Gemma Milly Illustration

HM The Queen, Diamond Jubilee Portrait

2012-02-22T18:21:00.001Z

Recently I've been working on a very special portrait, which I can now show to you as it's finished, hurrah! To commenorate HM Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee this year, I've been working on a portrait which I will soon be selling as limited edition prints and carefully selected merchandise. I think I lost count how many diamonds I had to draw, but it's fair to say my hand was numb by the end of it!

I also took pictures of each stage of the illustration process so you can see how the portrait developed, as personally I always find it interesting to see how other artists work.

Be sure to check back or sign up for email updates to be notified when my prints and merchandise are available to buy.

first I begin by sketching the outline and then I start shading the eyes first, as these are the focal point of the face.

Once the face is complete, I move on to the hair. It's very intricate and takes hours of concentration!

Next I focussed on the crown. This was very fiddly as there are so many diamonds and jewels (and yes, I did draw each individual jewel!)

After the face, hair and crown are finish, I move onto bigger areas such as the decolletage, necklace & medal (again, I drew every single jewel and setting in her necklace individually) and dress.

After 3 days of solid drawing and one very numb hand, this is the finished portrait.

Wedding portrait

2012-02-10T10:43:00.004Z

Here's a peek at the latest portrait I've just finished for a lovely couple's up-coming wedding -Ben & Sarah. I've also designed their on the day stationery so I'll be blogging about that as soon as it's back from the printer.

To enquire about custom portraits please check out my website for example and prices,

or drop me an email xx

Personalised Baby Prints in my shop

2012-01-30T22:26:00.000Z

Hello hello! Just wanted to let you know that I've just added a new range of personalised baby name prints to my online shop.

These beautiful little prints, come with a hand-drawn hummingbird illustration, initial and baby name. A very unique and special gift, perfect for a new baby, Christening or birthday.

The prints also come in a hand-made frame in either natural or limed wood.

Hop on over to my online shop to take a peek.

Illustrations for Dashing Magazine

2012-01-27T22:19:00.000Z

Thought I'd share a couple of Illustrations I did for Dashing Magazine with you. Every month I illustrate the feature 'The Best Things in Life are Free' - and this month it was all about running a nice hot bubble bath, putting on a relaxing facemask and chilling out.

I also created some illustrations of vintage tea cups for a feature on...tea! You can check out this month's issue of Dashing here, and while you're there why not sign up for email updates so you can have issue 3 delivered straight to your inbox.

magazine crush of the week

2012-01-20T12:32:00.001Z

Ahem. May I introduce you to my latest digital magazine crush...Reverie Magazine. I came across this gorgeous, gorgeous digital wedding magazine recently and promptly fell off my chair in awe at it's prettiness! Mary Lee Herrington (Forever and Ever events) and Kate Taylor (Coquette Paper and Press) are the lovely gals behind this wonderful magazine, and launched their first issue this month. The magazine aims to uncover and champion the most beautiful and exciting work in the field of weddings, fashion and lifestyle design from around the world, and it truly is a feast for the eyes

Girls - you done good! I love.

Open publication - Free publishing

Pocket mirrors now in my shop

2012-01-16T12:20:00.001Z

I've just added some hand-illustrated pocket mirrors to my online shop, which you can purchase here.

Each design features one of my original illustrations, and would make a perfect gift for a girl-friend, mother, sister...you get the picture :) And at only £2.50 each, they're easy on the purse!

pocket mirrors by gemma milly illustration

So Dashing!

2012-01-15T20:07:00.002Z

So, I've just picked myself up off the floor, after reading (cover to cover ) the wondrous Issue 2 of Dashing magazine. If you haven't already read Dashing, oooh you're in for a treat. The magazine was set up out of a mutual love of three busy girls who "craved a real and relatable design-led magazine, packed full of aspirational features, stylish and pretty inspiration and creative craft projects for everyone to enjoy".

I consider myself uber lucky to be working with the girls as in-house illustrator, and in this month's issue I've illustrated the 'best things in life are free' feature on pages 8-9 and a wonderful article all about tea on pages 24-26. So why not pour yourself a nice cup of earl grey, settle down, and loose yourself amongst the pretty, sparkling pages...

Open publication - Free publishing

sparkle!

2012-01-14T11:19:00.001Z

Just been perusing Pinterest...again...and came across this lovely idea for making your lighting just that little bit more pretty! I am totally getting myself some glitter (probably rose gold rather than pink) and making myself a sparkling pendant light shade!

Lionheart Magazine launch party

2012-01-11T22:36:00.000Z

OK, so this is the second of my posts about the fabulous Lionheart Magazine, which I've been meaning to do since mid-December, so please excuse my tardiness. I'm happy to say that it's because I've been flat out busy since then, but I do feel rubbish about neglecting my blog, not to mention the fact that I've been dying to blog about the Lionheart launch party for weeks!

So...on a slightly damp December day, me and my boyfriend Tom (who is beyond lovely for diving me to Bristol for the specific purpose of a party!) But when we arrived at 40 Alfred Place it was anything but dreary. On stepping into this little hidden gem of a venue and we were met with sparkling little tea lights, scrummy cakes by The Homemade Mama (I must have eaten about five...), a beautiful little craft market, where I had the privilege of selling my work, and many many twinkly fairy lights. There was a lampshade making tutorial from Quincy Lampshades, homemade organic pizzas to nibble on, a moustache-making workshop (the boys quickly hijacked this and started making lavender Fear and Loathing-style moustaches!) and some live illustration from me! I had the pleasure of drawing gorgeous textile designer Katie Whittington (aspetalsfall) which was great fun, and she was a fabulous sitter!

Helen Martin did herself proud with such a wonderful launch party for an equally wonderful magazine. Such a lovely and memorable night. Thanks Hels!

My almost-finished portrait of Katie Whittington

Close up of my portrait

drawing drawing drawing. Thanks Katie for being so patient!

Helen having her tresses styled like the front cover of Lionheart Magazine . Eeee!

outside 40 Alfred Place

The Magazine itself

Lionheart Magazine

pizza making

40 Alfred Place

party!

Lavender moustache? Why of course.

Photographs courtesy of Stella Mason. Thank you!

gorgeous Perth wedding

2012-01-08T12:04:00.000Z

Just been taking in my daily dose of Pinterest, and I came across this gorgeous, magical Perth wedding (via ruffledblog). The styling is gorgeous, love the lanterns and candles, and the stationery I believe is by the fabulous Mitchell and Dent. Such a beautiful wedding!

