1. Make Art That Sells

2. Elizabeth Olwen pattern design class on Skillshare

3. Cat Coq on Skillshare

4. Bonnie Christine on Skillshare

5. Liz Kohler Brown classes on her studio website (you have to become a studio member to access, but she can be found on Skillshare too.)

Use my Skillshare link to sign up for 1 free month of Premium so you can try out some of the fantastic classes yourself.

I’m also a huge fan of Domestika and their wide ranging, high spec classes. Also, the great thing is Domestika isn't subscription based. You can but the courses that interest you and work on them when you want. They have regular sales too, so it's worth checking out.

I've been working as an illustrator for almost a decade now but that doesn’t mean I can be complacent. There is always room to improve and try new skills. With the emergence of Procreate in the last few years I’ve found taking classes specifically on this subject to help me understand the software.

I've also learnt about pattern styles I was unfamiliar with, how to create videos for social media, and gained extra knowledge about art licensing.

Learning new skills seems to get more exciting as you get older. I’m not sure why that is, but ultimately it means I've still got plenty of years left to learn some great life skills and keep adding to skills base.

Comment below with your class/teacher recommendations so that other people can learn too.

Can I add first that last year sucked. I had no work, no money and was on the verge of packing in illustration for good (on multiple occasions). It took a lot of soul searching to get through that period. Seriously, it was tough

I connected with my agent to ask for help and we came up with some plans to create new targeted portfolio pieces for book publishers. By February 2022 I was already getting new job offers.

The work I had created in my downtime was getting results. I was so proud. If I can offer any advice when you're in a quiet period of creativity and need to get back on it, is to take time out and just make new work. As much as you can. This was a turning point for me.

By the summer I had already worked on about 5 books and since then I have worked on about 10 and a couple of games.

It's been my busiest year as an illustrator so far! I'm so proud of myself but on the other hand I've suffered from burnout on a few occasions. Pushing myself to meet deadlines, working late into the night, and compromising on family time. I feel sad about that.

Taking 6 weeks of summer holiday in France helped to reconnect with my people, but I was still very much in work mode throughout. I'm making a promise to myself to take proper time off for holidays next year.

2022 was also the year I got myself a little part time job. On Monday and Friday I now work in a little greeting card shop near my home. The irony of working so much on so many projects hasn't meant financial security, as I still have periods where I'm waiting two months or more to be paid so I made a decision to get a job to bring in regular money, and I can honestly say it was the BEST thing I could have done. Never feel guilty if you need to step up and get another job to keep things ticking over.

I also launched Petite Fleur Studio in May 2022 with exclusive prints and patterns for kidswear. This has been something I've wanted to do for so long so ticking this off my goals list was major. I'm going to be working on new designs in the new year. I'll share more then.

Ending this year and thinking about how much I've done and how quickly the year has gone has been a bit overwhelming. I'm giving myself a full 2 weeks off over Christmas now to fully rest, recharge and spend time with family in the UK and in France before 2023 comes crashing into our lives. Shock horror, I will not be taking my MacBook away with me. That's seriously a first for me

To end, I want to thank my agents for their support this year, and also all the publishers and clients new and old I worked with. It's been fantastic!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Alice

I've gone back through the archives to 2018 to share one of my favourite projects of that year. These Christmas themed illustrations were for one of two baby board books for YoYo Books.

This project was probably my first dipping my toe into baby books and since then I can proudly say that I have illustrated about 18 for this age category and am currently working on books 7 and 8 for YoYo books. I was given quite a lot of creative freedom on this project which from experience can be both good and bad. In this instance it worked well and I really developed my character illustrations, animals and illustrating scenes. All things I hadn't had much experience of before.

5 years ago I was in my first year with my agents, Advocate Art. It was a busy year with lots of projects. Some fell through, and some were not great, but I am so proud of where I am now as a children's book illustrator.

Each project I get helps me to develop more as an illustrator. I'm forever grateful to each publisher I work with and especially those who took a chance on me as an inexperienced book illustrator.

