Swift Somethings

Things That Remind Me Of You....

2012-02-11T16:44:00.001Z

Today is mine and my boyfriend Jon's third anniversary and concludes another jam packed year of our relationship.

We've had some romantic trips, we've moved into our first home together, I've graduated and we moved out of London to name but a few of the events to have taken place in the last year!

I wanted to give him something special and unique that celebrated a few of the things that have memorable throughout our relationship. After much thought and a bit of panicking I decided the perfect answer was to commission a piece of artwork. And that is when I got in touch with Holly Exley.

Holly and I are both graduates from Middlesex University's illustration BA and I had always been completely blown away by her amazing watercolour illustrations. When I remembered her 'Things that remind me of...' series I knew it would be the perfect present. And as you can see from the photos, it really was! My boyfriend loves this and it will soon take pride of place in our bedroom - and will hopefully be a great momento of this time in our lives and something to keep for years to come.

If you are looking for a unique gift I wholeheartedly recommend Holly, she has been amazing, completing this commission in record time and offering extremely affordable prices. You can also buy prints in her shop too (I have one of the teacup prints too!).

Thanks again Holly, we love it.

Winner

2012-02-06T20:46:00.000Z

Thank you to everyone who entered my giveaway - and to all those who retweeted and liked the link!
There were so many lovely comments and tweets.
It definitely cheered up my busy weekend - and a Monday that involved falling down the hall stairs, injuring my back and taking a few too many co-codamol (the life of an illustrator is never dull, eh?!)

To choose the winner of the illustrated goodies I wrote all entrant names in a list, numbered them and used a random number generator to pluck a number for me.

So, without further ado....

These are the prizes I will be sending to Louise...

For those of you who don't know, Louise is the lady behind the beautiful jewellery brand Wallpaper Rose. She also has a lovely blog and twitter page too. Take a look!

Thank you again for all the entries, there is still free shipping in my shop using code LOVE2012 so even if you didn't win hopefully you can treat yourself to a little something :)

Little Update

2012-02-05T20:07:00.000Z

Just a little post to say I have updated my website

www.stacieswift.com

Lots of changes have been made so please take a look and let me know what you think!

Also, don't forget to enter my giveaway - I will draw a winner tomorrow night.

Keep Your Eyes On The Prize - GIVEAWAY...

2012-02-03T18:41:00.000Z

As promised, I have decided to do a bit of a giveaway this week! It's been a bit of a crazy week, I've been so busy that by midweek I felt completely run down and so ill that I had to take to my bed for a day and a half. Not fun. Fortunately I staved off anything too serious and am back to the land of the living today.

One of the jobs I started before exhaustion hit was to contact some lovely shops and see if they'd be interested in stocking my work - this has been relatively fruitful so hopefully I will have some news to share with you soon!!
I also decided to run a free shipping offer in my shop, just enter code LOVE2012 at the checkout, don't forget to stock up on your Valentine's cards and gifts if you haven't already...

Anyhow, back to the important stuff. Up for grabs in my giveaway is this little bundle:

* It's Always Been You A4 Print *

* Triangle Owls Card *

* Set of 4 Menagerie Mini Prints *

To be in with a chance of winning these prizes you will need to do the following...

Follow me on my facebook page & leave a comment to let me know you'd like to enter - http://www.facebook.com/Stacie.Swift.Illustration
Tweet me @stacie_swift with your favourite item from my Etsy store - www.etsy.com/shop/stacieswift

Winners will be drawn on Monday 6th Feb to brighten up the worst day of the week! Good luck (and don't forget to tell your friends), I am off to pack up some orders and drink some wine. Have a lovely weekend.

Brand Spanking New!

2012-01-27T18:11:00.000Z

When I started out at the beginning of this year with my grand announcements of new work and growing my business I really meant it. And I have been working like a lunatic outside of my day job to make some headway in this first few weeks of 2012!

The culmination of this excessive drawing and abandoning my boyfriend to hours of solitary tv watching is lots and lots of new things for my shop...

So, without further ado:

NEW PRINTS

NEW GREETING CARDS

You can find all these things, and more, HERE. I am also on the lookout for stockists, both UK and overseas, so if you are interested in selling my work please do get in touch, I have a product guide I can send to you!

See, I even have gone as far as making a product guide. I mean business this year!! You might've also seen the rebranding of my web pages, I have a new logo that I have been using and I am really enjoying getting my head down and getting on with things.

If you've read to the end of this you might think I sound a bit mental/overly pleased with myself/like a massive pain in the arse. But it's great seeing hours of hard work finally come together and I have been at my desk for the last 10 hours so I have decided to indulge myself :)

Let me know what you think of the new bits and bobs? I'm thinking of doing a giveaway this week too, so any pointers on what would be a good prize would be appreciated!

Ps. Please follow my facebook page

Oh Comely Magazine

2012-01-20T20:16:00.001Z

Last October during a trip to Cornwall I stumbled across Oh Comely Magazine and fell in love. I didn't think much more of it until I spotted another copy, the winter edition, in WH Smith on my lunchbreak this week.

It really has been one of those weeks and finding something so beautiful and inspiring helped make that day in the office a little bit easier!
Above are some of my favourite pages. I love how there is so much illustration throughout the magazine. The second image shows work from Julianna Swaney, her work is so delicate and intricate and the second from last image is by Laura Callaghan, again very detailed and with a great sense of fun. Both produce some beautiful work - you should definitely check out their blogs.

Hope you are having a good start to the weekend!

East End Prints - Q&A with Helen Edwards

2012-01-17T19:42:00.000Z

Last summer I was contacted by Helen Edwards, the lady behind East End Prints, to see if I would be happy to sell my artwork through the EEP website. Of course I jumped at the chance!!

Here's my work on the website!

For those who aren't familiar with East End Prints I definitely recommend you check out the website. Showcasing a wide range of original and contemporary artworks, all are appealingly affordable and accessible. Some of my favourites include illustration by Hennie Haworth and typography from Vintage by Hemingway.

Hennie Haworth / Vintage by Hemingway

Six months on, post graduation and after lots of friendly emails with Helen (and a few sales!) I thought it would be a great time to get some inside information from someone who really knows about selling artwork... and Helen really does know what she is talking about!

She has over 10 years experience of artist management, print publishing, licensing and curating exhibitions prior to setting up East End Prints in 2010 and currently offers a creative business mentoring service too.

Here are some of her pearls of wisdom, including some great tips for illustrators!

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Q&A with HELEN EDWARDS
~ EAST END PRINTS ~

What drove you to set up East End Prints?

I had worked in print publishing for many years and saw a lot of content that I felt was really strong –not make it through to the final selection in a range. I always felt there was a gap in the market for high quality content for a print on demand range. I think you also get to a certain age –having had years of experience in different roles when you realize you actually only want to be your own boss – the flexibility of running your own business is immense – but I would say its tough and requires a lot of hard work in a competitive market.

With 10 years experience how do you think the creative industry has changed?

We have seen major changes in the last 10 years within the creative industries–more graduates qualifying with first degrees and having to move back home as they cannot find work! I feel for them, even more for future generations who are forced to pay high fees to study. I had a full grant when I was a student -there is absolutely no way I could afford to study now –which seems a pity as I still value those years as beneficial to a creative journey of self discovery.

Young people do have a whole new skill set which has revolutionized the way we communicate – its easier than ever to set up a website and run a cottage industry which can be just a easy to discover as the big brands –so this has to be a positive move. It gives them the freedom to be an entrepreneur from a young age.

The technology we use for print on demand barely existed 10 years ago and this has given us freedom to publish new content without having to produce huge print runs – it gives us creative freedom and an opportunity to take risks on what could be seen as more esoteric content. The printing quality and access to archival inks and good grades of paper have really improved over the last 10 years too.

How do you choose which artists to include within your collections?

Mmm. tricky one.. I guess I have spent a long time building up my taste –by going to a lot of art fairs and looking at an awful lot of websites. I try to balance out the quirky with a bit of a commercial eye –although sometimes I just feel an overwhelming urge to contact the artist and get this in the range!

Which prints are your personal favourites?