All images courtesy of ruffledblog and Natasja Kremers,

Lionheart Magazine

2012-01-06T20:38:00.000Z

Lionheart Magazine. photograph copyright Stella Mason.

Well, I am very excited to be writing this post, as it is about something very exciting... Lionheart Magazine has launched! (you can buy a copy here) And I'm very proud to say that I was asked by gorgeous Editor Helen Martin to be part of it, and to illustrate the front cover! Packed full of articles on tea pots, illustrators, crafty folk, ice cream, music and designy loveliness, it's a gorgeous addition to my coffee table. Issue one is all about Bravery, and Helen, Editor, Writer and a magazine-creator extraordinaire, most definitely gets my vote for this title, single handedly creating the magazine and working tirelessly to make it a reality.

I first met Helen working for Amelia's magazine, where we ended up working together on most of the briefs either one of us was set, and stayed firm friends ever since. So it was entirely natural for me to say 'yes yes yes please!' when she asked me to create the front cover for Issue 1. It's been a really exciting journey and seeing the magazine finally in print, with its thick matt pages and deep rich colours, is just the best thing ever!

Here are a few of my favourite pages...

Illustration by Abby Wright

I love Abby Wright's illustrations, she has an effortless style and always captures such lovely detail in the clothes she portrays. This illustration and piece on Jeff Garner (of organic design label Prophetik)is stunning.

Illustration by Daria Hlazatova

An insight into the magical world of Ukranian Illustrator Daria Hlazatova.

article by Cherry Healey, illustration by Rachel Lewis

This article by writer and presenter Cherry Healey is all about bravery, and a fascinating read.

Editor's Letter

an interview with me!

Next up, I'll be blogging about the fabulous launch party which took place last month. Yes yes, I'm a little behind with this one, but it'll be worth the wait I promise. Lots of lovely pictures to share. In the meantime, go buy a copy and support Helen and a gorgeous magazine.

Happy New Year

2012-01-05T21:31:00.001Z

Happy New Year everyone. Hope y'all had a wonderful Christmas and are rested and relaxed. I had a fabulous time with my wonderful boyfriend and family. Now it's back to work and I have lots of exciting projects on the go already, so I should have some lovely news to blog about over the coming weeks and months.

Thanks for following my ramblings :)

Gem xx

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-22T11:11:00.002Z

Wow it's been super busy in the run up to Christmas, with photoshoots, magazine launches, new products and a shiny new website! And that's before I've even got down to 'actual' work :) So, sorry for the lack of posts this past week or so! This year has been fantastic and I've got to work with so many lovely people, including Heart Home Magazine, Dashing, The Clothes Maiden, Tercel Design, The Aviary and Lionheart Magazine to name a few. Such lovely, lovely creative people out there, it's been a pleasure!

I also wanted to say a big thank you to everyone that reads and follows my blog, and for all the lovely emails and comments you send me. It really keeps me going knowing that people enjoy what I write about :) Hope you all have a wonderful, sparkly Christmas and here's to a fabulous 2012!

See you in the New Year!

Gemma xx

my new website

2011-12-09T17:42:00.001Z

I've been super busy over the last couple of months, working on the re-design of my website, and after what feels like an age, I'm very proud to say it's finally finished!

I've been working with a fantastic web designer - Carl Saunders - to make it all sparkly and pretty, and he's been very patient with me and my endless amends! New sections include couture and ready-to-order wedding stationery, portraiture and lots of new client work that I've been busy working on this year. You can also visit my shop and check out my scrapbook where I'll be keep all the things that inspire me and my work.

I'm also excited to say that I'm now stocking a range of The Aviary's gorgeous jewellery in my shop - if you haven't already, and you like a bit of vintage pretty, you should DEFINITELY check it out.

At the moment I'm offering 20% off anything in my shop* as a pre-Christmas and new-website treat, so if you have any Christmas presents still to go why not have a peek. I'll be adding new pocket mirrors and hand-illustrated vintage china ranges next week - if you sign up to my newsletter I'll keep you updated about when they're available.

Hope you like it!

{ www.gemmamilly.com }

*excludes The Aviary products.

Illustration talk and workshop

2011-12-07T10:04:00.001Z

This Sunday 11th Dec, I'll be joining Helen Martin, Editor and creator of Lionheart magazine at the magazine launch party. Read all about what I'll be doing on the day here, including selling my wares, giving a talk on my work and taking a live illustration session. Pop along if you're in the area :)

print giveaway - winner announced !

2011-12-06T12:45:00.001Z

...and the lucky winner of my print giveaway is....photographer and illustrator Mark Howe. Here he is...

A signed and framed print from one of my original illustrations will be winging it's way to him soon!

Keep your eyes peeled for my next illustration giveaway.

The Aviary in my shop

2011-12-05T12:53:00.001Z

I'm oh so pleased to announce that you can now buy The Aviary products in my online shop! Go look >>

{ gemma milly illustration shop }

Lionheart Magazine launch

2011-12-05T11:31:00.001Z

This Sunday I'll be heading off to the launch of Lionheart Magazine in Bristol. Created single handedly and entirely from scratch by my extremely talented friend Helen Martin, I can't wait! I'll be selling my greetings cards, prints, jewellery by The Aviary and gifts in the afternoon, and taking an illustration workshop at 5pm. There will also be homemade organic pizzas and cake to nibble on.

"Filled with creativity, witty and intelligent editorial, stunning illustrations, beautiful photography, inspiring interviews, stories, craft and style, all printed on thick, matte paper: Lionheart Magazine, the amazing, independent magazine launches its highly anticipated first issue, at Bristol's 40 Alfred Place , on December 11."

For more information visit http://lionheartmagazine.wordpress.com/

print giveaway !

2011-12-02T17:16:00.001Z

French wedding inspiration

2011-12-02T14:03:00.001Z

Today I was perusing the uber-addictive wedding website www.savoirweddings.com and came across these BEAUTIFUL wedding gowns by Laure de Sagazan. Floaty, ethereal, fairy tale...they're sooo pretty!

Dashing!

2011-12-01T15:48:00.001Z

Yay! Today is a very exciting day! At last, one of the most gorgeous new magazines around - Dashing - has launched. Created by a bunch of super talented ladies - my friend Charley Beard (London Bride), Josie Hendrick (Savoir Weddings) and Fanni Williams (Fubu Media/Fanni Williams Photography) - this is addictive reading for anyone remotely interested in fashion, glitter, weddings and pretty things!