Back to 2022, and I'm having another extremely busy year. I am just finishing up my 4th book of the year and will be starting my 5th in August.

My top tip for managing multiple projects on the go... Airtable. Try it!

This guide is something I have wanted to write for a while, but life and things inevitably got in the way. So this Spring, I finally sat myself down and wrote it all out.

It's a guide for those of you who are new to the world of surface pattern design. Maybe you are contemplating a career change, do this as a hobby on the side, are an illustrator who wants to learn more or maybe you're a student.

Whichever direction you are coming at, this simple guide will talk you through the basics that I think you need to know to get you started. From terminology, routes into the career, markets and themes and those all important next steps.

The guide costs just £5 for a PDF download. You can grab your own copy HERE.

Way back in the Summer of 2017, I was approached by a publishing house to undertake the biggest illustration project of my career so far. It involved illustrating over 500 perfume bottles and was the start of a wonderful project that allowed me to work in a new style flexing my observational and rendering skills.

Written by perfume experts Sarah McCartney and Samantha Scriven this beautiful hard backed book makes reading and learning about perfumes a joy. The cover is cloth bound with embossed illustrated bottles which I also had the pleasure to do.

I've selected 5 bottles from over 500 to showcase below.

If you would like me to work on a similar project, contact me here.

I’m in my 10th year of business as an illustrator and I have literally no idea where that time has gone. One things is certain, I’ve grown up a little over the years, and I wanted to share a little of my own wisdom that I’ve accumulated with you, wherever you may be on your journey. 1. It’s a marathon not a sprint I say this not to put anyone off, but it’s something to be reminded of frequently. 2. Hone Your Craft Whatever that may be, get good at it. 3. Connect Networking doesn’t have to be boring. Messaging your peers, joining Facebook groups etc are some simple and fun ways to stay connected within the industry. 4. Forget The Numbers This is a work in progress for me, but something I’m trying to be more mindful of. Counting my success by the numbers on my social is not why I create art. 5. Build a Mailing List It’s important to try and collect your own database of emails including people you have worked with, would like to with and even customers if you have a shop. Imagine if all social media just one day didn’t exist. At least you have that database of email contacts as a safety net. I’ve recently split my list so that Art Directors receive a different email to this one with new work. Be sure to get permission to add names first. 6. Diversify Your Income Sell on Print in Demand sites, design greeting cards or sell fabric. You can write an ebook or teach. I wrote a BLOG POST all about this subject which is worth a read. 7. Stop Being Precious About Sketchbooks My sketchbooks are messy and are filled with notes and scribbles. I don’t think I’ve ever managed to keep a beautiful sketchbook like some illustrators can. 8. Update Your Portfolio As I was just reminded recently, potential clients do not want to visit your website one year only to revisit again the next year and for it to look exactly the same. Switch a few pieces out for some fresh art and it will look brand new (I’m off to do this soon myself) 9. Remember to Rest Take evenings off when and if you can, stop hustling and just be still. If you get a chance to go away, do it. If not, just take some alone time often and try and look after yourself. 10. Never Stop Learning Some of my favourite places to learn are Make Art That Sells, Skillshare and Domestika. Even if it’s an unrelated subject. I’ve got my eye on an embroidery class right now.

Prints and gallery walls can say a lot about who lives there.

What‘s fantastic about art for the home is that it’s extremely affordable with options to print at home, buy things unframed or framed and even get wall hangings or canvas prints too. They can be switched out for fresh looks often so they are relatively low commitment statement pieces for your home.

Isn’t that just SO COOL!

Below are some themed selections of wall art from my own shop to help you create your own TIP TOP GALLERY WALL right now.

Flowers: Always a classic and there’s a reason for it. Works in most situations and appeals to larger audiences, flowers are pretty and perfect in every way.

House Plants: Love the green fingered look, but don’t have one? Prints with a botanical theme look great on walls and add that natural edge without the hassle.

Feel Good: My shop is full of feel good prints in candy colours to make you smile. Perfect for decorating little ones rooms or to add something cute to your living room gallery wall.