My personal favourites change from week to week – its not usually our bestsellers I must admit! Overall, Dale Edwin Murray and Dieter Braun are my favourite illustrators as their work is so simple yet complex at the same time.

You offer Creative Business Mentoring, do you have any top tips for those chasing a creative career?

We do offer one to one business mentoring – this is a combination of life coaching and business skills –this normally concludes with a 2 week action plan and target setting – organisation is still quite alien to the majority of creative people!

My advice would be to know your competitors, find a mentor and observe what your idols are up to. Marketing and more marketing… I meet so many artists with fantastic ideas that really do not have a clue about how to market their work –its the most important lesson if you are freelance and going it alone. Go to as many shows and art fairs as you possibly can –see as much art as you can!

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'It takes a long time to grow young'

2012-01-13T19:04:00.000Z

January so far has been a whirlwhind of activity and completely overtaken by birthday fun!

To start the month I went to a great party thrown for my uncle Steve, met his bandmates (you may remember my 'meet the band' giveaway from last year), drank a huge amount of wine and generally tried not to die on the way home!

Then, on the 9th it was my birthday. Turning 26 was not my favourite thing in the world- I am sure I was 21 only the other day!! Anyhow I had a fabulous day and received some beautiful flowers and gifts.

I also made a special birthday trip to one of my favourite places in London, the Museum of Childhood. I met the talented James Boast, Emma Block and Phil Hughes and had a great time reliving my youth in Bethnal Green.

Some of my favourite toys in the collections:

I desperately want these kitties in dresses for my room!

I would definitely recommend a trip there if you are in the area. It is, of course, brilliant for kids but also is good fun for adults and a great trip down memory lane. Plus, even if you aren't interested in the collections the gift shop is worth the journey in itself!

So after all that, 26 is turning out ok. I have some exciting things to share on my blog in the next week or so and will be overhauling my sites and shop in the very, very near future! Keep your eyes peeled and let me know if you've visited any good museums or exhibitions of late too.

Book Review: The Handmade Marketplace // Craft INC.

2012-01-06T20:13:00.003Z

Following on from my New Year's blog post I thought I would share with you some books that have been helpful in giving me some ideas on structuring and growing a creative business...

The Handmade Marketplace by Kari Chapin covers the full spectrum of being a crafter or designer.
From the initial stages including tips on 'Working in Small Spaces' to 'Evaluating Marketplaces' this is a book that is easy to delve in and out of to suit your needs.
Though based on the American craft market I still found this a handy guide on the day-to-day realities of trying to get handmade products 'out there'. I think the good thing about this book is the focus on online presence - something that I know a lot of illustrators and other creatives work hard at - it is handy to be reminded of the simple things that can be done to make the most of blogs, websites and other online platforms.

Another plus point is that Kari has grouped together a 'Creative Collective', a group of peers and colleagues who share their views and experiences in snippets throughout the chapters which means there are lots of examples and tips to pick up...

The second book is Craft INC. by Meg Mateo Ilasco, another really handy guide to business, I found this really useful in helping to give my creative ideas some direction.

Again produced for the American market not everything is applicable and there are some bits that wouldn't make sense to a UK business. However, with a guides to writing a Business Plan, on Sourcing and sections including 'Be Your Own Publicist' I think this is definitely worth a read if you want to give your creativity some structure. Meg, like Kari, has included examples and Q&As with industry experts so there is lots of information to take on board. If you like checklists and structure (as I do!) and can work through the Americanisms this is a great place to help start organising!!

Finally, as I was on the subject of organisation here's a little look at my new illustrated 2012 diary. A Christmas gift from my lovely friend I thought I'd share some of my favourite pages.

It'd be great to know your thoughts on these books or if you have any other helpful guides that might prove useful to a growing illustration business?

Studio Sweet Studio...

2012-01-01T19:12:00.000Z

New Year always makes me feel a bit strange, part of me feels sad to see another year pass and yet I get excited at the prospect of the blank page and opportunities that lay ahead in the next 365 days.

This year, more than most, I really do feel like things are possible. That 2012 will be a year of achieving goals, growing my business and having a list of illustrative successes to look back on this time next year!

To make sure this happens I have decided not to make any half hearted resolutions about not eating rubbish food or not drinking too much wine (always broken almost as soon as they're made); my resolution for 2012 is simple:

To build Stacie Swift Illustration into a bigger and better business; to create well designed and high quality illustrated items with a clear illustrative style and strong brand identity.

And so, armed with a business plan and my pencils, my studio sweet studio will be seeing much more of me this year!

I hope you all have had a great start to January and have lots of plans for the months ahead too.

New Stockist.... NOELIE et LOULOU - Zurich

2011-12-01T22:00:00.006Z

I am very, very excited to announce that my cards are now stocked in Zurich!

My first stockist outside of the UK, I couldn't be happier. And this shop couldn't be more gorgeous!

Noelie & Loulou is housed in a renovated bicycle workshop in a 'trendy' part of Zurich and sells a mixture of contemporary and vintage pieces. I'm in love with the photos....

You can just see a peek of my cards here. Yay!!

Christmas Giveaway...

2011-11-23T20:07:00.005Z

As Christmas is creeping up on us it is definitely time for some giving...

Anybody who orders Christmas cards or my specially priced Christmas pet portraits and people portraits from my shop will be put into a draw to win a print of their choice! I have 3 free prints to give away!!

The code WINTERWONDERS is still running in my Etsy store where you will receive 10% discount on anything and everything too!

xxx

Discount....

2011-11-20T20:27:00.005Z

More posts coming soon, but for now here is a discount code!

Enter the code WINTERWONDERS at the checkout to receive 10% off in my Etsy store

~ perfect for Christmas cards and gifts! ~

Stacie Swift @ ACHICA.com

2011-11-10T23:37:00.008Z

Exciting news!

The 'luxury lifestyle store' www.ACHICA.com will be selling my work as part of a special promotion this weekend alongside gorgeous screenprints by Little House .

Only available from this Sunday to Wednesday 16th October my illustrated prints will be on sale in a great event 'Art For Little Ones'.

Here is what the website has to say:

'Little House has been created as a kid’s interior range of hand-pulled screenprints. Artist Cheryl Sykes previously worked in the fashion industry as a print designer before becoming a mother of two... and so Little House was born. Stacie Swift is an artist who produces brightly coloured and intricate images and she is a fantastically gifted illustrator. We have brought the work of both artists together in this special promotion with your little ones in mind. Great nursery and playroom gifts for Christmas from ACHICA with love.

The Art For Little Ones promotion at ACHICA starts at 7am Sunday 13th November and ends at 7am Wednesday 16th October.'

A brilliant opportunity to get your hands on original artwork at amazing prices and a very exciting chance for me tointroduce my work to new customers! Yay!

I'll let you know how it goes!

Pretty Portraits

2011-11-08T20:53:00.007Z

As a little something special for Christmas I have started to make personalised, commissioned portraits that are now available in my shop for the BARGAIN price of £25.

Commission will be for an A4 image of one or two people and can be of anyone or any couple you love! If there is anything else you may want - if you want a picture of lots of people, your whole family or even your beloved pets that can be arranged too!

Please just contact me by email or through my Etsy shop if you have any special requests...anything is possible!

Here is a little reminder of some pet portraits that are also available in my store. These have been reduced from £38 to £25 so your furry friends won't be left out!!

Reindeers and Robins

2011-11-07T20:31:00.007Z

Though Christmas isn't quite here yet it is lurking just around the corner and so I have been well prepared this year and got these little reindeers and robins ready for the festive season.

These little greetings cards are available in packs of 2 or packs of 6 in my Etsy shop now!

Hope you like these Christmassy critters! x

Smug Pop Up Print Shop

2011-11-06T23:38:00.012Z

The Smug Pop Up Shop private view was on the 26th October and as always where Smug is involved, it was FABULOUS. Like a treasure trove in the upstairs of the Smug shop, Lizzie has amassed a fabulous selection of prints with prices ranging from £6 - £85.

There have been some great reviews so far including this one by Wrap Magazine and also this by My Daily.

Stocked artists include Holly Exley, Harriet Gray and Donna Wilson...and as you can see from the photos includes a selection of my prints (including the exclusive owl prints for Smug!) and my cards too. The shop is open until January so make sure you get down to Camden Passage for a peek! Perfect for Christmas Presents!!

