Hello People – Designing from the heart

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My headspace is to draw as if every character were myself – how would I react if this were me?

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The Bird Boy T-shirt design (available to buy from the shop) is from a set of ‘me’ drawings I did during the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. They are small and quiet. Drawn direct into my sketch pad with pencils and love. Deliberately free and unsophisticated, I hope their humanity and imperfections work in the mix of good intentions and the emotions of our time.

The drawing style is me at my most relaxed, creating a freestyle appearance of ease and channelled feelings and emotion. The designs just happen onto the page and I just cruise to keep up and get them down. It is like capturing a meme or flavour.

I like nothing more than an empty piece of paper, a handful of pencils and a bit of me time to see what happens. It’s like embarking on a mini adventure each time.

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A bit about me and my design process…

I work full time as a freelance illustrator and designer.

I love people, pencils, pens and paper.

My driver is an honest delight in putting things simply.

When people ask me what I do for illustration work, I find it quite hard to answer, despite living and breathing drawing for the last 20+yrs: “Mostly, I draw people feeling feelings”.

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As an artist, I am passionate about emotive power of visual communication, and to this aim I want my designs and drawings to connect and empower. Solidarity for us all. To speak in any language, dialect and emotion.

My drawn style is strong and unapologetic. My drawing ‘voice’ stemmed from a need to express myself quickly, honestly and directly after the sudden death of my dear husband Chris, in 2003. I have been drawing ever since. It is my go-to and companion.

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To date I make a large part of my living drawing for other people, mainly through project work and commission, notably for the Royal Opera House, Velo Vixens, Viv Gordon Company, Stroud Brewery and the John Lewis Partnership. I delight in the balance of loose expressive lines and careful accuracy. I exaggerate where need be and often draw holding my pencil at the “wrong” end to arrest any autopilot in approach. My headspace is to draw as if every character were myself – how would I react if this were me?

Well, I just have to start to find out. It’s a design adventure.

Drawing from the heart.

Check out my clothing range : ihldesigns.com 

Link from the shop

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Mr Croc Tee Design

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MR CROC AND HIS PUNCH AND JUDY FRIENDS

https://ihldesigns.com/collection/mr-croc/

Mr Croc is part of a family of drawings of Mr Punch and friends.

T-shirt design of Mr Croc the Punch and Judy Crocodile     Mr Croc design frmo Punch and Judy Collection.  Mr Croc T-shirt design from Punch and Judy collection

These illustrations are a starting point for me to connect and process a family collection of precious Punch and Judy puppets. Recently inherited from my mum, the puppets are the beautiful work of the famous and talented Punch and Judy Man, Fred Tickner (1898-1992) a family friend and generous maker. Fred was one of the great makers of Punch and Judy figures, with many of his puppets on show at the V&A. His style exerted an enormous influence on those who came after. In the 1930s he gave the first performance of Punch and Judy on British television. Fred also made British TV’s first iconic puppet star ‘Muffin the Mule’.

Mr Punch design for T-shirt collection.    Judy design from Punch and Judy T-shirt collection

My Mum was a great friend of Fred and would take my sister and I up to Covent Garden often to watch him at work. We grew up with his puppets around the house, it was normal. We took great care and pride in them.

My sister and I are in touch with The Punch and Judy Fellowship and are collating our precious puppet legacy.

As an Illustrator, my personal way to connect with the world is to draw. It helps me process and take time to think, learn and observe a subject.

The Mr Croc Tee is just one of a set of Mr Punch drawings, most of them at a monochrome design stage.

Baby from Punch and Judy T-shirt Collection

These drawings are about design and character in equal measures in which I am always seeking clarity and attitude. Mr Croc has been worked up using photoshop from my original pencil drawings into the full colour you can see in my collection. The pencil drawings I have here are all hand drawn and as yet untouched by any tech. Photoshop allows me to play with colour-ways and overlayed pattern. Whilst it is a great tool, you can’t beat a piece of paper and an idea as the essential starting blocks.

Toby the dog from Punch and Judy T-shirt collection

I look forward to working them up into a complete set as icons of a historic period in street public entertainment. Look out for the complete set of illustrated Tees. They’re coming!