Themed Rooms: From dinosaurs and space, to woodland and jungle, themed rooms can appeal to a child’s taste and passions by creating something truly unique to them.

You can also match some of my prints up to throw blankets and cushions also available in the shop.

If there’s ever anything you’d like to see as a cushion or throw or even as a print that isn’t in the shop now, get in touch and I’ll see what I can do.

Now go and decorate those walls!

Alice x

Link to shop here

The beauty of a career like illustration is that you can start out very easily without spending much at all.

So here are 7 things that will help you on your way:

1. Cheap copy/printer paper - great for scribbles and quick thoughts. I sometimes file my loose sheets into folders according to the themes, that way I can refer back to them when I want.

2. Technical pencil - my personal favourite is the Pentel Graphgear series. I have around 3. They are fantastic. Click here to shop

3. Black drawing pens - I don’t have a particular favourite brand anymore for drawing with pens. However, Pigma Microns have been used by myself many times in the past.

4. Sketchbook - I tend to buy cheap, square sketchbooks when I can in bulk. The paper has a good weight and a slight texture but not too much. You can buy smooth papers or even sketchbooks for watercolour. Spend a bit more money to get a sketchbook that opens flat for full spread drawings.

5. A camera or phone - I use my iPhone to snap any reference photos I need now. I also have a decent digital SLR at home if I need it. Sometimes I also phtotograp drawings and send direct to my computer for redrawing using Airdrop. It’s a super convenient way to share images between my computers.

6. A drawing tablet - my first tablet was a very early Wacom bamboo given to me as a freebie by someone I worked with. She’s been using them since they first came out for her digital art and she taught me how to use one too. It was so basic, but it served the purpose of teaching me to draw on a tablet whilst looking at the screen. Since then, I graduated to another Wacom bamboo, an Inruos Pro and am currently using a Cintiq 16. There are so many models out there and you don’t have to use Wacom. I can’t give opinions on others though, but will say Wacom have served me well for over 10 years. Read this blog post on my early career.

7. iPad Pro - I use a 2015 iPad Pro model with the first generation pen. I’m due an upgrade as it’s quietly becoming my preferred choice to create artwork. Buying an iPad Pro is an investment as is any compute. Do your research before hand to make sure you are getting the right model for your needs.

If you’re also looking to improve your digital art skills, and don’t yet have a Skillshare membership, click this link for 1 months free Premium Membership and get learning.

It’s an incredible thing to be a creative. A mix of high emotions and hard work can make for an exciting career.

If you are ready to start earning more income, I’ve pulled together 5 things you can do RIGHT NOW to start earning extra money

1: Open Up a Shop

You can do this either by designing then buying product but my best advice is to start off with no outlying expenses by using a fulfilment service. These sites are incredibly easy to set up and often work well with websites such as Spotify, Wix and even Etsy.

You can automatically create mock-ups within the sites, and any orders generated on your site are processed and shipped via the fulfilment company. Just make sure to price your items appropriately to cover the cost of printing and shipping and give you enough profit to be happy with.

2: Print On Demand

If you have a large number of designs a good place to start leveraging their potential will be POD sites. Examples of popular POD sites are Society 6, Redbubble, Spoonflower, Patternbank and Thortful. Via this route you can create a number of different products in many markets such as fashion or home decor. For each sale made you take home a small royalty which is normally paid out to you once per month.

3: Online Classes

It’s highly likely that you have enough expertise or skills in a particular area that could be utilised into an online class. You can use sites like Skillshare or Kijabi and similar to host your class, or you can launch it via your own website. Utilising your social media following and newsletter list could help a successful launch. Classes on Skillshare need to be a minimum of 30 minutes which makes it more manageable and accessible for new teachers, and they often have workshops for people to join who might be creating their first class.

4: Ebooks

Much like launching an online class, you could write an ebook on your specialist subject. These can be great forerunners to an online class and can be as comprehensive as you like. Sell it on your website or upload it as a Kindle book.