“And will you succeed? Yes indeed, yes indeed! Ninety-eight and three-quarters percent guaranteed!”

2011-10-27T18:24:00.007+01:00

“And will you succeed?

Yes indeed, yes indeed!

Ninety-eight and three-quarters percent guaranteed!”

Sometimes I think we all need reminding that success is within our reach - particularly as a fledgling freelance illustrator it is worth remembering that it is all possible! Today more than most has been one of those days where I needed to remind myself of my successes as I found out I didn't get an illustration job that I wanted a ridiculous amount.

A few weeks ago I received the most exciting email ever from the book publisher Harper Collins. One of the Senior Editors had seen my work online and was keen for me to send samples over for a book that is being published about dogs. The brief was to create a series of black and white line drawings of different breeds of dogs to accompany a guide on dog training. Here are my samples: In the end althought the editor really liked my work the author would like to go in a slightly different direction illustration wise ...and so the rejection email landed in my inbox. Gutted doesn't quite cover how I felt (feel!) about it.

The good news is that I am being kept in mind for future projects and am reassured that there is a market out there for my illustration. Just got to keep sticking to it!! And I guess that this really is the life of a freelance illustrator, there's going to be the downs as well as the ups so I am picking myself up, dusting down my pens and am onto the next project.

I'd be interested to hear if you've experienced something similar and what you do about the 'no thank yous'?

As ever , it isn't all bad news and I do have some more exciting things to tell you about so will share some happier posts (including details of the Smug Pop Up Print Shop Private View!) over the weekend.

Chin up chickens!

Terrifying Tote...

2011-10-24T22:08:00.004+01:00

Well, not quite terrifying! The wonderful Ballad Of... are holding an event for their next magazine and the party is due to be a particularly ghoulish affair if their tweets and facebook updates are to be believed! The ladies were in a bit of a pickle being 10 totes short for their goody bags and so asked for illustrators to provide a one off halloween tote to make up the numbers.
Luckily I got in touch fast enough to be included in the 10 and this is the bag I have drawn specially for Ballad Of...

With horror and greusomeness not really being my forte I had to have a long hard think about what to do... the answer came to me in the guise of Mexican sugar skulls. And ta da! Here is my sugar skull kitty drawn directly onto the bag using permanent markers. He shall be posted off to Ballad HQ in the morning!

Fashion Illustration - Amelia's Magazine

2011-10-19T15:47:00.004+01:00

SS12

AW11

While I have been at home full of germs and feeling sorry for myself I took the opportunity to illustrate an article for Amelia Magazine's Q&A with designer Martina Spetlova.

I don't often work on fashion illustration, despite doing my art foundation at London College of Fashion, so it was good fun to get back into it and work on these drawings of Martina's quirky AW11 and SS12 collections.

Read the full article here!

A few things...

2011-10-16T18:11:00.011+01:00

It's been a while since my last post so thought I would give you a little update on some things that have been going on...

Today I took my cold and germs to Smug to deliver these prints and cards. The prints are going to be part of Lizzie's Pop Up Print Shop. As you will know the Owl prints are now exclusive to Smug and I am really happy with how my newest prints sit together in a little group.

As you can see I dropped off lots of owl greeting cards too, it seems they have been very popular!

Last weekend I popped into a local charity shop and picked up two lovely illustrated children's books. I do love a nice book and these I couldn't resist!

The first was the classic story 'The Tiger Who Came To Tea'. I love this book, it reminds me of being little and the gorgeous illustrations of the bright orange tiger are so full of personality. Best of all it was only 50p!

Another bargain was this story book for 40p, published in 1980 it's a collection of short animal stories. Some of the illustrations are brilliant! I particularly loved these little animals illustrated by Gustav Tenggren...

The last pic here is a bit of a random one - I thought you might like to see this little gift my lovely boyfriend brought back from his recent trip to Australia that now lives on my desk. This little red head lady is a mini me, I am tempted to get a fringe now too :)

Am hoping I will have some news to tell you soon... waiting to hear back from some potential clients so will keep you updated - in the meantime I will be keeping my fingers crossed!

Exclusive!

2011-10-02T19:41:00.003+01:00

The last couple of weeks have been full of excitement and opportunities for me. Some I can tell you about and some I can't! However, one very important bit of news centres around my little owl print...

I will be taking part in a fabulous Pop Up Print Shop at the brilliant Smug. The Pop Up Shop will be open from the 29th October til January and will include this handsome group of owls which will now be EXCLUSIVE to Smug - The owls will be leaving my Etsy store tomorrow and will only be available to buy from lovely Lizzie in Camden Passage so if you aren't local to Angel go go go and order tonight!

In other news I have 2 new prints available in my shop for Autumn. This happy group of hoppy bunnies and a little family of squirrels. As always these can be found in my shop!

Fingers crossed I can share more good news with you soon... x

New Cards!!

2011-09-29T21:41:00.005+01:00

Brand spanking new in my Etsy shop are the Owl Card and Circus Strong Mouse Card, why not take a look here!

Ballad Of - Feature

2011-09-22T21:30:00.001+01:00

Anyone who has been on my blog before will know how much I love Ballad Of magazine. Not just a fabulous magazine but also a super lovely website too, take a look at a little feature they written about me here.

Love love love it! Thank you ladies xxx

Winners!

2011-09-14T20:43:00.007+01:00

GIVEAWAY WINNERS

This evening I popped all the names of those who commented on my facebook page as part of my giveaway into this teacup and chose a name at random...

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The winner picked from the cup was...

Harriet Gray

Who wins lots of illustrated goodies!

I also chose a runner up who will get a little surprise...

Anna Jane Searle

Thank you to everyone who entered!

xxx

Pat a Cake, Pat a Cake...

2011-09-13T21:01:00.005+01:00

A personal commission I have been working on for a lovely lady I began speaking to thanks to a competition I held earlier in the year.

This portrait is a gift for her friend who loves to bake and has a food blog. Based on the 'If I wasn't an Illustrator I would be a Baker' illo I created a while ago I'm pleased with how this has turned out. Plus it's been a great excuse to watch more of the Great British Bake Off!

Help! A House For Hippo

2011-09-09T22:14:00.003+01:00

Hello! This blog seems to have completely been hijacked by my four legged grey friend! Sorry for those of you who aren't cat fans - I promise you some variation soon :)

In the meantime cat lovers I am asking for your help! As you will know from reading this page little Hippo cat has no official owner and is to all intents and purposes a semi-stray.
We love to look after him and when we get in from work and whenever we are at home he is with us all the time.
I am starting to worry about what will become of him during the day while I am at work or when we aren't home now the weather is getting cold and miserable...

The answer I have decided is to buy him an outdoor cat house. Somewhere he can stay warm and dry til I am back at his beck and call each evening!
These things, unfortunately, don't come cheap... And so I ask you for some help!

I have set up a discount code HippoHome on my Etsy shop. Any orders made using this code will receive 15% discount on their order AND receive a free gift.
The money that comes through from any HippoHome orders will go toward buying Hippo his winter residence. Hopefully some of you will be able to help!

And also, don't forget my giveaway - just 'like' my facebook page and leave a comment for the chance to win some goodies.

Happy weekend to you all x

Fun and a Fair!

2011-09-06T21:24:00.004+01:00

This Sunday, 11th September I will be at the Book-ish fair as part of the E17 Art Trail in Walthamstow.
I am helping out one of my tutors - Andrew Baker -with a stall selling editions of Meow Magazine as well as some of my own cards, prints and bits and bobs. There are to be a lot of great things happening on the day and a multitude of great designers there as well. As you can see above, the event is taking place at the Asian Centre in Walthamstow. For more info and a list of participants click here.

*GIVEAWAY*

In other news, to celebrate the start of Autumn and to cheer everyone up in this miserable weather I am also going to be doing the giveaway I mentioned earlier in the week (to those who follow me on twitter and facebook).

