SSshhh...
Revealing some secret Christmas commissions
In December I had a little time spare after wrapping up my latest picture book (which publishes in the Spring) so I took on a handful of commission requests from people wanting something personal to give as gifts for Christmas. A few years ago I used to feel fairly safe sharing snippets of secret things on instagram, but since my account got bigger I’ve started to realise I can’t be sure who might see my posts. So even if the intended recipient isn’t a follower of mine, when working on commissions I make sure not to share anything too early for fear of spoiling a surprise.
Now last Christmas is behind us, I wanted to share some of my favourite secret little festive projects. The first one came about when I was asked at a local art fair if I might be free to work on a special present - some colleagues wanted to band together to commission a piece for their manager, who happened to have a very characterful duo for pets. I was sent loads of photos of Hattie, a Sealyham terrier, and Magnus, an Icelandic pony. I normally shy away from drawing horses (despite my very first picture book being entirely pony-based) but this pair were lots of fun to sketch and work up into a small original. Here’s the sketch I initially sent the client (I later flipped it the other way round) and the final piece.
The next one I’ll share was for somebody who contacted me way back in Spring 2024 when I didn’t have space in my schedule for commission work. But by the end of the year she was still keen to have a piece to give a family member so I picked up my pencils. Hedgehogs and Robins have a special significance for her, so she wanted a piece with these two characters illustrated together. I added a little autumnal background for them, and used pencils, pastels, watercolours and oil pastel tp bring them to life.
The last one I’ll share was quite a challenge! I was asked to draw a portrait of someone’s dogs, which is fine, lovely. But the recipient of this gift happened to have four - yes FOUR - doodles (a mixture of cockapoos and golden doodles I think) three of which look really quite similar! I was a bit nervous, especially since three of the dogs were varying shades of blonde (tricky to draw on white paper) but I seem to have pulled it off and was pleased with the result. The photos aren’t the best sorry - thank the Scottish winter light!
That’s it for my first post of 2025. This is the bit where I promise I’ll share more regularly here and then feel guilty when it’s two months before I show up again. But you know where to find me, and if there’s anything you’d like me to talk about here or on instagram, I’m always open to suggestions.
Happy New Year!