5: Licensing

If you’re feeling ready to push your designs even further, licensing to companies may be your next step. You can license to greetings card, fabric, children’s clothing, toys, home decor and stationery. The possiblies of licensing are endless and researching can be as fun as shopping to see what’s out there already and making notes of the companies. Licensing deals can be extremely lucrative with upfront fees and royalties involved. If you are representing yourself you’ll have to keep detailed records of all deals made, but you could make money many times over off of one deign, so it’s a highly recommended route to take.

Hopefully, these ideas have given you some inspiration on how you can move forward and make MORE money with YOUR art.

Follow me on Instagram to keep in touch, and please comment below and share if you like this article.

I’ll be back soon with more articles on your creative business very soon.

Piccolina Kids have recently launched a new batch of collectable dolls off the back of their first set, which promptly sold out.

The first launch included my RBG and Frida Kahlo dolls, all lovingly designed and stitched by Jennifer Long at Bee Sew Inspired. The details included in these are amazing, with embroidery and accessories that make each doll unique.

In the latest launch of dolls are my Amelia Earhart and Jane Goodall Illustrations. Available in a limited number of 50 each these really are collectors items. Be Sew Inspired has done a wonderful job yet again.

I’m so proud to be an extended part of the team at Piccolina, and love what they have achieved with their brand in the last couple of years. I’m not giving anything way yet, but there might be some more exciting things coming out one day soon.

Click here to check out the available dolls.

I've also pulled together 5 other great gifts you can get from some other independent sellers, including crafts and bath to unwind, clothing to get cozy, and prints to bring smiles. Happy shopping!

1. Tulips Needlepoint Kit from Unwind Studio

2. Big Bush Energy Hoodie from Caro Gomez

3. Custom Children’s Portraits from The Nursery Print Shop

4. Flowers & Foliage Print by Cathy Cornish

5. Wild Rose Handbag Gift Set via The Mama Tribe

Choosing how to design your child’s bedroom is never a simple task. At Lola and Masey we aim to involve your children in the design process to create their dream spaces, however, how can you design with a theme in mind that they want while keeping it classy, tasteful and aesthetically pleasing for all?

Many parents come to me wanting to create their child’s dream room with their favourite theme but with the understandable fears of it becoming, shall we say.. ‘too much’!

I’m going to share with you some top tips to achieve a themed room in style that both you and your little ones will love…

1. Keep it simple. This may seem obvious but seriously we don’t need to have every corner of your child’s room in their chosen theme. You can have just as much of an impact with your theme by making really considered design choices. For example, a jungle themed room may mean that you would like to use a jungle wallpaper. Consider just one feature wall for the wallpaper rather than doing all four.

2. Consider what kind of materials and colours that may be associated with the chosen theme so the room doesn’t come across so ‘literal’. For example a safari theme room could be associated with rattan or jute materials and fairly neutral colours. For example try bringing this theme into the room with light wooden or rattan furniture, jute rugs and green colours with accents of the safari theme coming through in wall art, cushions and accessories. Same would apply to our example of ‘under the sea’ theme below.. consider all the different tones of blue you could use and materials associated such as wood, metal, and rope.

3. Try to broaden the chosen theme, for example instead of doing a ‘Disney princess theme’ think of it more as ‘enchanted’. This will give you more design freedom and will give you a better overall result in the end. So for this we could consider a castle bed or headboard as a main feature, a canopy for a cosy corner, lots of decorative lighting, and using the prime colours on walls and soft furnishings rather than being so specific with princess wallpaper or bedding.

Lastly we would say, really think about what you are trying to create, in most cases what your child actually wants is to feel emersed in a room that makes them feel like they are in their favourite theme, they just don’t know how to explain this! To them they think this means having their favourite super hero physically on the walls and on the bedding but when you can actually design a super hero themed room with help from the tips above they are sure to get so much more excitement out of their room, that is aesthetically pleasing for you too, winning!