I feel very privileged too to have been asked by the girls to Illustrate their editor's letter, and a sweet little feature called 'The Best Things in Life are free'. As this is the Christmas issue, the feature was all about decorating your tree, drinking mulled wine and listening to festive Christmas tunes. Three of my favourite things.

Go check out issue one if you haven't already...

www.dashingmag.com

crafty sunday in Tooting

2011-11-29T09:00:00.001Z

This Sunday I had a lovely little trip to Got Craft at Tooting Tram & Social with a good friend. It was a gorgeous event, full of pretty things all handmade by talented designer-makers. I met Victoria & Ben of The Aviary there which was one of the highlights, as you'll know if you've been following my posts about the Illustration collaboration I've been doing with them recently. Needless to say they were both the loveliest people (even if Ben did have a touch of man flu!).

I bought some sweet little Christmas pressies for people and met some lovely people, and had a nice coffee and mince pie break with my friend. Tooting Tram and Social itself it a beautiful venue, all crystal chandeliers, antique furniture and vintage styling. Perfect!

All in all it was a fabulous and festive way to spend a Sunday.

Pin badges by Roxy Pop

Cute earrings by Roxy Pop

I spent monies at this stall :)

Amazing illustration by Charlotte Farmer

We were awed by this oh so cute biscuit calendar from Charlotte Farmer! Catch her at The Makery in Bath on the 10th an 11th December to bag yourself some of her gorgeous products.

Sarah and a bag full of pretty

Beautiful hand painted bone china tea cups.

Victoria Foster (The Aviary) and I.

The Aviary. Oh my word their stuff is pretty!

The Aviary.

an interview avec moi !

2011-11-28T15:16:00.001Z

One of my Illustrations for The Aviary

I was recently interviewed by the gorgeous Victoria Foster of up-cycled jewellery company The Aviary.

And here it is!

llustration Collaboration: Gemma Milly

Gemma Milly is a contemporary illustrator based in the South of England, with an extraordinarily versatile portfolio of work, ranging from bold, expressive fashion illustration to intricate and personal portraiture. The combination of delicate, detailed line work and strong use of colour made us fall in love with her work.

Gemma has created a series of incredibly sensitive illustrations built up with layers of colour, collage, texture and line that perfectly capture the nostalgia we hope our trinkets evoke.

Here’s some more information about the girl who makes the magic happen!

First of all, tell us a little bit about who you are, what you do, and if and where you studied.

I’m Gemma Milly, an artist and illustrator with a love of all things pretty. After studying International Management and French at Bath University, then working in Advertising and Design for six years, I decided to do a complete about-turn and went to study for an MA in Illustration at Kingston University. After I graduated, I specialized mainly in Fashion Illustration until this year, when I set up my design studio in Hampshire. I still do work freelance but am now also lucky enough to spend my days designing bespoke wedding stationery and taking portrait commissions, which I absolutely adore.

Who and what have been your main influences and inspirations that have helped you to develop such a beautiful, distinctive illustration style in such a competitive market?

I’ve always been heavily influenced by the great Fashion Illustrators such as David Downton and Rene Guau, and my work is definitely influenced by both these amazingly talented people. But one of my favourite Illustrators has got to be Kelly Smith (Birdy & Me), my heart does a little flutter when I look at her work, it’s so detailed and beautiful. Photographers and the way they style their shoots; the lighting, the models, their ability to so perfectly capture a moment in time also constantly inspire me. I’ll never get bored of looking at the work of Lillian Bassman – she captures an amazing silhouette – and I also spend a fair amount of time pouring over beautiful wedding photography. I’m definitely addicted to Pinterest and I think my boards pretty much sum up my style and myself! I’m a very visual person and am really affected by aesthetics, which can sometimes get a bit OCD – I like to be surrounded by pretty things at all times, have nice things to listen to and eat (my boyfriend will testify to this!). It’s like constantly living inside one of my mood boards!

Do you live more in the past, or more in the future?

I’d say a bit of both – recently I’ve found myself reminiscing about my past career and the nice paycheck that came with it, but to balance that, I’ve tried to focus on making my business a success and imagining how different it could all be this time next year. Things are just getting started at the moment and (although a little bit scary) it’s really, really exciting.

Where do you work from, and do you have any rituals before beginning a new piece of work?

At the moment I work from home, but I’m super excited as I’ll soon be moving into a gorgeous studio space with a Textile Designer. I’m really looking forward to sharing a space with another creative again, as I really miss having someone to bounce ideas off and share coffee breaks with. We both have pretty much the same vision and want to make the most of the studio, opening it up for regular craft workshops and as a gallery.

As far rituals go, I always spend a lot of time researching and trying to understand the client or project as deeply as possible before I begin drawing, then, coffee in hand and music on, I start to put any ideas that come into my head onto paper. I write lots of lists and make little sketches and just go from there. I was recently commissioned to do an Illustration based on decorating your Christmas tree whilst drinking mulled wine and listening to Christmas music, so I felt it necessary to listen to Wizzard and Chris Rea on repeat all weekend to ‘get into the zone’ and I haven’t listened to anything else since!

Describe a typical day in the studio.

I usually get up at around 7:30 and make myself some muesli or porridge and hot water & lemon (I also have a love affair with Bonne Maman marmalade, I have to ration myself!). Then I’m usually at my desk by 8:45 to check my emails, twitter, my blog, and do any little bits if admin that I need to get out of the way. By 9ish I’m ready to get down to work, so I’ll stick on 6 Music and get going. At the moment I’m working on a re-brand of a gorgeous Lingerie Boutique, and have been collaborating with The Aviary to produce illustrations inspired by their amazing jewellery and trinkets (which was one of the nicest projects I’ve worked on in ages). I’m also designing wedding stationery for three couples and am having my website re-designed so there’s always a lot of work to juggle. I stop for lunch for 45 minutes or so, and then spend the afternoon speaking to printers to get quotes, and working on the live projects I have. I stop work for a couple of hours at around six to have dinner and go to the gym (otherwise I would not leave the house or speak to another soul all day!), then spend the evening updating my blog, and reading other blogs for inspiration and research. When you run your own business it can be very hard to switch off!

What keeps you pushing forward and making new work?

