Papercaft Inspirations - UK (2019-12)

MEET THE DESIGNER

Becki Clark on her career

as a sought-aer illustrator

How did you become an illustrator?

I always loved drawing and mymum

really encouraged me to followa creative

path. I studied fashion at universitybut

when I graduated, I realised mypassion

was more in illustration, so signedupto

do a post-graduate course atShillington

College. This helped me learna lotof

the design programs and graduatewith

a portfolio. I was really luckybecause

when I graduated, I got my rstjob

working as a greetings card designer

where I got to work on designsfor

wrapping paper, cards and partywear.

What motivated you to learnbrush

lettering and calligraphy?

When I worked as a greetingscard

designer, brush lettering wasbecoming

popular in the industry. I askedif we

could do it, as I’d always hadaninterest

in hand-drawn lettering. I alsolearnt

from watching lots of YouTubevideos,

although when I rst startedI useda gel

pen and drew the letters outtocolourin.

I’m very pleased I found brushpensas

I must’ve spent hours colouringin.

What’s an essential buy for someone

who wants to learn brush lettering?

A good pen. I have tried out somany

but my go-to pen, and the oneI teach

workshops with, is the PentelGFKP

Brush Pen. It has a paintbrushtipthat

the ink floods through whichmeansit’s

really versatile.

Andyou’rewritinga book!Canyoutell

usaboutthat?

I’msoexcitedaboutmybook!I wrote

it thisyearandit willbepublishedin

2020.It’sanintroductiontobrush

letteringwith 20 seasonalcraprojects

tomakewithyournewskill.It’sfor

absolutebeginnersandwilltakethe

readerthroughmarkmaking,alphabets

andcreatingyourownletteringstyle,

withlotsoftipsandtricksI’velearntin

thepastsevenyears.

Howwouldyousumupyourbrand?

I’dsayit’sa mixofprintdesign,lettering

andcra. I’mreallyluckythatI gettouse

myskillsforsucha varietyofprojects

fromDIY,printdesignforfabricsand

stationery,editorialillustration,hand

lettering,paintingworkshops,wedding

stationeryandliveevents.

Wheredoyougetyourinspiration?

Nature.I’vealwayslovedtheseasons

andwatchingthechangeinnatureso

lotsofmyworkis basedaroundthat.

I lovegoingoutforwalksorexploring

newplacestondinspiration.I recently

gotbackfromCornwallwithmyheadfull

ofnewcolourcombinationsandideas.

Doesyourdog,Reggieeverhelp?!

Reggiehelpsmewithbiscuiteating.

I’vetriedtotrainhimtopickupthepost

andbringit tomystudiobutheseems

tothinkhe’stooseniorforthatjob!

Whatdoyoumakeforyourwedding

stationerybusiness,Olive& Bramble?

I workonallkindsofstationery,from

savethedatesandinvitationsto

anythingthecouplewouldlikeforthe

bigday.I’vedonebrushletteringonto

leavesforplacenames,a bespoke

brushletteredbeercandesign,which

thecouplegotprintedfortheirbespoke

weddingale,mapsandwelcomesigns.

Designer...

the

a canweexpectfromoneof

your cra workshops?

I teach monthly brush lettering

and botanical painting workshops.

I use a guidebook in the workshops

which works through the steps of the

techniques. Attendees can take this

booklet home so they can carry on their

practise. I love teaching workshops and

getting to share my love of lettering and

painting with others. There’s always

cake and everyone takes prints home

to keep. I have upcoming workshops in

Winchester, Bristol and the Cotswolds.

How do you balance your time?

I try and balance working the weekends

by taking a day o in the week but I

always end up with the paints out!

Also, I’m old fashioned and write out

daily, weekly and monthly to-do lists

and stick them in my studio so that I

can make sure I’ve prioritised tasks and

given everything the attention it needs.

Nothing better than ticking o a list!

What’s next for you?

Well, I can share a secret with you...

Mollie Makes magazine have

commissioned me to create their annual

calendar! I’m also looking forward to my

book being published in 2020, a new

fabric collection and more workshops!

To see more, visit http://www.beckiclark.com

Meet

Get your

craft on at

one of Becki’s

workshops