We hope these three top tips will help you to create the theme room that your child and yourself will love. Check out our under the sea theme mood board below and download our PDF to shop these items. For more themed rooms and bespoke design packages visit our website www.lolaandmasey.co.uk

Shop the Lola and Masey look here

Exclusive FREE Under The Sea Print

By Alice Potter

And shop new Under the Sea themed prints and more in Alice's shop

In this class you are going to take your own unique floral sketches from your sketchbook and digitise them in Adobe Illustrator using the pencil tool.

You will be guided through the following:

Sketching - time to grab a sketchbook and get drawing

Examples - I'll show you some examples of how I use flowers in my work

Exporting Sketches To A Computer - If you have a phone this is super easy

Setting Up The Artboard - We will get ourselves ready in Illustrator by setting up the artboard

Digital Drawing - Using the pencil tool, we will trace around our sketches to create beautiful art

Class Wrap Up - Well done for getting here!

Bonus - I couldn't bear to leave it there, so I turned my flowers into a pattern, and I show you how in this quick video.

Wrapping Up - a short thank you for taking my first ever class here on Skillshare.

Join me in class today

Surface pattern design is the design and application of patterns and illustrations to a surface. Applications vary from greeting card, wallpaper and fabrics, to home decor, ceramics, and even architecture. If you were to take a look around you right now, you would notice nearly everything in sight has some sort of surface pattern design applied to it. This gives you an idea of the immense opportunities available to you as a surface pattern designer.

There are many different types of pattern design to try out and explore, and I’m going to try and break these down for you today to help you get to grips with this wonderful world.

Floral: a design that is made up from flowers or nature and other botanical elements.

Geometric: a design in a grid like format made up from basic shapes like triangles, circles and lines.

Ditsy: a design made up from tiny little icons, normally flowers. Very pretty effect.

Conversational: is a design that is made up of recognisable icons. These can be anything you like. It's a personal favourite of mine due to it's potential to tell stories.

Croquis: a design that is not in repeat but hints at one. Some people sell these like sketches and a studio will normally be able to put it into repeat in-house.

Stripes and checks: this is a design made up of lines or bands in any width vertically, horizontally or a mixture of both.

Abstract: unlike conversational prints (see below), these designs are made from unrecognisable design motifs. They are not objects and are generally shapes or mark making designs.

Half Drop: this can be used for post designs in their list, and is when the repeat is dropped half way down the main pattern on the vertical

Diamond Repeat: a pattern made up of any motif or icon laid out in a recognisable diamond design. This particular example is actually referred to as a Diaper which retains the diamond form ( the blue crosses) but is also a tightly meshed geometric design.

Spots: spot Designs can be just dots, but can also be small icons in a regular spot pattern. Essentially anything can be a spot design

Hero Design: This is a more contemporary description in the SPD vocabulary. It refers to the single stand out design in a collection. It’s normally more detailed, uses most of the colour palette and tells the story. The rest of a collection is generally inspired by the hero.

Coordinate: the BFF to the hero pattern. You can have between 2-4 coordinates in your collection. Their design usually comprises of elements taken from the hero or directly inspired by it, which is the case in my leopard print example below. The colour palette is a little more limited.

Blenders: these are pattern designs in a collection that hold everything together. Normally they are extremely simple designs and 2 colours.

This list is just a fraction of the different types of pattern design out there. Here are some links to my favourite textile reference books that can really help with your design work on the future and will help broaden your knowledge:

1. Textile Designs: 200 Years Of Patterns for Printed Fabrics arranged by Motif, Colour, Period and Design from Thames & Hudson

2. Spectrum: Heritage Patterns and Colours by V&A

3. Pattern Design with over 1500 Illustrations, Edited by Elizabeth Wilhide by Thames & Hudson

Make sure to connect with me over on Instagram if you have any more questions about pattern design, my 1:1 portfolio reviews, illustration, business etc. I love meeting new people.

I feel like this topic can seem so all consuming to some illustrators. For many it’s an affirmation that they’ve made it in their career if they are represented and for some, they constantly seek it out.

What about being happy where you are, right now?

How can we make being more present in our lives right now an every day occurrence?