I love, love, love what I do. Simple as that. I couldn’t not draw, and I get to work with such lovely people (seriously I don’t have any horrible clients…yet), especially working in the wedding industry, brides are generally happy to be getting married and having pretty stationery designed just for them! Sometimes it can get frustrating when I have a seemingly never-ending project, or when I’m not feeling creative, but know I have a million deadlines, so I generally find listening to Christmas music or Adam and Joe to lift my spirits helps keep me going. As does good coffee and a little treat to nibble on.

How have you found collaborating with us on this project?

I have had the best time working with The Aviary! Getting to know Victoria has been wonderful, I feel like I’ve met a kindred spirit. It’s fab to find a like-minded soul who is as equally obsessed with the pretty things in life as I am! I love the whole ethos behind The Aviary and find their sweet little trinkets absolutely lovely, so I don’t think I could have been happier working with them. When my parcel full of treats to draw arrived it was like Christmas!

It’s also been fantastic to work alongside Scarlett and Harriet too and see how they approached the same brief. They both have beautifully delicate styles, and I really respect them both as Illustrators so it’s been a bit of a privilege to work together.

Would you work across creative disciplines again?

Definitely, it’s been a fantastic experience. It’s made me take a different approach to my illustration work by having new subject matter to work with, and it’s really exciting to see my illustrations in a different context. It can be quite isolating working freelance, and it is sometimes hard to come up with new ideas, but working to someone else’s brief, and re-interpreting their creative idea has been really refreshing.

And finally the most important questions…

Favourite hot drink? Good coffee

Favourite ‘real’ drink? G & T

Rural or urban? Urban (I like to be able to get a skinny latte at any hour of the day or night)

Cats or dogs? Dogs, although I’m allergic to both!

Thanks to Victoria for interviewing me!

♥ s a l e ♥

2011-11-24T15:37:00.001Z

To get into the festive spirit I'm having a pre-Christmas sale over on my shop! Simply enter the code SPARKLE20 to receive 20% off your order*. Off you pop and have a look :)

* excludes The Aviary products.

collaboration with The Aviary - 'New Ways of Seeing'

2011-11-19T09:34:00.001Z

Illustration by Gemma Milly.

Illustration by Harriet Gray.

Illustration by Scarlett Rebecca.

I thought I'd share with you the first peek at an exciting project I'm working on with vintage upcycled jewellery company 'The Aviary'.

Myself, along with talented fellow illustrators Scarlett Rebecca and Harriet Gray, were commissioned by The Aviary to respond to their creations by creating a series of Illustrations. The brief was pretty open, it was up to us to interpret their products in any way we thought appropriate and that fitted with the brand identity and ethos.

Victoria of The Aviary said of the collaboration "Once you have become used to working alone, inviting other people to see the way you create, and reflect upon your final outcomes can feel slightly uncomfortable. However, ultimately it is a mutually beneficial process that opens up new and exciting dialogues about the work and in turn pushes fledgling ideas forward".

I completely agree with Victoria, it can often be isolating working as a freelance in the creative industries, so it's refreshing to work with other like-minded people sometimes and see your work through a new pair of eyes.

Here are the first three illustrations to give you a taster, expect more updates and pretty images in the next week or so!

In the meantime, read all about the project 'New Ways of Seeing' here.

collaboration with The Aviary

2011-11-16T12:47:00.001Z

I'm having a wonderfully lovely cosy day today, doing all my favourite things, which are:

{1} drawing pretty things (AKA upcycled vintage trinkets & jewellery for www.the-aviary.com)
{2} listening to chilled out music (The Hidden Orchestra, recommended by my boyfriend-of-impeccable-taste)
{3} drinking sweet fennel tea courtesy of Twinings
{4} NOT having to commute to work on the tube, count the hours until hometime, eat a limp looking sandwich from Pret or get shouted at by demanding clients who don't know the first thing about why it takes so long to create a pdf (uh, the file is 400 Mb - it aint gonna be quick)

So I am a happy bunny today. Hope you're having a lovely day too xx

Sketch in progress, based on the birdy pendant below.

gorgeous vintage upcycled birdy pendant by The Aviary.

six pretty table numbers

2011-11-15T23:05:00.001Z

I've been doing a little research into table name holders, and thought I'd share my findings with you. These are six of the prettiest table number holders, which are a little out of the ordinary.

And where to find these pretties...

{1} Parcelpost
{2} London Bride
{3} Treasureagain via Etsy
{4} Stylemepretty
{5} Angie Neff via Etsy
{6} Stylemepretty

pretty christmas gift tags

2011-11-13T17:11:00.001Z

Today has been lovely. I've sat all cosy inside listening to Nora Jones, with some candles lit, updating new products to my shop.

I've just added these pretty handmade Christmas gift tags which you can buy as a pack of six for just £4. Have a peek at my online shop for all the details.

gorgeous save the dates

2011-11-13T14:58:00.001Z

Beautiful save the dates

Oh Oh Oh! My soon to be sister-in-law, Maree, is SUCH a talented lady, and I just had to share her pretty save the dates with you! Being a super clever graphic designer, she was perfectly at home designing the save the dates for her wedding (to my brother!) next August.

pink & lime theme

lovely typography and pretty sparkles

The colour scheme is going to be pink, lime and teal - such a pretty combo. She has them printed onto Conqueror card stock for a luxury feel, and added little gemstones for a little sparkle. The overall effect is stunning.

Can't wait to see the rest of the stationery!

The Ivory Boutique

2011-11-13T11:59:00.001Z

Jane of JaneyB Cakes having a chit chat

A few weeks ago I went to a wedding open evening hosted by The Ivory Boutique in Winchester, to show my wedding stationery (and drink Champagne & eat cupcakes!). The Ivory Boutique is a gorgeous Wedding boutique in Winchester, managed by the most gorgeous, sweet, talented (she's designed for ASOS) Hannah, who really knows her stuff and how to make brides-to-be feel special. In fact, she's going to be designing her own range of 50s inspired wedding dresses in the New Year - I WANT!

My range of Art Deco wedding stationery

So I was luckily enough to be invited along to show my wedding stationery, alongside Dani Miller of beautiful Parisienne-inspired lingerie boutique Boudoir Blush (I've been working with Dani on a re-brand recently so expect the big unveil soon), and Jane Hearn of JaneyB cakes. It was a fantastic evening, with lots of fizz flowing, scrummy cakes made by Jane herself, and pretty goody bags. Here are some snaps of the evening...