Hippo cat is kindly modelling the prizes above. One lucky winner will receive a Love You Mouse A4 print, a copy of Meow zine 'Costumes' edition, a Hello Bear greetings card, a Thank You Kingfisher greetings card, cat postcards and a loveheart hare badge. Unfortunately Hippo is not included ;)

To be in with a chance of winning all you need to do is make sure you are following me on my Stacie Swift Illustration facebook page and leave a comment on my wall or on a photo, anything you like!
A winner will be chosen at random on Monday 12th September.

Good luck xxx

How Bazaar! Illustration Auction

2011-08-28T18:27:00.013+01:00

At the start of this year I was contacted by Jessica Stokes asking if I'd be able to donate an illustration to the How Bazaar! fair raising funds for Leukaemia and Lyphoma Research. The event was organised to support 'The Large Ride Down' - a team of fundraisers cycling from John O'Groats to Lands End - with artwork being sold in an illustration auction. Jessica has managed to send through some photos so here they are!

The fair and auction took place on May 14th in Lincoln raised £900 in total. I donated my Circus and Love You Mouse prints.

Illustrations by Me & Thomas Saunders

Illustration by Emma Cowley

Illustrations by Jon Burgerman

Illustration by Gemma Correll

Illustration by Abby Wright

Sounds as though everything was a great success - thank you Jess for asking me to take part!

Look what the cat dragged in...

2011-08-26T20:55:00.007+01:00

After drawing Hippo a week or so ago I decided to draw another of the local felines, this time a big fat ginger cat that we sometimes see swanning about at the end of the road.
This little fatty has been nicknamed Marmaduke (unlike Hippo he has a real family). Marmaduke's print is now available in my etsy shop if you fancy a little ginge of your own.

I didn't stop there though. These two little charmers have now been turned into postcards. Printed on high quality watercolour paper these are a very cute little set - these work just as well as mini prints too! Hope you like them! They are also available now in my shop for the bargian price of £5.00...

If you do have a little browse over this bank holiday weekend I have a little treat in store. Running for the rest of the week is a Bank Holiday FUNDAY (see what I did there!) discount code. Enter FUNDAY at the checkout for a 15 percent discount. Please tell your friends and family, all sales are appreciated :)

Finally, some of you will remember my appeal for submissions for an art auction in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support. For those of you who put your names forward this hasn't been forgotten, just had lots to sort out before I could dedicate time to this properly. Information will be coming your way soon.

Hope everyone has a lovely start to the long weekend. Happy Friday! x

Pussy Cat, Pussy Cat, I Love You...

2011-08-14T16:04:00.008+01:00

Some of you may have already heard about the cat who has adopted us. This is him above.

We recently moved to a new house and on moving day found this gorgeous grey kitty sitting outside our door. He kept coming back and was a bit of permanent fixture around our little row of houses (more so when I started buying cat food!). After some investigating, our new neighbours told us he has no owner and essentially just belongs to the street.

We also found out the hard way that being an outdoor cat means he has a very wild streak and ended up with a fair few scratches and bites trying to become his friend!

After much perseverance and more than a few cat nip treats he and I are now best buddies. My boyfriend named him Hippo on account of him being big and grey and now every morning and evening he comes by for cuddles and food. Hippo is happy spending the day curled up on the carpet asleep or trying to climb into my cupboards to find more food... I am completely in love with him. He spends so much time coming to see us I think we are his new mummy and daddy. I've even had to stop him following me to work a few times.

...Which explains this little drawing of us having one of our cuddles (carefully, he still has his mad moments!). I think my neighbours must think I am the crazy cat lady! Every day I have full blown conversations with my Hippo cat and have been known to answer his meowing calls at midnight by getting out of bed to provide snuggles and snacks.

Obviously it was only going ot be a matter of time before he made an appearance in my work of course! This grey cat is in honour of little Hippo looking handsome and majestic in the foliage.

Now available in my shop, take a peek if you fancy a little Hippo of your own! xx

New For You

2011-08-07T18:37:00.004+01:00

New work! As promised here are some new prints now available in my Etsy shop - hope you like them!

D&AD Talent

2011-08-05T20:59:00.004+01:00

As I mentioned I was lucky enough to have been chosen as D&AD Talent following the New Blood shows.

I was put forward by my tutor to have a portfolio review with representatives from Jelly London and later found out they had selected my portfolio as a particularly strong body of work and therefore able to create a D&AD Talent Profile.

Exciting stuff!! You can see my profile on the D&AD website here.

Financial Times Cult Shop - SMUG

2011-07-28T19:23:00.004+01:00

Two blog posts in one day, I am really spoiling you ;)

Have just seen the online version of the Financial Times feature on SMUG and wanted to share it with you.

In case you missed the last post on this, SMUG was featured as the Cult Shop in the FT How To Spend It Magazine. Amazing. Even more amazing is the wonderful Lizzie mentioned my cards in her interview and so my little name was in there too! Take a look HERE for the full article and a rather lovely photo of the lady herself.

While I am on the subject of SMUG, I realised I hadn't shown you this little guy!

A special, one off card design for SMUG's second birthday celebrations. This little guy was designed specially and is exclusive to the boutique. Check out www.ifeelsmug.com - you will find him gracing their front page having taken over from his little mice counterparts. There are lots of other exclusive goodies to tempt you on the website too!

New Job * New Stockist * New Feature

2011-07-28T13:24:00.008+01:00

Sorry to have been away so long - I still have no proper internet connection in my house. Argh. It should be coming soon though so I can get back to normality. I have also been spending a huge amount of time finding a job. Luckily I have found something and as from Monday will be a full time PA/Administrator for the IT director of a very nice travel company. Though it'd be lovely to be able to stay at home illustrating all day I have bills to pay and so I shall have to be a proper worker again! Hopefully I can still get lots of drawings completed in my spare time.

Anyhow, other things have been happening too. One of these things is that I have now graduated! I had such a great time at my graduation and loved all the pomp and ceremony that comes with graduation day. Here's me in my hat:

In other news I also have a new stockist! The great website EAST END PRINTS now carries a range of my work available in various sizes and designs. I'm really pleased to be a part of this, my work is being sold alongside some really lovely images and I am happy to be selling artwork directed toward kids. Find my work on the website here.

Lastly, I have had a lovely feature on the Italian website kidsroomzoom. Here they have shown my artwork from my children's book 'Mousie's Special Book of Seasonal Eating'. There is also a very sweet section called How Old R U containing interviews with featured artists, the twist is that all questions must be answered by your five year old self. Mine is here alongside a lovely picture of a young me in some fetching spotted shorts. Take a look!

Hopefully I will have new things to post soon! xx

Hello Strangers!

2011-07-06T13:08:00.005+01:00

Hello again! It has been a while since my last post as I have been moving in to my house and the internet is yet to arrive.

Finally my studio is set up and I feel so excited having a proper work space again after what seems a lifetime!
I have managed to get a little bit of work done and redrawn and coloured some old images as I wanted to add them to my portfolio. These are from a children's book I was working on:

In other news, last week I went to the D&AD New Blood exhibition in Brick Lane as I had been chosen to meet with some people from the industry for a portfolio review. I got to meet three members of the team from Jelly London and had a great chat about my work and got some really good feedback which was lovely! My 'Mousie's Special Book of Seasonal Eating' dummy book was also due to be at the show but somehow my tutors lost it and so it never made it to the show. Disappointing stuff! My tutor was really apologetic about it and to be honest with moving house I had so much to worry about anyway that I just let it go, seems some things are not meant to be :(

In other news today is an exciting day, I have a meeting with a publisher and am also going to SMUG's 2nd birthday celebrations in Islington this evening. Shall update you with tonight's events soon!

New Home

2011-06-29T20:55:00.003+01:00

I am properly moving into my new house tomorrow -YAY- and so will not be able to post until the internet is up and running there (unless I can find a dongle!).

It's been a bit of a busy week this week with tons of organising and list making which hasn't left much time for blogging, sorry.... It takes a lot of time sorting out what to buy and what to pack and what to panic about!

I have squeezed in some calls and emails (in amongst house stuff) trying to drum up some illustration work and commissions. A couple of exciting conversations have taken place, so fingers crossed there will be some good things in the pipeline and hopefully will get some good news to share with you all soon!

xx

Party Time!