Thats kind of why I wanted to write this post. To dispel some myths about being represented and to offer a way forward for those who aren’t.

So let’s get down to the nitty gritty stuff of this post.

PROS

• Contacts. Since signing with my current agent I have agreed licenses and done book commissions with publishers I would have found difficult to connect with otherwise. My agents have many decades experience and have built lasting and trusted relationships, and being represented means you become part of that “family”

• More time to work in your portfolio. This is for those lucky enough to have “free time”. I have a small baby, so have less of it now.

• Your agents work hard to get you work. This goes off the back of the last point, because frankly, you aren’t going to get work if you don’t have anything to show in your portfolio. You need to be consistent and your agents will aim to bring eyes to your work which is ultimately the reason you may want to be represented.

• A good agent will be industry trend aware and should be relaying that info to you on a regular basis.

• Support and guidance. On the back of being trend aware a good agent will support and guide you throughout you career and throughout a project. You should never feel afraid to contact your agent whenever you feel like it.

• Being represented by an industry leader in illustration can have positive effects for you. It gives you a reputation which can lead to bigger and better things.

CONS

• Let's put the obvious first, commission. Commission ranges from agent to agent but generally it’s between 25%-40%. At this point you have to weigh up what feels right for you. If you are getting enough work that gives you a comfortable life then perhaps the higher rate does not seem so scary after all?

• You get lazy and forget to promote yourself ever again. I can personally attest to this. If your agent is getting you all the jobs then there is no need for you to go out there and hunt down clients any more. Wrong. Particularly in the early phase of a relationship with an agent, it’s wise to still promote, send emails and connect. Keep getting eyes on your work from every angle possible.

• You have to refer any or all new work connections you make to your new agent. In some contracts agents do ask that you send any contacts you make or have to them. That may mean clients you have worked with for years prior to being represented then have to go through your agent which means you get less of money than you may have in the past. This links to both above points about commission fees and finding clients. You’ll have to do some leg work to find out if this is the case for your agent or an agency you may be interested in.

• The waiting for payment game. My favourite negative. It's sometimes a long while between some payments. Your agents have to wait for the client to pay them and then you have to wait for your agents to pay you. You are at the bottom of that ladder and it can be so frustrating sometimes. My advice is to have money coming in from a variety of sources. Don’t just rely on your agents. Open a print shop, sell on Society 6 or similar. Get creative to keep the money rolling in when times are a little quieter. If you need a part time job too, don’t be ashamed. It can be fulfilling to have both aspects of working for yourself and working with others and may also help really focus your mind when it comes to working on your illustration work, as your time available may be more limited.

• Having an agent is like being in a long term relationship. It takes work from both sides and ultimately, you have to be compatible. I’ve had some terrible experiences so I know what it’s like when it just doesn’t work. If you can, cut your losses and move on. Don’t feel obligated to stay longer than is necessary and remember to check your contract for termination details.

• The contract. The 20 page document full of legalese that makes literally no sense right? If you need someone to read it through with you, do so. It's better to be safe than sorry.

LIES AND FALSEHOODS

Being represented is not the be all and end all as some may believe it to be.

I am personally friends with many extremely successful illustrators here in the UK that have built up their reputation as the top in their fields all without agents.

They will attest that it's hard work. You have to put a lot of graft in.

Having an agent does not mean you will get consistent work. Some are lucky and this is the case, but you will go through lean periods. Make sure you have ways to cope when this happens. Other income streams, savings or a part time job.

I've made it! I can stop everything else!

No!

The truth is you have made one step in your personal career journey. Does that mean you plateau and just cruise along hoping things will always come your way? You have to keep working, keep showing up and be consistent.

Without an agent I can’t ever be the illustrator I want to be?

Again false. You absolutely can! As mentioned above, with work, you can make a career in illustration.

Having or not having an agent should not stop you being the best version of yourself as a person or as an illustrator. Your career is what you make of it and ultimately, what you put in. If you plough a positive mindset into your work every day you will reap the rewards regardless of whether you are represented, and that's surely the best way to live, right?