"Mrs& Mrs" wedding invitation and "To & Fro" guest info card

"Yay & Nay" RSVP and hand-written envelope

Pretty wedding cakes from JaneyB

Weekly Tip: How to paint watercolour flowers

2011-11-10T14:35:00.002Z

This week I’ve beenworking on an editorial illustration that involves watercolour painted flowersin the design. So I thought I’d share my process with you.

{1} First ofall I roughly sketch out the outlines of the flowers. I try to be really loosewith the pencil and not make the flowers look too structured. Varying thepressure of the pencil and thickness of the line stops the flowers lookingflat.

{2} Next Ichoose my colours and mix them to the right consistency. I like to use Windsorand Newton artists watercolours and the pigment is really rich so I only haveto use a little bit. Even though these paints aren’t cheap they last for ages.

{3} Then I’mready to add the colour. I load a brush with quite watery paint and apply itloosely over the pencil, just giving the suggestion of colour to the flowers.While the paint is still quite wet I add different colours and let them flowinto one another, then as the paint starts to dry I build up some more layersto give depth. A few paint splots and splashes around the image give itmovement and help avoid the image looking to structured.

Et voila! The finishedimage is ready to be scanned and incorporated into my final illustration. Whichis top secret at the moment, all to be revealed VERY soon!

Diary of new business: Studio space

2011-11-05T16:59:00.002Z

I am SUPER SUPER SUPER excited today, as I've been discussing the possibility of a studio space with a fellow creative, and today she picked up the keys! It's a lovely light, open space which used to be an old bakery in the 1880s, and retains lots of gorgeous original features. Georgina (a pattern and textile designer with a gorgeous little shop in our town - www.ernestandmatlida.co.uk) and I have big plans to run craft workshops and use some of the space as a gallery, alongside her textile design business and my Illustration and wedding stationery business. I can't wait to get in there and start redesigning the interior! Eek!

Here are some snaps (excuse the mess it's nothing to do with me!).

Save the Date invitations

2011-11-04T18:37:00.001Z

A very good friend on mine is getting married this Christmas, and she asked me to design her wedding stationery (as well as be Maid of Honour! Eeek!). I'm also organising her hen do, and designed these little save the date invitations for all the hens. I thought it would be nice to have something we could all remember the day by.

Diary of a new business: business account!

2011-11-02T14:12:00.002Z

I just got home to find I have received my business account credit card. Eek! Very exciting to see my business name on a shiny piece of plastic. I'm glad I decided to open a separate bank account as it's more professional and easier to keep track of spending, so I'll be updating my online shop payment details soon. Just waiting for my business stationery now, and will no doubt be blogging when it arrives as I'll feel like a kid in a sweet shop!

Things on the business side are ticking along nicely at the moment, and I'm having my website redesigned which is super exciting. I can't wait for it to be finished! There's going to be a whole new wedding and portrait section where you can commission the prettiest of stationery or have your very own portrait illustrated. I'm started to enjoy the freelance life now and not missing the 9-5 too much any more.

Interview with lingerie designer Alicia Rose

2011-10-24T12:22:00.001+01:00

Oh la la! Pretty lingerie alert!! If you've been reading my recent blog posts you'll know that I'm getting involved in lots of collaborations at the moment, and a couple of weeks back happened to get chatting to a charming lady called Alicia Rose. She makes beautiful hand-embroidered lingerie mixing "unexpected and quirky details are with sumptuous fabrics and finishes to create luxury lingerie with a unique twist". This is music to my ears as I'm always on the lookout for gorgeous design. Read on to hear all about how she began her business and what inspires this talented lady to create her beautiful lingerie.

Embroidered bunting organic cotton knickers

Gemma Milly: You studied at London College of Fashion. How did your studiesinspire you to create Alicia Rose?

Alicia Rose: It was at LCF that I first learnt how to patterncut, make a corset and all the technical aspects of fashion design. Withoutthis knowledge I definitely wouldn’t be where I am today. Knowing how to make apattern really affects how you design. I found LCF to be quite competitive,especially in the last year when everyone was making his or her finalcollections, which was great as it has made me incredibly passionate and hard working.

University was good at keeping us connected tothe fashion industry all though our degree and making sure that we didn’t stayhidden in that safe “university bubble” that so many students seem to be in forthe duration of their degrees. I had several live projects with companies suchas Hed Kandi and Abercrombie & Fitch, where some of the designs wherechosen to go into production, as well as going on an Internship with HirokoKoshino.

Gemma Milly: Could you tell us a little bit about working with Hed Kandi?

Alicia Rose: Hed Kandi approached LCF as they were launching a clothing line and wanted us to create a range for them. It was in this project that I first used print and worked with other students to create a lingerie inspired party collection that had patent leather corsets, sequin shorts and body suits and a chiffon hooded play suit printed with a sequin and gem print that I designed.

Embroidered Days of the Week organic cotton knickers

Gemma Milly: How did you find the process of setting upyour business?

Alicia Rose: I actually found it really easy! Anything that Ididn’t know (such as tax returns and how to legally set up a business) I justgoogled and anything that I was still confused about I would ask someone. Iremember feeling really disappointed when I learnt that you don’t receive a“congratulations” letter from the tax man when you sent up a business.

People are always happy to help, although onepiece of advice I would give is to be wary of taking advice off someone whohasn’t actually done it or who knows nothing about your industry.

I started thinking about setting up on my own inmy last year of university and the main thing that was holding me back washaving the self confidence in my designs, which is where I think social mediahad been so great. It’s been fantastic having a support group on twitter toshare my new ideas with and to get some feedback. At the start I rememberwishing that I had someone there to launch Alicia Rose with, but as times hasgone on I’m happy to be a one woman band as it means that I’m the onedetermining how and when things get done.

Gemma Milly: What is your creative process? How do yougo about creating a design?

Alicia Rose: After I have done all my research and created atheme I sit down for a couple of days and draw literally hundreds of designs.After that I will look through them all and develop and expand my favoriteones. At this point if I have a print or embroidery idea I will sample this aswell as creating the patterns for the garments at the same time. Next I willsew samples and edit the patterns to get the fit right. This cycle of editingthe patterns and making samples will happen as many times as necessary until Iam happy with the piece. At some point, I will roughly draw on my print orembroidery design onto the samples, as I find this much easier to determinewhat it will look like than drawing it all out on a piece of paper. Once I amhappy with the print or embroidery design I will sample it before making up thefinal pieces.