2011-06-24T19:34:00.009+01:00

The cheeky monkeys are unveiled! New in my shop today are these little birthday invites. Along with the monkeys is this little fox, ready to party with his giant cake :)

Each design comes as a set of 5 with matching coloured envelopes. If you have any kids parties coming up then these could be a great buy - remember there is 15% discount in my shop until Sunday using code CIRCUS11!!

This weekend is a busy weekend with moving house (step 1 of 3!) and lots of things on my to do list so hopefully I will still find a spare few minutes to post on here between the chaos! It is a bit of a nightmare having all my life packed away but I am happy in the knowledge that this time next week I will be officially living in my new little house in Luton, can't wait!

Animal Band & other stuff....

2011-06-23T17:31:00.008+01:00

An animal band of creatures makes up this new print for my Etsy shop. Mr Fox enjoys singing along with his friends!

I am really enjoying having more time to spend on personal work now that Uni is over. And I have a few things in the pipeline that hopefully will lead to more work or at some more prints and cards being sold. Fingers crossed on those, I will update you as soon as I can!

In the meantime I am working hard trying to produce new illustrations each day, I am scared to fall out of the habit. Plus, as I don't have a 'proper' job at the moment it seems a waste of a day to not fit some drawing and chasing new work into the day.

Lots has been keeping me busy though, we are moving house over the next week so this time next week I will be fully installed in my new home. The best part of this is I will have a proper studio, after years of being squished into various corners it will be lovely to have a whole room dedicated to working!

Anyway, to celebrate the new work I have been able to produce there is a discount available in my shop for a short time only! This discount was exclusive to those who received my newsletter for the last two days....please sign up to receive the next one by adding your name to the mailing list on my website - http://www.stacieswift.com/.... but is now available to all! Enter the code CIRCUS11 at the checkout to grab yourself a bargain.
All sales much appreciated now it's out into the big wide world with a new house to pay for so please do buy a little something or forward on to your friends!!!

Cheeky Monkey - Sneak Peek

2011-06-22T17:15:00.001+01:00

Here's a little sneak peek of something I have been working on today :) I shall be able to tell you what he is for in the next day or so...

Wedding Gift

2011-06-22T10:20:00.006+01:00

You may remember a while ago I was commissioned by a friend of mine to design a motif for her wedding invitations (here's the original post).

The wedding was this weekend (it was beautiful, the bride looked stunning) however as a poor student I was not able to splash the cash on a wedding gift and thought it may be nice to give them something to commemorate their special day in a unique way.

Using the invitation design as a base I redrew the entire image and recoloured each flower in white. Then, I added the happy couple's names in the same script used to make the original monogram and the details of the day. They are off on their honeymoon at the moment but I am keeping my fingers crossed that they like it.

Here's a pic of me and my college friends on Zerin's special day...

The Circus Has Come To Town!

2011-06-21T12:27:00.005+01:00

The circus has well and truly arrived with my new series of A4 prints. A brightly coloured selection of dazzling circus performers that will make excellent gifts or a nice little treat for yourself to bring a bit of colour to your walls!

And, to be honest, the strongest mouse in the world is probably a fantastic addition to any home :)

These are all for sale in my Etsy shop, take a look!

'If I Was You'

2011-06-20T21:44:00.004+01:00

'If I Was You' is an online project set up by the fabulous illustrator, Sandra Dieckmann (if you don't know her work already, take a look).

The premise of the site is to build an ongoing series of illustrations and stories by creating a response to the previously featured artist by answering the question 'If I was you, I...'

My turn came after that of Michelle Price who had some great stories to tell of her sister wearing a bell so she didn't get lost when they were children and who, as an adult, has a bit of a thing for moustaches :)

Here is my submission:

'If I were Michelle I would have a midsummer moustache party with everyone wearing bells to provide the music'

You can see my image and lots of other great ones online here.

Anything can happen....

2011-06-20T09:30:00.003+01:00

I came across this just now and thought it summed up the feelings I have toward life and work at the moment and echoes the sentiments my Mum has always expressed. You can be anything you want if you work hard enough!

LISTEN TO THE MUSTN'TS - SHEL SILVERSTEIN

Listen to the MUSTN'TS, child,
Listen to the DON'TS

Listen to the SHOULDN'TS

The IMPOSSIBLES, the WON'TS
Listen to the NEVER HAVES
Then listen close to me -

Anything can happen, child,

ANYTHING can be.

On that note, lots of drawing to be done today! Shall have some work to post later hopefully :) x

A few things

2011-06-17T16:43:00.005+01:00

I seem to have a million things that I have to get done following the end of my degree, it's great finally having time to complete the many tasks I need to get finished. I am overflowing with ideas and to do lists and am pretty excited to get it all done. I wonder if everyone is feeling the same now that the structure and demands of uni have ended?

Anyhow, amongst other things one of the most important things on my list was to give my website a bit of a sort out and to make viewing my images a lot clearer and a lot of the contact information and potential stockist info a lot more readable. Hopefully I achieved it! Do let me know what you think www.stacieswift.com. The horse above has had a bit of a colour change to fit the new theme and colour scheme.

Other than website stuff I realised there were a couple of things I hadn't shared on here yet.
These illustrations are commissions for two lovely French ladies. The first sent me a great picture of her cat, Pucca, to illustrate. I came up with this pet portrait for her.

The other lady really liked the bunny rabbit girls gift illustration available in my shop but wanted an angel instead, to keep it quite childlike I decided a little girl angel would fit well. This was the final image for her daughter Shauna.

I still have a million and one things that need to be done but I will be sure to keep updating as I go.
Now I have time to work on some new drawings do let me know if there are any themes you think would fit well in my shop, I'll add them to my lists!

Ballad Of Lola Bacon

2011-06-16T19:52:00.006+01:00

I finally got my hands on the FABULOUS Ballad Of Lola Bacon, the pets issue of Ballad Of magazine.

This issue is sold out online and almost everywhere it is stocked but I managed to find a copy by Brick Lane; I hadn't managed to purchase the last few issues but with my work in print this was an issue I was determined to have and it was completely worth it.

A complete beauty of a magazine, the Ballad Of girls do such an amazing job. I saved reading mine for my Eurostar to Paris at 5am last week, it was a great way to start my break. Aside from a whole load of illustration the fashion stories and styling are absolutely stunning.

If you haven't got a copy GO BUY IT NOW! There should still be a few copies in stock at Selfridges and the Tate if you're lucky!!

This is my submission, so exciting to see it in print. You can never have too many sausage dogs and I don't think I will ever tire of seeing my drawings in a real life magazine!

This image is also available as an A4 print in my shop, take a look to give these little dogs a good home :)

In the issue I also illustrated some rosettes for a fashion feature, the girls needed something black and white and a bit sketchy so was exciting to see how they'd used them.

Also in the magazine is fellow illustrator and recent graduate from Middlesex Uni, Emma Block with her cute dog collage.

And the very lovely Alice Potter, who I met at a craft fair earlier in the year, with some great patterned totem style portraits.

Really worth the money however if you can't find your own Lola Bacon definitely give the Ballad Of website a visit instead.

Degree Show & FMP

2011-06-16T10:45:00.020+01:00

And so it's all over!

Degree show has been and gone. After weeks of stress, a few tearful episodes and a couple of fun evenings swanning about the Truman Brewery it has all come to an end.

So, here are a few pics of my final project and my degree show stand! Please excuse the poor photo quality, I definitely need to invest in a better camera!

All of the seaside imagery I have been posting up in the last few weeks turned into this, my seaside themed final major project.

The final piece was a large 3d structure, like a giant artist book. The sea huts make up a box in which are three giant pieces of folded paper, each one slightly larger than the other - the seagull pattern fits together so at first glance it appears to make up one image.

When you unfold the pieces of paper the interior displays three seaside themes...

The first is this seaside scene depicting the chaos of the British seaside and a few little funny images thrown in for good measure! Each of these images measures approx 60cm in width so they were big undertakings!

The second image opens out to the carousel I posted before, each horse is named with a different seaside town.

The very final image is huge! It is over a metre in length and opens out into a giant puppet theatre in the style of the traditional Punch and Judy shows.
The white window has directions to cut out and so the image is fully workable.