If you have read all of this and still want to find an illustration agent here's my advice:

1. Research. Research. Research.

2. Identify wether you want an agent that specialises in advertising, editorial, children's books or art licensing. Some do a variety of all.

3. Follow their submission guidelines to the letter.

4. Wait for a reply and give it time. Often agencies process submissions at specific times (perhaps once per month) and so you may not hear back for a while.

If you need more support or guidance, consider my new mentoring programme or my 1 hour portfolio review.

Find more details here

Alice x

1. Research

The critical part to starting any new project is the research. When I'm drawing flowers I tend to always reach for my trusty Collins guides. The pocket one is my most loved and always offers me up inspiration when I need it.

You can also do research on the internet with a google search or you can create a visually exciting board on Pinterest

However you do your research, my top advice is to never spend that long doing it, as it eats into time creating. Give yourself a limited amount of time to do the maximum amount of research needed.

2. Sketching

Or drawing. Whatever you call it and whatever medium you decide to use, this is your time to let loose and use your research that you have done in Step 1 and start creating some art. I have used here a simple Micron ink pen in a standard sketchbook to draw up some line drawings of flowers that attracted me. I focused on the flower heads only and not stems which helped me laser focus on each drawing. This is a good tip if you feel overwhelm drawing flowers. Sometimes the extra bits on a plant can make it seem overcomplicated to draw, but by breaking it down to the flower head, it makes the process more manageable.

Another tip is to always draw more than you need. Fill the page. Fill two pages! If you don't use a drawing now, you may go back to it in the future and it will spark a new idea.

3. Digitising Your Drawing

For this particular pattern I photographed my sketches and Air Dropped them to my Ipad Pro. I then went on to open the sketch up in the app Adobe Draw. I chose this app as I wanted to flowers to be easily editable, and easy to send over to Adobe Illustrator for final creation. You can also vectorise your line drawings if you did them on white paper in black line, or you can redraw them from scratch in Illustrator using the Pen, Blob brush or Pencil tool. (If you are using Procreate or Photoshop, this tutorial is only focusing on using vectors to create my pattern. I will be listing some top classes I know here that may cover these subjects soon)

You can see that I was quite selective in what I redrew in the app. This is because I wanted to focus on the really open style flowers, and I only needed 5-6 different styles. Always draw more than you need (I'll pop this tip in Step 2)

4. Pattern

This is when I start thinking about what goes where and how the pattern is going to look. It's also an opportunity to think about colour. I very quickly changed my palette before getting too far into designing.

I also knew I wanted to make a ditsy pattern which meant making it quite packed and close together with lots of little flower heads. I didn’t want there to be too much background showing through and I wanted the eye to move with ease over the pattern, so think carefully about placement of flower groups.

Remember, what goes at the top, repeats at the bottom, what goes on the left, repeats on the right. (Again, I will be posting a list of classes that may be of use to those of you who don't know how to make a pattern in Illustrator)

5. Final Design

My final pattern came together really easily and intuitively for the design. I think it's because I genuinely enjoyed myself doing it! If you have a go at making a ditsy repeat do please tag me @alicepotterillustration on Instagram

This design will be available to buy in my Spoonflower shop as fabric and wallpaper soon

McDonald's 2011

I was in my first full year of illustration and an email landed unexpectedly in my inbox from an advertising agency. You have to bear in mind that at the time, my portfolio was extremely limited, and I had only done a few promotional emails out to select people. To have this offer of work with such a huge brand was a massive deal for me. It made me realise that this new direction for my career had legs, and I could actually make a success out of it.

How Did I Get Such A Huge Gig So Early On?

As mentioned above, my portfolio was very basic. I had nothing particularly outstanding, but I suppose I had a look, that, at the time, was appealing to Art Directors. It was hand drawn, but digital. I particularly loved to draw animals like these

Animals, 2012

They became incredibly popular, and helped me establish myself on Etsy. It was this style of work that I would email/post to magazines, advertising agencies and publishers in the hope that someday, someone would take the bait and hire me.