I also like to do an illustration of each piece Imake, along with doing technical specification sheets for each. Lots ofindependent designers that I have spoken to don’t really do this, but I like tohave all the information there, so I am ready on the off chance that I get alarge wholesale order and need to send it to a factory for production.

Embroidered Baby Cake organic cotton knickers

Gemma Milly: Where do you find inspiration for yourdesigns?

Alicia Rose: My inspiration comes from a wide range of sourcesand it changes all the time. The original inspiration for my next collectioncame from an Angela Carter book, which was all about death and vampires, but mycolour scheme was inspired by some images that I found on Oskar Peet’s website.I used to worry that my final outcome didn’t really relate to my originalinspiration, but now I see that the transition from one of my ideas to the nextis organic and it works really well.

Gemma Milly: What would you say are the challenges ofworking in the lingerie business?

Alicia Rose: With lingerie, there is a very fine line betweenlooking sexy and looking sleazy. Everything down to the wrong fabric choice tothe wrong pose in a photo shoot can give off a sleazy look, which is somethingthat I avoid. I want Alicia Rose to give off vibes of fun, modern and sexy andI try very hard to maintain that.

Embroidered blue heart organic cotton knickers

Gemma Milly: What's next for Alicia Rose?

Alicia Rose: I am currently working on my next collection,which I’m really excited about as I’ve got some lounge wear pieces in there aswell bras and knickers. Its quite different from my embroidered knickerscollection.

I’m currently looking for lingerie-specificonline shops to sell my lingerie in and I really want to get into a real-lifeboutique, as it would help to push Alicia Rose forward a lot.

Black silk chiffon frill organic cotton knickers

If you want to find out more about Alicia Rose and where you can buy her pretty lingerie, or are a shop interested in stocking her products, hop on over to her website www.iamaliciarose.com and her online shop. You can also follow Alicia on Twitter @iamaliciarose

Finally, a BIG thank you to Alicia for taking the time to be interviewed and introducing me to her lovely designs.

All images © Alicia Rose.

Christmas Tree Festival

2011-10-20T15:10:00.000+01:00

I've just finished designing a poster for this year's Christmas tree festival which St Lawrence Church hold in my hometown of Alton. It's a really lovely idea...local businesses sponsor a tree which they decorate how they wish, and by the time all the lights have been put up and switched on the Church is filled with the twinkly light from lots and lots of sparkling Christmas trees. Any donations are then given to charity. The festival is my clever mama's idea, which she likes to remind me at regular intervals. I'm taking a tree this year and will be creating all sorts of pretty, sparkly hand made decorations. The colour pink is likely to feature heavily!

I'll be posting photos of the festival once it's all up and running, so make sure you check back soon if you like twinkly, festive pretty things. You won't be disappointed :)

Lionheart Magazine

2011-10-19T09:57:00.000+01:00

Since I'm on the subject of collaborations this week, I wanted to write a special post about a VERY exciting project I'm involved in with Writer and Editor Helen Martin. I first started working with Helen on Amelia's Magazine, and it's fair to say we're pretty much on the same wavelength so have kept in touch ever since.

Helen has done something EXTREMELY brave and exiting, and has been working super hard recently to create her own magazine - http://lionheartmagazine.wordpress.com I can't say exactly what I've been up to, but safe to say I AM VERY VERY EXCITED and having to sew my mouth shut and sit on my hands to avoid blurting out anything that would spoil the surprise when Lionheart is launched.

If you'd like a sneak peak at the sort of thing you can expect, here's a look at one of the photoshoots for the magazine.

And that is all. Lionheart is due to launch in November so you'll have to keep your eyes peeled!

Weekly tip: Collaborate!

2011-10-18T21:35:00.000+01:00

Hello hello! Can't believe a week has gone by already, so glass of wine in hand (I have earned it after an hour of spinning let me tell you!) I've settled down to babble on about illustration once again.

So this week I want to talk about collaborations. These are fabulous things. If you're an Illustrator, or any kind of creative freelancer for that matter, collaborations are a great way to promote yourself, work with some lovely people and try something new. As we all know working from home can send you a little doolally sometimes, so it's good for the soul to work together with someone on a project. It's also a great way to motivate yourself, as you'll more than likely be working to a deadline that has perhaps been set for you. Here's what I'm up to with some other creative types at the moment:

I'm working with fellow Illustrator and lovely lady Faye West as part of a collective called EDIT, to organise an exhibition of fashion editorial work. We're coordinating around 30 Illustrators and their work, which will be exhibited in West London early next year. Faye is a joy to work with, which does help :) You can follow all our goings on over at the EDIT blog, on Facebook and Twitter.

I'm also very excited to be working with Victoria & Ben of The Aviary, to create illustrations for a range of jewellery for them. The Aviary specialise in up-cycled vintage jewellery and accessories...music to my ears! Should all be done in time for Christmas, and you'll be able to buy the pieces in my shop as well as over a The Aviary.

New products in my shop

2011-10-13T18:00:00.001+01:00

New cards available in my online shop.

I've just added a whole new range of greetings cards to my online shop, including a print of my original illustration 'Yellow Skirt' which always proves popular. Why not have a peek and see if there's something you like!

visit my shop here.

Weekly Tip: the importance of saying 'No'.

2011-10-11T18:26:00.000+01:00

It's that time of the week again, another little nugget of illustration-related advice from moi, which I hope gives you something interesting to read on a Tuesday evening! This week I thought I'd share one of the most important lessons I've learned in recent months, and which has helped me make the jump from successful amateur to professional freelancer. And this is it: Learn to say 'No'.

So what do I mean by this? Well, here's a question for the Illustrators:

Who, at some point in their Illustration career, has agreed to work for free?

I'm pretty sure that everyone's hand is now in the air. Now why is this the case, when we're all talented artists who are trying to make a living like everyone else, doing something that we're very good at and therefore deserved to be paid for? Well, from my experience, when you're first starting out, sometimes working for no financial gain can be worth it's weight in gold when you consider the exposure you may receive for your work.

