BADASS ILLUSTRATOR WANTED

We are looking for an utterly amazing and highly versatile Illustrator, with huge imagination

and lots of creative energy to bring to the team.

Ideally with 2 years commercial experience developing Print & Pattern and graphics in a retail head office environment.

You must have an insatiable love of drawing and be able to execute your  ideas to a professional standard. Proficiency in Photoshop and Illustrator are a must, as is breadth of style across 

character, print and typography.

The position will be based working from home, however team members are expected to travel to our Northampton studio every 6 weeks for studio days.

Applicants should send their CV and examples of their work to doodles@paperandcloth.net

Closing date : Friday 20th September

DUE TO THE NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS ONLY SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATES WILL BE CONTACTED 

FULL JOB DESCRIPTION CLICK HERE

Art Vs. Artist: Lou!

Finally on Art Vs. Artist, we have Louise, who is not only a fantastic illustrator
but also our fabulous Studio Manager, there to keep the studio running smoothly day to day.

If you want your characters to be the cutest of cute, or
a catchy pun or two in some fun hand drawn lettering, Lou is your lady!

Never short of a gorgeous colour palette and queen of lovely textures,
Lou's style is always fun with oodles of interest.

If you love Lou's work as much as we do 

and think her style might be perfect for an upcoming project, 

you can commission her here.

Art Vs. Artist: Laura!

Next up on Art Vs. Artist is our illustrator Laura!

Whether it's bold and fun or cool and minimal,
Laura's keen to put her hand to any style,

and as our colour and trend editor for the blog she
likes to keep up to date with what's currently popping up all over Pinterest.

She's also a dab hand at a greetings card,

and brings her flair and creativity to everything from
a birthday ice cream sundae to a skiing Santa Claus!

If you love Laura's work as much as we do 

and think her style might be perfect for an upcoming project, 

you can commission her here.

Art Vs. Artist 2019: Gemma!

Happy Friday! We're continuing our Art Vs. Artist's post today
with our lovely illustrator Gemma.

Always a pro with a paintbrush and a palette of watercolours, Gem's 

hand-painted style is sure to make you say "ooh, yum!"

Never short of beautiful florals, super contemporary techniques and the cutest characters,

Gem's work is perfect for everyone from the teeniest babies to the biggest kids.

If you love Gem's work as much as we do 

and think her style might be perfect for an upcoming project, 

you can commission her here.

Lou for Dashwood!

We've been loving seeing all the amazing feedback to Lou's gorgeous new

collection for Dashwood Studio that we've posted on insta lately!

So we thought we'd grab ourselves a cuppa, and have a chat with her about how this

collaboration came about and what her process was designing this collection...

Hi Lou! We are so obsessed with this collection, how did this particular project come about?

The main print in the collection is actually a gift wrap in our Paper & Cloth shop. Dashwood saw the pattern and asked me to create a fabric collection with this as the main design.

Of course, I jumped at the chance and set about creating the coordinating prints.

How did you go about creating the coordinating prints?

With a quilting/fabric collection, it’s important to consider a mix of scales, pace of AOP and different coloured grounds across the set. All working together but doing a different job. There were so many different elements in the main print, that really inspired the rest of the designs; elephants, giraffes, tigers, I knew there had to be a floral in there and butterflies seemed a lovely fit too. I think they work really nicely on the ochre ground. 

What was your favourite part of working on this project?

The idea of designing an entire fabric collection has always been up there on my wish list career wise, so it was amazing when the lovely folk of Dashwood got in touch.

I enjoyed the whole design process really, from initial sketches and playing with print ideas, right through to submitting the finished collection, but I must admit, hearing such lovely comments from everyone about the designs now they’re launched and out there in the big wide world is a great feeling! From sewing/haberdashery shops excitedly sharing photos of the collection on Instagram when they arrive in their shops, to talented little sewing bees creating wonderful things with the fabrics.

What sort of things are you hoping will be made from your fabrics?