And they did.

My promotions were working.

Nowadays, I'm not sure email or post marketing is needed. If you have a social media presence, especially Instagram or Twitter, you can reach clients. Be present, consistent and positive and you can be found by the right people.

Vintage Party Games, Quarto Books,2012

Building My Portfolio

Over the years, my style has developed from the above to now illustrating children's books full time.

My portfolio consists of a good mix of illustrations for children and patterns designs and I always try to remember to only put out work into the world that I want to do.

Wilderness Bear and Back To School pattern, both 2017

Your portfolio can contain hundreds of pieces of work, but if you have a mixture of all different styles, or if some is executed less well than others, it may put clients off.

Even though I do pattern design as well, my designs generally sit quite well next to my children's illustration work. I am confident that I have a cohesive look that I am projecting and that clients will be able to see what they need with ease.

Auzou Publishing, 2020

My advice to young illustrators is to focus on your style, your techniques, your 'brand' and put that out into the world. I'm seeing so many students yet to graduate who are utilising Instagram to it's fullest, and who I can see are going to have very bright futures.

Be confident, and be consistent. Don't expect things to come your way quickly or easily. Be open to opportunities, but don't work for free. It weakens the market for the whole industry.

Learn new skills. be excited and be supportive of others in the world of illustration.

How Else Can I Get Work?

Lets not be naive and fully rely on the magic of social media to bring people our way. It's not going to happen.

Here a some other top tips I can give to find your first clients:

• Make a list of dream clients or brands you really want to work with.

• Research them, and see if they have an Art Director you can connect with.

• If it's editorial you want to get into, look at magazines in shops, and make a note of names. See if they have a submissions guide on their website. So many do today.

• Follow the guidelines

• Make collections of work or illustrations aimed at those dream clients you listed earlier.

• Pitch the work to them!

• You have nothing to lose and everything to gain!

Good luck!

Connect with me on Instagram where you can message me if you have any more questions.

1. Trim down on stuff. Let go of things I don't use or need any more. I need to feel more space in my life.

2. Keep on top of my accounts. I used to be excellent at this, but pregnancy last year caused me to get a little behind. Then the catching up is completely stressful and confusing!

3. Learn to manage my time better. I know have fewer hours to work, and any free time I have is going to be dedicated more to family, and where possible, myself.

4. Fill a sketchbook!

It's been a long whole since I did this last, and I decided it was easier to achieve this than say to myself, draw something every day, because sometimes, that's not possible.

5. Celebrate when my work gets published.

6. Identify areas in my portfolio that need working on. Speak to my agents for advice on this.

7. Increase my earnings again. 2019 was a great year for me in terms of income, and I know I can do better again this year.

8. Take a writing class maybe?

9. Illustrate another picture book. It's so challenging but ultimately, so rewarding when you get to the end.

10. Illustrate more baby books. I've worked with some great publishers recently and I hope to continue and strengthen our relationship.

11. Get my work licensed as a puzzle.

12. See my work licensed as homeware.

13. Design more children's clothing. It would be a dream to see more of my designs on the highstreet.

14. Make more original artwork.

15. Finish my craft projects. I have punch needle and embroidery jobs lying around from last year that I have yet to complete.

16. Read a little every day and finish the books waiting on my bookshelf.

17. Try again to learn French.

18. Move my body more. I feel so aged!

19. Appreciate that every day won't go to plan. Learn to roll with it.

20. Be more mindful and thoughtful.

This was a great project to be involved with, as many of the women I illustrated I didn't know about so it was learning curve for me in many ways.

Clockwise from Top Left: Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Susan B Anthony, Amelia Earhart, Frida Kahlo, Wang Zhenyi

Picollina are offering a 20% discount until the 31st October with code ALICEPOTTER

They ship to the US, Canada and the UK.

I will be adding products occasionally to my shop, including prints and embroidery pieces, and will be sure to announce a shop update when that happens.

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy browsing my new illustration website and portfolio.

Follow me on Instagram

Check out my full portfolio with my agents, Advocate Art