Of course, it wouldn't be functional if there were no puppets and so as part of the set I made two modern day Punch and Judy style hand puppets to complete the show!
Painstaking as these were to make I was really pleased with them in the end - these photos are of the pair taking pride of place at my stand at the degree show.

And finally, here is the show! I was so pleased with it in the end. One of the great things about the course at Middlesex is that each of us developed our own style and had a show that was an excellent representation of our personal working methods. Alongside my FMP I had my playing cards and children's book on display as well as a whole host of work in my portfolio.

Overall the weekend was great, the show was excellent fun and it was lovely to actually spend time with my fellow students after weeks of us all working too hard to have any kind of interaction with the world.

Another positive at the end of the show was that I was completely unexpectedly awarded a certificatre and prize for 'Outstanding Studentship and Tireless Enthusiasm' by my tutors and Head of Art and Design in recognition of my efforts in supporting the year group and for fundraising.
The best part of this is that I win another year of access to the uni facilities for free which of course means a few extra possibilities for my work in the coming year!

Now I'm looking forward to making the most of what I have learned and biting the bullet in developing my illustration career :)

Ballad Of Lola Bacon.....Sausages

2011-06-06T15:40:00.004+01:00

This was my submission to Ballad Of Lola Bacon, the pets issue of Ballad Of.

I was lucky enought to have received the email confirming my work got in the magazine but have yet to lay my hands on a copy! If anyone has one that they could photograph for me I'd be amazingly grateful, will have to get on the case hunting down the last remaining issues once I get back from my long awaited trip to Paris this week.

Carousel Horses

2011-05-30T22:42:00.003+01:00

This image was made as part of my Final Major Project. For a limited time it is now available to buy in my shop as an A3 print.

I love carousels and had a lot of fun making this image; anything beautiful, nostalgic and childlike is bound to capture my imagination! Plus, I think there is something quite romantic and magical about these rides.

The colourful little horses in this print are also all named after UK seaside towns so there's a little bit of reality thrown in for good measure!

Do take a peek in my shop - www.etsy.com/shop/stacieswift - to have a nose at what is new. A couple of things have been added recently.

I scream, You scream, We all scream for Ice Cream!

2011-05-28T21:24:00.006+01:00

Recoloured ice cream van, part of the tweaks being made to my final major project...

Illustrated Quilt: Part 2

2011-05-28T17:13:00.003+01:00

A reinvention of my illustrated quilt. The original project has seen better days after a few months of being carted around from uni and back and from moving house. As I couldn't show the original at my (soon-to-be-happening) degree show this is how I have transformed the images I used so that they will happily fit in to an A2 portfolio.
I am really pleased with this outcome!

Call For Submissions - Macmillan Cancer Support Fundraiser

2011-05-17T22:54:00.003+01:00

This is probably one of the more important projects I ever decided to complete and one that means the most to me.

After thinking about it for a while I have decided to bite the bullet and raise some money for Macmillan, an amazing charity who do a wonderful job helping people affected by cancer.

To be honest, I think most people have been affected by cancer in one way or another but it is only when it became my everyday life that I really appreciated the brilliant job this organisation and the NHS cancer nurses are able to do.

Last March my boyfriend was diagnosed with cancer and following various operations and greulling chemotherapy, was able to come through the other side and be given the all clear at the end of the year. I wouldn't wish those few months of our lives on my worst enemy, it's a horrible horrible thing to live through. My boyfriend's Macmillan nurse, Wendy, was amazing and it seems fitting to help those who are in a similar position to ours by raising money for such a worthwhile cause.

SO.... THE PLAN!

A simple online auction seems a great way for illustrators, artists and designers to come together and is an idea I saw come to life in the appeal for funds for Japan.

Participants will need to donate a piece of artwork by post for me to upload and sell on their behalf.
I will arrange the auction and send all sold pieces to the buyers.

Every penny made goes to Macmillan :)

To register your interest in participating - and for me to send further details - please send an email titled MACMILLAN to stacieswift@hotmail.com

For more information on Macmillan please visit www.macmillan.org.uk

Tell your friends!!

xxx

Head, Hand, Mouth and Nose

2011-05-15T17:48:00.003+01:00

Another aspect of my FMP.... these bits and bobs will hopefully take shape as puppets in the next 24 hours!

Children's Book Illustration

2011-05-15T10:53:00.006+01:00

Here is the final artwork for the children's recipe book I was working on to enter into the Macmillan book illustration competition.
Though (as far as I know) my entry was unsuccessful, it was good fun planning, writing and illustrating a book for kids.... now that I have the dummy book and spreads I may see whether other publishers may be interested.

Seagulls Seagulls Seagulls - Pattern

2011-05-13T21:49:00.005+01:00

Yay! Blogger is back!!
Here is a seagull repeat pattern that I will use again for my final major project, this will work on the reverse of the images I have posted up already...

I am really enjoying the seaside theme, a bit more to do and hopefully I will be finished :D

Seagull Motif

2011-05-11T18:42:00.002+01:00

Another peek at part of my final major project, this time a little seagull motif. I will give you a full view soon!

Seaside

2011-05-11T12:11:00.003+01:00

Another detail from my final major project, this is part of a large seaside scene....

Slowly but surely getting there!!

Carousel

2011-05-09T22:11:00.002+01:00

My final major project has been a bit chaotic. I've had commissions that have taken my attention away from the task and got a bit lost with my ideas...
Anyhow, after a meeting with my tutor my final idea changed and developed a week or so ago (it's due in a week today!!!)

The project now is to build on my artist's book idea; to create a large, interactive and more adventurous version of the Seaside themed book I had started working on.

Above is a small part of one of the images I am working on for this... Think I may have to forgo sleep for a couple of days to get this done in time for next Monday!

Commissioned Portraits - Pets & People

2011-05-02T17:04:00.007+01:00

Following on from my last post here are some more of the commissions I have been working on. The Yorkshire Terrier illustration needed some editing as the original photograph I was working from did not show 'Drop' in his best light so he needed to be re-drawn!
Here is another pet illustration and also a portrait of a lady's nephew, she is going to give this as a gift to her sister :)

Tomorrow the final major project work must continue but for now I am really enjoying working on these little commissioned projects.

Pet Portrait - Yorkshire Terriers

2011-05-01T23:25:00.004+01:00

I have had a lot of commissions to work on recently due to the competition I blogged about last week. Here is a pet portrait I worked on of a lady's three gorgeous Yorkshire Terriers. I am loving working on lots of different projects at the moment, hopefully I will have more to post soon :)

Reviewing // Revisiting // Reworking

2011-04-25T13:28:00.009+01:00

I have started to rework some of the images for my children's book in order to get it up to scratch for entry to the Macmillan Children's Book Competition. This is a bit of sneak peek really as I won't post up the full artwork until I have (hopefully) submitted my entry.

Following my crit for the initial artwork for this my tutors decided I needed to work on my colour palette. I had gone full throttle with bright colour and strong contrast but in hindsight I agree that this needed to be changed. The book is based around food which makes colour choice pretty important and that bit more difficult; to make the spreads look reasonably realistic and appetising is a challenge. I have swapped the bolder colours for more neutral 'food' related colours and think this works a lot better. Lots more to do before the spreads and dummy are finished though!

I am really keen to get this project completed well and entered this year. I missed out last year as my boyfriend was extremely ill for a while and some projects, including Macmillan, had to fall by the wayside. Despite having to deal with a lot of tough stuff in the last year and having more bad news and hospital visits at the start of the Macmillan project this year, I have really tried to push through the down times to develop as an illustrator and to explore new avenues in which to promote and sell my work.

From the feedback I have received over the last few months I think children's illustration is an avenue I would love to explore further, particularly book illustration.

I have some exciting commissions to produce as a result of my competition all of which are in some way related to illustration for children and I have been in talks with a great gallery who are keen to stock some of my work to bolster their offering for kids. I love the fun and freedom that I can have with briefs such as these and will be working very hard on these as well as my FMP.

Hopefully I will have lots of new work to show soon and of course if anyone is interested in offering me more exciting projects let me know!

xxx

Competition ... Meet the Band!