I’ve already seen some lovely things popping up on Instagram that talented folk have been making with the fabrics. My favourite so far would have to be a skirt by Sarah @lupilotty. She used the different prints in a patchworked style skirt for her 3 year old little girl. She looked so cute in it!

I’ve also seen a gorgeous little dress made using the giraffe fabric by Lorraine @sew.last.year

It’ll be so exciting to see what else will be created from my designs. 

Thanks Lou, we can't wait to see what other gorgeous

 creations will be crafted out of them!

Studio Life: Getting to know... Bec!

Hi Bec! Can you tell us a little bit about where you gather your inspiration from?

I definitely prefer to turn to reference books for inspiration.  Especially books on patterns from around the world -  Indian textiles, Middle Eastern architecture or tile designs etc.

I also have some beautiful Art Nouveau and old calligraphy books that are really lovely for inspiration.  I get far more inspired using actual print for reference,  looking through old archives, or going to have a look around the V&A, things like that.  

But I do use social media like Instagram or websites like Pinterest to stay on trend and keep involved in what’s current in the design world.

And how does your working process usually start?

Generally with a good amount of research, I like to know what the florals or characters or elements of the artwork are going to look like before starting to draw.  Once I have some references and know the kind of technique I want to go with, then I’ll have a rough sketch of shapes, patterns, layouts etc.  The artwork usually always changes when I then ink up the drawings, adding in more detail and then again once scanned into Illustrator and I start playing around with colour and pace.  Its always a process! 

What design tools can't you live without?

Absolutely my fine liners! Almost all of my work is inked up in black fineliner - there are literally pots of hundreds of pens on my desk at all times!  0.05mm or 0.1mm unpins are usually the weapons of choice, although I do also love a nice brush pen.  I purchased some really lovely Japanese ones online recently that are beautiful to work with.

Who are your illustration heroes?

I love the paintings of Gustav Klimt and anything from the Art Nouveau era mostly.  Romantic, detailed ‘La Boheme’ style illustrations and Toulouse Lautrec posters.  My illustration heroes are Tim Burton for his inky Concept Art and Mary Blair, a Disney concept artist, for her use of colour and bolder illustration style.  My current favourite illustrators are Dinara Mirtalipova and Lara Hawthorne - I just love the detail in their work.

(One of Bec's favourite artists, Gustav Kilmt)

Who would be your dream client?

It would be incredible to see my work in Liberty’s one day, maybe patterns on a beautiful scarf collection or rugs or bedding.  I’d love a big homeware collection in somewhere as historical as that.

What are you currently reading?

I am actually re reading the Harry Potter books again at the moment! Haha I don’t know if it’s because it’s Autumn now and getting colder and rainier, but it just makes me want to get a cup of tea and read something magical and fantastical!

I also have a non fiction book ‘Why We Sleep’ by Matthew Walker on the go too, which it really interesting when I’m in the mood for something a little more serious.

What is your favourite piece of artwork you have on display at home?

We have just redecorated my studio at home so slowly putting some artworks up on the walls, I particularly love a print called ‘Rainforest’ by Lara Hawthorne and ’The Theatre’ by Dinara Mirtalipova.

('Rainforest' by Lara Hawthorne)

What are your fave things outside of work?

My husband and I have our three dogs, Billie the ‘Jug’ and Bettie and Bobbie the dachshunds - we pretty much just live in their house to take care of them!  But we love taking them out to new places, or for weekends in Mersea - we come as a 5 piece!

Aside from life as a pup-parent, I spend a lot of time with friends and family, we’re so very lucky to have a really big group of both so weekends are always super busy and always involve a lot of food :)

Studio Assistant Position

We're on the hunt for for a super-duper Studio Assistant to work full time

in our Northampton studio.

This is an exciting and varied role for an extra special person, who can assist in multiple areas of the business such as administration, travel, account management and marketing.