Let me give you an example: the person that I have to thank for helping me launch my fashion Illustration career was Amelia Gregory of Amelia's Magazine. This is how it all started... Amelia asked me to Illustrate her coverage of London Fashion Week for the magazine, which proved a huge success and I went on to Illustrate the next three London Fashion Weeks for the magazine. Amelia then featured me in her book 'Amelia's Compendium of Fashion Illustration', and I also began to write for the magazine, whilst continuing to illustrate on a regular basis. Because I'd been drawing regularly my style had really developed, and pretty soon I was featured in Grafik and asked by one of the writers at Harpers Bazaar to be featured on their blog. Since then I've managed to support myself pretty much full-time as a Fashion Illustrator, and have recently expanded into wedding stationery and portraiture, so unfortunately don't have time to Illustrate for Amelia at the moment. So...my point is this: by working with Amelia for no financial gain, it's opened doors for me that may very well have otherwise remained closed, so in this case working for free was worth it. BUT, if I wanted to start earning money from my work I had to eventually make the transition from saying yes to 'no, sorry but I can't' anymore'. And it is not easy!

For one thing, it's a nice little safety net to be illustrating (even though you're not being paid), because you're still getting your work published. But for me this meant that I wasn't concentrating enough on self-promotion and getting paid work. So even though it was hard, I had to take the plunge and stop working on briefs for other people and concentrate on marketing myself. And it has definitely paid off. Since then work has snowballed and I now have a steady stream of work and can call myself a professional Illustrator. I registered myself as self-employed this year and things are really positive at the moment. Now, when work comes in, I have to decide whether or not it is financially viable and if it's not, then unfortunately I do need to say no. At the end of the day (and I've said this before), the profession of any commercial artist is just that: a profession. If you're not in it to make money, then it'll never be more than a hobby.

Finally, if I could give one piece of advice for when you're faced with the decision of turning down a commission, it would be to give a valid reason. In my experience, so long as you say no and explain why, unfortunately, you are unable to take the work on, people are extremely understanding and will respect your decision.

And FINALLY, finally...special thanks to the gorgeous Amelia Gregory for being such an inspiration and championing all those up and coming Illustrators out there :)

Check back next Tuesday for another tip, and if you have any feedback or suggestions please drop me an email.

Gemma xx

Bespoke Baby Portrait

2011-10-08T11:06:00.000+01:00

'Delilah'

I've just finished this portrait commission of gorgeous little Delilah. I used pencil and watercolour and she will soon be float mounted in a gorgeous white vintage hand-made frame by Fine Framing.

If you'd like to enquire about commissioning a portrait, please do drop me an email. I specialise in wedding and baby portraits, but can take on pretty much anything, and I LOVE what I do. So you can be guaranteed of something very special, be it for yourself or as a gift.

My work on Imagine That

2011-10-06T13:15:00.000+01:00

Today I logged onto my emails to a nice surprise, the lovely folks over at design blog Imagine That have featured my work. You can take a look here.

Thanks guys!

Weekly tip: Successful Blogging Part Deux

2011-10-04T21:00:00.001+01:00

Wooah!! Last weeks tip on the art of successful blogging was a massive success! Thank you everyone that took the time to read it and send me such lovely comments. It's so nice to have positive feedback and to know that I've passed on some pearls of wisdom. So seeing as so many people found my blogging tips a help last week (thanks to the amazing Holly Becker of Decor8 fame), I thought I'd carry on the theme and share a few more. So here are three more tips which I hope you find useful...

1. Start a column! Something like...a weekly tip about successful blogging...! Well it works for me! And update your column the same time every week so people get in the habit of checking your blog and look forward to new content. A great way to increase traffic to your blog.

2. Increase your google rating and traffic to your blog by getting mentioned on other people's blogs. I went to a wedding event last Thursday and met a lady who makes AMAZING wedding and party cakes (seriously, I have never tasted vanilla frosting like it. Died.And.Gone.To.Heaven), and she very kindly added me to her links section on her website.

3. If you're really very new to social media/the blogosphere and need a little confidence booster, consider taking an online course to learn about the basics as well as some tricks of the trade. Holly over at Decor8 runs some really fab blogging courses, and the next one starts this Friday!

And that's all for this week! If you have any comments or suggestions for next week's tip, whizz me over an email or leave a comment and I'll see what I can do :)

xx

Interview in House of Paul Interiors

2011-10-03T11:57:00.000+01:00

As regular readers of my blog will know, I recently attended the launch of Heart Home Magazine, which I was asked to Illustrate for. When I was there I met a lovely girl called Mary-Ellen Paul, who runs interior design blog House of Paul Interiors, and she asked me to do an interview for her blog. The interview was about becoming an Illustrator and you can read it here!

I hope it provides some inspiration for any budding Illustrators out there to follow your heart and do what you love.

Thanks Mary-Ellen for featuring me xx

London Wedding: Tube Map stationery

2011-10-01T09:41:00.000+01:00

Image courtesy of Blue Expanse Photography.

I wanted to share this project which I created for a good friend's wedding. They wanted something a little different for their big day, and both living in North London, we came up with the idea of using the London Tube Map as a basis for her seating plan design. Anna said:

"Wanting to acknowledge the city we have made our home, I had the idea of a London Underground-themed seating plan. A very talented artist friend printed a huge copy of the tube map with each underground line representing a table and replaced the stops with our guests’ names. Needless to say, our London-based, underground-using friends were the first to be seated!"

You probably know by now that I use a lot of watercolour in my illustrations, so I thought it would be a lovely idea to soften the lines of the tube map with watercolour strokes, to give it a much more romantic and whimsical feel. Each table at the reception was named after a tube stop and the station names were replaced by the guests' names, which was fun when the guests arrived and had to find themselves on the map.

Anna and Craig's wedding was featured on blog Rock My Wedding, so you can have a look at Anna's gorgeous wedding dress, sleek bridesmaid and of course my tube map seating plan.

If you'd like you some bespoke wedding stationery designed, or a similar seating plan for your wedding, please do get in touch! You can drop me an email here xx

Weekly Tip: Successful Blogging

2011-09-28T10:40:00.000+01:00

This week has been agood one for design, firstly because London Design Festival is well underway,but mainly because I’ve been privileged enough to be exhibiting at Decorex. Iwas in an interior design wonderland, there were many pretty things that caughtmy eye, but I’ll save that for a different post.

The thing thatinspired this week’s tip, was a Seminar I attended yesterday at Decorex by Holly Becker ofcult interior design blog Decor8, all about successful blogging. I was pretty excited to hear Hollytalk, and to get the chance to say hi afterwards, as she featured me on Decor8a few months back, and it was a privilege to finally get to meet her. So, Ilike to think that I have a pretty good online presence – I’ve been runningthis blog for 2 ½ years now, I tweet regularly (@gemmamillie if you’d like tosay hi!), I have a Facebook page, but there are always things to learn andspace for improvement, so I thought I’d share the five things I found mostuseful from a personal point of view, from what Holly had to say.