2011-04-23T08:09:00.005+01:00

My lovely uncle, Steve Hart, is one third of the hugely succesful pop band Worlds Apart.

They've just undertaken a series of sell out concerts in France with more to come.

In conjunction with my discount offer (15% off in my shop using code SUNSHINE) Steve has offered an amazing opportunity to meet the band if you purchase this week!

One lucky winner will be selected from any purchases made between now and midnight next Friday and will be put in a draw to win the opportunity to meet Steve, Nathan and Cal at a concert on their tour this year.

www.etsy.com/shop/stacieswift

Good Luck!
xx

You are my sunshine

2011-04-22T17:38:00.005+01:00

Enter voucher code SUNSHINE to receive 15% off of any purchases in my Etsy shop this week.

A sunshiney Easter gift from me to you!
Have a lovely weekend.

www.etsy.com/shop/stacieswift

xxx

Lovely Lovely Stockists

2011-04-20T19:23:00.007+01:00

With the help of these little mice I have updated my website to include stockists of my cards and prints.

In case I didn't tell you, my work has now made it out of London and is on sale in my newest stockist, Paper Tiger, in one of my most favourite places in the world - Edinburgh. EXCITING STUFF!

Please take a little look at my website for all the details here - www.stacieswift.com

Don't Feed The Birds!

2011-04-18T14:58:00.003+01:00

A little sneak peek of what I am working on at the moment... Don't feed the birds!

Excellent News!

2011-04-06T17:49:00.006+01:00

Today has been a really great day, not only is the sun shining but I have a lot of good news to share! Firstly, my portrait of Christine for the Cat Hill book was selected to be published. I'm really pleased to have been chosen... not least because I don't often draw people. Secondly, today I confirmed a brand new stockist for my cards! A really lovely set of shops in Edinburgh is going to be placing an order. So excited to have my first stockist outside of London and especially one with such interesting stores and in one of my all time favourite places. I shall post more info for you once the details are confirmed. The third bit of good news for today is that I have another stockist in London. The small but perfectly formed E17 Arthouse in Walthamstow will now be selling a selection of my prints and cards. A stone's throw away from Walthamstow Central station this little gallery is definitely worth a visit, they stock lots of great illustrators and designers including Jane Foster and Catboy. I'm really excited for my work to be displayed alongside theirs. You can see a selection of my work on my website http://www.stacieswift.com/ and if you can't make it to any of these stockists then please do take a look at my shop! For now I am going to sit in the sun and enjoy a glass of wine, hope you are all having a good day too! xxx

New Prints

2011-04-06T00:27:00.002+01:00

Two new prints now available in my Etsy shop, 'Little Bird' and 'Hello Tiger'

See these and the rest of my work for sale here

New in my Shop....

2011-04-04T21:30:00.008+01:00

Some new things have been added to my shop...

Little bird notecards, set of four.

Quintessential England - UK Map

A4 size print of the UK, the body of England is comprised of iconic English symbols. The symbols were chosen by conducting a survey of lots of different people, this map is therefore an interesting and subjective view of England!

You can buy these and a lot more prints, cards and stationery from my shop CLICK HERE

xxx

Cat! - Cat Hill Project

2011-03-30T20:52:00.003+01:00

This is my second illustration to submit to the Cat Hill memory book (if you missed my earlier post and explanation click here).

Cat Hill campus has a resident cat who has full run of the buildings and grounds. One morning last year we came in to find him lurking on our desks in the illustration studio... My deskmate Gemma and I were pretty pleased to be paid a visit and I took some photos of him joining in the fun! Anyhow, these came in handy for this project and so I drew this up as a rough a couple of weeks ago and decided today was the day to bring him to life.

Fingers crossed one of my illustrations gets selected, competition is pretty fierce!

SMUG and Me

2011-03-28T15:33:00.007+01:00

I've told you all before about SMUG but thought it time for a reminder when the lovely owner, Lizzie, sent me this photo of my products in situ. As you can spot from the picture, the shop currently carries a selection of my cards and mini prints. One off designs for this super stockist are also in the pipeline so do keep your eyes peeled for that too.

I am still completely overexcited at the thought of my work in a proper shop and to see my cards and prints nestled into such a wonderful setting is brilliant :)

A real cornucopia of excellent product design SMUG is located in the interesting and eclectic Camden Passage, Islington. Lizzie designs, sources and runs the shop (and also works as a graphic designer!) so everything you'll find is hand chosen by her. It's a brilliant starting point for a Mother's Day present if you are still to find something original, affordable and interesting this year.

You can find the store just a stone's throw away from Angel tube station - here's a little map to help you...

And, as ever, if North London is out of your reach it is possible to find all these goodies online on the SMUG website.

I hope you love it as much as I do!

Artist Books - Research/Review

2011-03-23T13:55:00.026Z

For my Final Major Project I am going to produce a series of Artist's Books.

I thought it best to do some research on existing Artist's Books and so took the opportunity to visit our university 'Collections Room' where it is possible to access all kinds of treasures!

Here are a few I particularly like:

By This Time by Young - Ju Choi

This little book can be read front to back, it uses a small hole through all the pages and string to show the passage of a conversation over two countries and also two time zones.
I enjoyed the cleverness of this book and also the limited colour pallete which held the narrative and complemented the simple line drawings.

Little Museum by John Dilnott

I had seen this little book on the internet before I found it nestled in the Collections Room box, it's really lovely with each page containing a tiny photograph of hands holding a different object. The full list of objects is written on the last page, each one not obviously related to the other. It's really dinky and simple.

You Like Me - Marie Lind / Nina Beier

A very interesting concept, 'You Like Me' documents the scarily similar wardrobes of two women. Their matching outfits are highlighted on each page. I thought this was quite a fun and quirky idea, especially when I think of some of the similarities between my and my friends wardrobes over the years.

Deptfordia - John Bently

I particularly liked the double page format of this, two stories are able to run alongside each other.

Boy Met Girl - Mette-Sophie d ambeck

I loved how well presented and well thought out this book was. The envelope/case opened to reveal a small silver book and then each page displayed a cut out in a different shape. The final pages when layered on top of each other showed the shape of a little robot. The different coloured paper works really well, I really liked how simple and well made the idea is.

Homonculi - Jackie Batey

An odd little book, this takes the form of an old exercise book. The photos are all of mannequins (homonculus refers to the representation of a human being), unusual subject matter aside, I really liked the collaged and hand drawn aspects.

It was very interesting going through the massive box! I have a few more to post later. I think this was a great way to consider format and function, each of these works very well in these terms. Now to start thinking of how I'd like mine to look....

Portrait - Cat Hill Project

2011-03-20T21:38:00.003Z

Our campus - Cat Hill - at Middlesex University is to be demolished at the end of this term. The courses will all be moving to a new home in Hendon which seems a huge shame. Cat Hill is full of character and has housed the art courses for a long, long time.
As a tribute to the building there is to be a series of books by the different courses highlighting the various aspects of the place.
Illustration are also to create their own book and we have all been asked to work on submissions for it.

I chose to draw Christine, the lady who works at reception. I don't often draw people so it is always a challenge and am a little apprehensive to see how they turn out, was pretty pleased with this one.

I have another one or two images that I am working on for this so hopefully one will be picked for the final publication!

Etsy Deal of the Day!

2011-03-17T11:07:00.003Z

Grab yourself a bargain!

Any three of my greeting cards for a fabulous £7.00 (usually £2.75 each)

Cards can be bought from my shop here.

New Stockist! - MAIDEN, Shoreditch

2011-03-10T16:58:00.004Z

It has been an exciting week and today to add to the general joy I can tell you I have a brand spanking new stockist!

A selection of my greetings cards can now be found living in Shoreditch High Street in the treasure trove that is MAIDEN.

Make sure you take a visit if you are in the area, it's a great shop, full to the rafters with quirky and interesting products. And definitely let me know if you get the chance to see my cards in store & tell me your thoughts.

I think after all the good news I have been having I need the weekend to hurry up so I can celebrate with a glass of wine or two, for now though, back to work!!

Print and Pattern Feature

2011-03-10T08:13:00.010Z

To say I love the website Print and Pattern is a huge understatement. It is my homepage, I have the Print and Pattern book and I am generally a bit obsessed with the loveliness of it all. The writer, Bowie Style, always posts a great selection of current print and design work.