We are looking for someone with a background in a creative industry, retail, or a design studio, who has an excellent working knowledge of MS Office and Adobe Illustrator/Photoshop, and is great at juggling multiple tasks and keeping everything running smoothly.

If this sounds like you, the full job description can be found on our website here.

All applications should be sent to jobs@paperandcloth.net

Closing date: September 28th

Studio Life: Getting to know... Laura

Hi Laura! Can you start off by telling us a little bit about where you gather your inspiration from?

Instagram is probably the platform I check most regularly, as well as good old Pinterest, which is so good for collating inspiration.    

Scouring through my favourite shops is always a good bet too and it feels less like researching and more like shopping which is always a treat. Shops like Oliver Bonas and Anthropologie always get a visit!

And how does your working process usually start?

It almost always starts with some inspiration references and a pencil! I like to sketch out rough ideas, then use the light box to refine the layout and composition. Then it’s either time to paint it out or scan the sketch in and work over it digitally. Things don’t always go to plan once colour is added, so things get tweaked and improved along the way.

What design tools couldn't you live without?

A pencil and some paper! Hand-drawing is where I feel most confident so I always like to sketch things out by hand first rather than going straight to the computer. 

I also love to finalise things with indian ink, brush pens or gouache, so a selection of paintbrushes in different sizes come in very handy.

Photoshop is also pretty essential as things don't always turn out perfect on the first go, so it's great to be able to scan in and edit hand-drawn or painted elements and make them look their best.

Who are your Illustration heroes?

There are sooooo many, and with the constant sharing that goes on online I think I must find a new illustration hero every week!

It’s so hard to choose, but at the moment I am a bit obsessed with Megan Galante (below) her clean, paired back fashion illustrations and hand-painted florals. I also love Alessandra Genualdo's slightly moody girls - they're always rocking such beautiful florals outfits!

I’m also love a bit of crafting, and two of my biggest heroes are fibre artist Sally England and weaver Marianne Moody, who create amazing macrame wall art and weavings respectively. If I was ever to splash out on something for my walls it would definitely be some of their work.

Who would be your dream client?

I think Anthropologie is definitely up there. I would also absolutely love to illustrate a book cover or a collection of classic children's stories - books like Grimm's tales or Hans Christian Anderson were always my favourite as a child, so it would be amazing to reimagine these now as an illustrator.

What are you currently reading?

I’m currently working my way through “Animal” by Sarah Pascoe (I’m a very infrequent reader these days) which is a really fascinating look into different aspects of being a human, told in a really hilarious way!

In terms of kid's books I am loving Cannonball Coralie and the Lion" by Grace Easton - beautiful fun illustrations from start to finish and packed with great characters.

What is your favourite piece of artwork you have on display at home? 

My favourite at the moment is my “Tibi Gal” print by Isabelle Feliu (below). I love the minimal colour, the cool proportions and the fine line work. It has pride of place in the living room. I also have lots of amazing artworks from some very talented friends - artwork is that bit more special when you know the artist.

What are some of your favourite things outside of work?

Some weekends I volunteer at Brinsley Animal Rescue - They’re a great sanctuary for former commercial animals and wildlife in need of rehabilitation. It’s really nice to get outside and hang out with some lovely people and all the amazing animals, even if it does involve a fair amount of shovelling manure! 

Yoga is also a great way to relax, I go to regular classes and find that it really helps stretch out my back after a week hunched over illustrating.

And I couldn’t not mention my furry little studio buddy Susie (below) - we love our animal friends here at P&C and she is my little ray of sunshine!

In-house Illustrator Position!

We are looking for an utterly amazing and highly versatile Illustrator, with huge imagination

and lots of creative energy to bring to the team.

They must have an insatiable love of drawing and be able to execute their ideas to a professional standard. Proficiency in Photoshop and Illustrator are a must, as is breadth of style across 

character, print and typography.

The position will be working from home, however team members are expected to travel to our Northampton studio every 6 weeks for studio days.

