improve our service, let us know below!