So, this morning I log on to my laptop, browse the page - and there is ME! I couldn't be happier. It's brilliant. I had no idea that my work was going to be up there today, or actually at all. A speculative email seems to have done the trick!

To see the full feature click here.

A great way to start the day!

Children's Book Illustration - Final Artwork 1

2011-03-09T21:46:00.003Z

One of the final pages....this may yet change as I come back to it but thought I'd share for now!

Mousie's guide to Spring food...

Wonder Hill High Market

2011-03-09T17:04:00.002Z

This Saturday I will be selling my cards and prints and some lovely mother's day gifty things at The Wonder Hill High Market at the Boogaloo in Highgate.

The market is open from 12pm - 5.30pm and is sure to be full of all kinds of delights - including a Pop Up Farmers Market, can't wait!

Do come along if you can - join the facebook event page for more info.

See you there!

xx

Packaging Re-Worked!

2011-03-09T10:37:00.007Z

I had a little rethink of the packaging for my Menagerie mini prints this morning. Originally I had held them together with a simple band of card keeping them in place.

This worked pretty well but didn't seem special enough, nor did it look particularly professional.

The other issue I had, particularly from the Of Cabbages... market on Sunday, was that people couldn't see the selection of prints in each set.

So, voila! Here is the new improved packaging for my Menagerie mini prints. Each set of four is now safely inside a cello pocket. There is a sheet of paper that shows all of the prints in each set, has product details and my website address on the back and then tucks around so that there can be info on the front too.

Really happy with this new outcome, they look much nicer and of course will be kept pristine.

These prints can be bought from my shop now!

Big Sister Postcards

2011-03-08T17:41:00.005Z

I need to send a gift for a recently born baby girl, the lucky baby has two older sisters so thought it would be nice to send something to them too! Here are two little postcards that will be going in the package along with a badge each and probably some sweets :)

Children's Book Illustration

2011-03-08T11:44:00.005Z

I am currently working on a children's book to hopefully enter to the Macmillan Children's Book competition.

Here's a little taster from page 1...

I will post some more of Mousie soon, artwork should be finished in the next couple of days, am loving being able to combine my favourite subjects - animals and food - hopefully this will be a success!

xxx

Of Cabbages and Kings Market and ME!

2011-03-06T18:29:00.008Z

Ta da!

These slightly shoddy pictures (thank you iPhone) show you what I did today with my little stall at the Of Cabbages and Kings Market...

It was actually a lovely day spent sitting, selling and socialising in Stoke Newington. It was a little bit quiet but footfall seemed to pick up a bit in the afternoon and a few of my cards and mini prints were given some lovely new homes.

The venue was great, the cafe area had so many delicious cakes and pastries for sale it was worth going just for those!

But in all it was a really friendly and fun event to participate in, a trip to the Of Cabbages... shop is definitely in order soon :)

I met some really lovely people there with some truly gorgeous products, sitting next to me today was Simply Vintage, be sure to check out these products - stunning vintage tea cups and dishes filled with candles, soaps on beautiful glass dishes, cake stands made from crockery... amazing! Best of all they were a complete bargain, I narrowly avoided coming home with a trolley full!

Another favourite was fellow illustrator and designer Seventy Tree (Kerry Layton) who had some really nice prints on sale, you should definitely take a look at the website.

A fabulous way to spend a Sunday!

Though DON'T PANIC if you missed out today, just take a little wander over to my shop where all my sparkly new products are waiting for you to snap them up!!

xxx

Of Cabbages & Kings Market

2011-03-05T21:09:00.004Z

Tomorrow I will be selling my wares at the Of Cabbages & Kings craft market. Check out their website.

I will have lots of stuff to sell, take a peek at my shop for a taster, I am getting very excited about it.

Here's the details...

Market is open 11am - 5pm.

Location is:

Abney Public Hall
73a Church Street
Stoke Newington
London
N16 0AS

It sounds as thought it'll be a great day, please do come along if you can!

xx

LOOK! New things!!

2011-03-05T20:46:00.013Z

Exciting new things!

Here are some of my newer things, the top images show a new development for my Menagerie drawings. I have made mini prints in sets of four ideal for framing, giving away as gifts, sending as postcards etc!

The images below show my brand spanking new cards. Lots more variety added to the range, am really happy with these.
Be sure to check these out in my shop here > > > http://www.etsy.com/shop/stacieswift

Wedding Invitation Commission

2011-03-02T21:02:00.012Z

A while ago my gorgeous friend Zerin commissioned me to design her wedding invitations.

After much discussion and many hours sat at my desk this was what I came up with:

Today I came home to find the finished product had arrived - so exciting!

The floral pattern and monogram details have been separated and embossed in silver across the envelope.

And these two images above show how the design has been transferred to the real deal! It looks lovely, the silver embossing (which wasn't really showing up using my camera) is a gorgeous transition from my black and white pen drawing. Zerin has done a wonderful job in developing the drawing into something truly beautiful.

Finally the inner cards and envelope also bear the bride and groom's personalised monogram, I am pleased that this works in holding the different aspects of the invitation together in an interesting but personal way.

This was a project I really enjoyed that was definitely worth the hard work! I feel very lucky to have played a small part in the preparation of their wedding day and can't wait for the big event to take place!!

NEW WEBSITE!

2011-02-25T20:57:00.007Z

I HAVE A NEW WEBSITE!!!!

Visit it here

www.stacieswift.com

xxx

Ballad Of... and my Menagerie

2011-02-21T18:44:00.007Z

If you read my previous post you will know that my 'Menagerie' exhibition at Bacchus was visited by the gorgeous girls and boy from Ballad Of... magazine. They've written all about coming along to see me for a visit on the fab Ballad Of... site.

Be sure to take a look, the girls are also documenting the AMAZING things they have been getting up to this London Fashion Week and have some great pics and stories to tell!

Drinks and Drawings! 'Menagerie' show at Bacchus

2011-02-19T18:25:00.013Z

Last night was the night of drinks I organised to launch my work being displayed at Bacchus, Hoxton.

My lovely boyfriend had done a wonderful job in getting the frames on the walls and making sure we were good to go. I was really pleased with how the work looked once the place was filled and the show was on!

Bacchus is a great venue - do go if you've not been already - really nice atmosphere and great food and drink too!

Here are some of the photos I took of some of the work I have on display.

I had lots of great feedback from people that came. Was really pleased to see the fabulous Ballad Of... team (that's me in the middle of the girls below) and to meet Ali from Burst Magazine too. My family and friends came along as well and all in all I had a fabulous, fun and wine filled evening!

I left some postcards with my details at the venue for anyone interested in contacting me about this or any other work. If anyone would like to purchase any of the images on display then email me at stacieswift@hotmail.com, unframed prints are £25 and framed are £35.

Hope you get a chance to visit if you couldn't make it last night, work will be displayed for one month, and a massive thanks to Bacchus and all the amazing people who turned up yesterday for making it a lovely night.

(An aside - the last two pics in this post I borrowed from Ballad Of... lovely Claire Murray)

Illustrated Portrait - A Present for Mummy Swift

2011-02-17T16:19:00.006Z

It was my lovely Mum's birthday on Valentine's day. As part of her present I decided to illustrate her a picture of me, my brother and sister. We don't really have many pictures of us all together now that we are older and doing different things and my Mum is my biggest supporter so thought it'd be nice to make this for her to keep.

I am pleased with the likeness and my Mum was really happy with it so I was really pleased with its success!

If you would like me to illustrate portraits of you or your family and friends please do get in touch - stacieswift@hotmail.com - I'd love to do more!

Secret Valentine

2011-02-17T14:43:00.007Z

The lovely Alicia Rose (@iamaliciarose) set up a Secret Valentine event through Twitter.

I was fortunate enough to receive some gorgeous goodies from illustrator Louise Wright (@louillustrator)

My Valentine's haul included a little floral bag,a print, a hand drawn card, a collage and some maltesers. My favourite piece was the little red fox tag, absolutely lovely!

A truly lovely gift to receive, thanks Louise!