Applicants should send their CV and examples of their work to doodles@paperandcloth.net

Closing date : Monday 18th July

Studio Life: Getting to Know...Louise

Today's Q&A is with our lovely studio manager Louise. Lou juggles the day to day running of the studio whilst also being a tip top illustrator - we don't know how she does it!

Here's a little look into her inspirations, working process and what makes her tick...

Hi Lou! Can you start off by telling us a little bit about where you gather your inspiration from? 

I'm a huge Pinterest, Instagram and general blog addict, and I love a daily scroll through for inspiration, whether it be a new colour palette idea, an emerging trend, or seeing something new from a favourite brand or designer.

Some of my current blog loves are Little Gatherer, Petit & Small, Artistic Moods and Paper Crave. I also find children's picture books hugely inspirational, and I like to keep up to date with favourite kidswear, homeware and stationery brands.

Plenty to help stay inspired!

And how does your working process usually start?

Every design I create starts with a rough sketch. Depending what look I want to achieve sometimes I'll refine them, so the paints, brush pens and fine liners come out. Other times I'll simply scan them and take them in to Illustrator and/or Photoshop to develop.

 I usually have an idea in mind as to what the finished piece will look like, but I also enjoy the experimentation stage that naturally happens when working digitally; playing with composition and layout, colour tweaks, character development etc... It's a process that can change the original plan for the better.

What design tools can't you live without?

Sketchbook and pencils... everything starts with that! A Wacom obviously goes without saying and I love brush pens. I enjoy playing with texture in my work so I'd include watercolours, inks and paints too.

My most recent addition is an iPad Pro and Apple pencil so I'm enjoying learning and experimenting with procreate at the moment!

Who are your Illustration heroes?

Ooh, that's a difficult one, the list is literally endless!

Some current faves would have to be...

Lara Hawthorne - the delicacy and amount of beautiful detail in her work is just stunning, and I adore her book "The Night Flower"

Emily Rand would have to be another, and how she creates her illustrations using such gorgeous textures and mark making.

Hannah Tolson would also have to get a mention too... her wonderful characters, the mixed media quality to her art, all those lovely paint and crayoned textures, and she manages to create scenes that you just want to jump into!

Finally Susie Hammer's bold, playful characters always make me smile!

There are sooooo many more, but we'd be here all day!

Who would be your dream client?

I've been extremely fortunate to have clients such as Lilipinso, Land of Nod and Paperchase use my designs on their products, but looking to the future, I have some really exciting projects that I can't share as yet. And it's not a dream client as such, but it'd be great to be involved in illustrating a children's book.

What are you currently reading?

My current read is 'The Keeper of Lost Things' by Ruth Hogan and next on the list is 'Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine' by Gail Honeyman which I've heard great things about.

I'm also partial to a good cookbook!

What is your favourite piece of artwork you have on display at home?

I have a few bits and pieces dotted around by various designers; Clare Owen, Studio Violet, Hannah Cole... but my favourite would have to be my lovely 'Pirum Parum' print by Fine Little Day. I love it's simplicity and subtle texture, and the little pear is oh so cute, even if a little sad!

What are your fave things outside of work?

I'm a huge foodie so I spend a lot of time looking at food blogs and cookbooks for new recipes I want to try, eating out and cooking at home.

Spending time with my family is pretty high up on the agenda for me, and plenty of long walks with Alfie, our Lhasa Apso, especially holidays in the Lake District... perfect with a four legged friend!

I'm also a keen "photo taker" and enjoy creating content for my blog, Love Print Studio, where I curate and share mood boards, colour inspiration and other design related topics.

Oh, Alfie, what a heartbreaker! 

Lou, we love seeing your sketched ideas and are definitely going to be checking out those blogs, thanks! 

We'll be catching up with another of our Illustrators for some more tea-break reading very soon.

Studio Life: Getting to know... Gemma

             

Today we're having a catch up with our lovely illustrator Gemma, to find out more

about her loves and working process...

Hi Gem! Can you start off by telling us a little bit about where you gather your inspiration from?

Many places! Instagram is a great platform for daily inspiration. Visiting bookshops always inspires me (especially in the children’s book section!). Wondering around museums & art galleries, discovering patterns and colour palettes in old ceramics and textiles. Flow magazine & Frankie magazine always have lots of lovely illustrations and interior inspiration in them.

And how does your working process usually start?

Usually my ideas start with a very rough sketch or a rough painting and then I will use the light box to neaten things up & experiment with the layout. Depending on the technique, either the light box is used to transfer the design onto watercolour/cartridge paper for painting or I’ll scan it in and edit on the computer - when working digitally, a lot experimentation happens before deciding on the final outcome!

       

Who are your illustration heroes?

This could be a long list, but to name a few favourites…

 Isabelle Arsenault creates the most beautiful textures and compositions, Laura Carlin has such a unique style and her take on ‘The Iron Man’ by Ted Hughes is still one of my favourite illustrated books.  Oamul creates wonderful illustrations and little scenes that are often animated - something that I’d love to learn how to do!

What design tools can't you live without?

My tiny paint brushes -  I usually paint things very small in various sketchbooks and these help with adding tiny details! Gouache paints - I’m relatively new to using gouache, but the Holbein colours are so vibrant and make experimenting with colour palettes and patterns very satisfying

 Lightbox - it’s so useful when piecing a design together or trying different layouts.

Who would be your dream client?

Anthropologie is definitely one! This isn’t a dream client as such, but it’d be brilliant to illustrate a children’s book - after admiring them for such a long time.

What is your favourite piece of artwork you have on display at home?

A print of Emily Sutton’s painting ‘Cheval’ in our living room, which I treated myself to whilst visiting her exhibition at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, her work is beautiful and is filled with so many interesting textures - I love the different characters sat chatting and watching the day go by.

What are you currently reading?

I’m just finishing David Nicholl’s novel ‘Us’ and next on my list is Grayson Perry’s ‘The Descent of Man', which I’m looking forward to reading.

What are your fave things outside of work?

Climbing, I love the challenge that rock climbing gives you, both mentally and physically - we’ve started going climbing outdoors, which I’m looking forward to doing more of in the spring!

I often take time to paint and create little personal projects, it gives me a place to experiment with new ideas and techniques.

We love the teeny tiny paintbrushes you use to create such pretty, delicate paintings.

And we're seriously impressed by the outdoor climbing skills, thanks Gemma!

We'll be catching up with the rest of the team over the coming weeks

so stay tuned!

We love Barcelona!

We visited the beautiful Spanish city of Barcelona recently for some much needed inspiration. Spending a few days meandering around the Gothic Quarter and up and down the Rambla de Catalunya and Passeig De Garcia, we discovered some wonderful childrens boutiques, concept stores and beautiful bookshops along the way.
With the obligatory snack stops, we ensured we had time to indulge in the local delicacies whilst we were there.
Here are a few of our favourite hot spots...

A brilliant opportunity for a 'shelfie' if ever we saw one; the curated concept store Chandal housed a rather beautiful selection of childrens  picture books aswell as a fantastic array of toys and gadgets.

With a hand picked selection of brands such as Aden and Anais, DJECO and Noe & Zoe Berlin, the concept store Konfetti Kids is a little hidden treasure trove of gorgeous clothing, decor and books.



A favourite for brunch/ lunch was the chic Taranna Bar & Cafe. Veggie friendly, with lovely looking cakes and fresh food prepared in their super cute kitchen, we can highly recommend a visit.
The baked eggs with guacamole and sourdough went down very well, so too did the quiche!

After spending a good hour in this amazing bookshop, we can honestly say LA Central probably had the biggest selection of beautiful childrens books that we came across on our trip. A definite treat for the eyes!





One of the last stops on our visit was the stunning design market La Nostra Ciutat. Supporting the local design community, selling an array of products from cards and stationery to jewellery, baby gifts and ceramics, and an absolutely amazing display of wall art.





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