1. Sign up for adesign class in the subject you’re blogging about. I quite my job in the City todo an MA in Illustration, but it doesn’t have to be that drastic! The Papered Parlour and Make Lounge in London offer wonderful crafting classes where youcan learn a new skill and increase your knowledge on the subject (and there are plenty of regional craft workshops too). This makesfor fresh and original content for your blog.

2. Don’t write sloppyposts. Check your spelling, only say what you really want to say and make sureyour photos look good. Little details make all the difference.

3. Interview peoplefor your blog. This is a great way to get in touch with the people you admireand make contacts, not to mention the extra traffic you may get form linkingyour blog to another. You can read my Sketchbook Magazine interview for ideas

4. Invite people intoyour world. We’re all a little bitnosey at heart and LOVE to know to the person behind the blog. So it’s alwaysinteresting to write about your studio, your work process and your inspirations (see my post on Self Promotion!).

5. Grow gradually,don’t worry if you don’t have thousands of followers immediately, it’s moreimportant that you’re connecting with people and writing about something you’repassionate about. It may take time but the followers will come. It’s taken me18 months to get to 800 followers on Twitter, so it’s no over night thing.

And there you have it!

I want to thank Hollyfor such an inspirational talk, and for sharing some really interesting anduseful tips on how to blog successfully. I hope this helps and please just pingme an email if you have any other burning questions! x

Tercel Design

2011-09-23T22:15:00.000+01:00

Recently, I was asked by design studio Tercel Design - who specialise in the design and production of bespoke ironwork furniture - to create a fabric pattern for their new range of furniture. The range is called 'Thames' and is verrrry pretty - each piece incorporates the curve of the River Thames into the design which makes for a gorgeous, flowing effect. Imagine a ribbon but made from steel, and that is what you get. I think it looks super lovely!

So back to the fabric, carrying on the London theme, I used a ribbon to represent the river Thames and drew some of the key landmarks along its length. The two birds holding the ribbon are falcons, which relates to Tercel's parent company - Falcon Forge.

Here are some pictured of my fabric being screen printed...

Tercel Design will be exhibiting the range at Decorex from this Sunday (25th September 2011), so if you are planning on popping along, come and say hi at stand J319.

Love, Amandine x

2011-09-22T15:51:00.001+01:00

This is an image I drew for my sister blog - Love, Amandine x - which is a blog about a fictional character called Amandine, who's a bit of fashionista and London girl about town. I've been a bit slack lately with updating it, really need to add that to my (or Amandine's) to do list :)

Yummy cupcake

2011-09-22T15:34:00.001+01:00

So, not sure if anyone saw the chocolate cupcakes I baked last week and put on twitter, but this is the finished product! They were filled with Nutella and were decorated with an edible viola flower. And yes, they were pretty darn scrumptious!

p.s. photo is courtesy of my boyfriend Tom who is pretty handy with an SLR.

an art nouveau wedding invitation

2011-09-21T18:27:00.000+01:00

This stationery design is SO super cute!! Check it out...

{:· LizzyB Loves ·:}: an art nouveau wedding invitation

Weekly tip: Self Promotion

2011-09-21T11:30:00.001+01:00

Welcome to a new feature of my blog, where I will be sharing my experience and tips on all areas of Illustration & Self Promotion. I, for one, am always on the look out for new ways of doing things, whether it be using Photoshop, watercolour techniques, how to promote my work better, so I've decided to collect all the snippets of advice and good ideas I find in one please, and share them with you!

So my first tip is: Promote yourself! Clients won't come to you if they don't know you're out there, so make sure you send your portfolio out to all the people you'd love to work for. Don't worry if you only hear back from a few people you contact, even one interested reply from 50 enquiries is extremely good news! That one person could be your next £5,000 commission!

Here's a sneak peek at a promotional pack I put together and sent out to magazine Editors.

I hope you find this useful, and if you have any inspiring suggestions of your own, please feel free to drop me an email to gemma@gemmamilly.com and I'll publish your comments and ideas on my blog.

Gemma xx

Portrait Illustration: Hair

2011-09-20T11:37:00.001+01:00

Today I'm mostly drawing hair! Well, it's a family portrait, with a new born baby (so cute!!), but I'm having a most lovely time illustrating the hair in the image.

Heart Home Illustrations

2011-09-17T13:00:00.000+01:00

I'm really pleased to finally be able to blog about these Illustrations I was commissioned to do for Heart Home Magazine - which launched it's first issue this week. They were to accompany a feature called the 'Alternative Guide to the London Design Festival'.

Heart Home is the first digital British interior design magazine, and has been beautifully put together, featuring real homes, cute accessories, and the place to be during London Design Festival. Editors Arianna, Carole and Daniel have done an exceptional job. If you like what you see, the next issue is out December 8th and will be guaranteed to be packed full of gorgeous festive loveliness.

Hope you like!

Heart Home Magazine launch

2011-09-16T11:57:00.000+01:00

Today I'm in a little happy place, glowing from a fabulous night last night. After much anticipation, brand new British Interior Design magazine ' Heart Home' officially launched! I joined Editors-in-Chief Arianna Trapani, Carole King and Art-Editor Daniel Nelson at the Conran Shop, Chelsea for a sparkling night chatting to other design bloggers, photographers and writers.

The lovely Editors!

Me having a lovely time!

Me with Katie of Confessions of a Design Geek

I got to know Arianna almost a year ago now, when she featured me on her blog Arianna Interiors as part of her 'one to watch' series. We got along right from the offset, so when she asked me to be part of this new online magazine she was launching I jumped at the chance. It's been a bit of a whirlwind since then... working with the wonderful Katie (Confessions of a Design Geek) and Helena (A Diary of Lovely) to produce illustrations for their pieces on the London Design Festival, and liaising with the Editors to get everything over to them in time for the launch. But oh my! It was worth it. The Magazine is a work of art, simply stunning, and so addictive I read it cover to cover. I really do take my hat off to everyone involved in making it such a fantastic first Issue, not least to the Ari, Carole and Daniel for so much hard work!

You can see Heart Home in all it's glory here.

Alternative guide to the London Design Festival, by Katie Treggiden and myself.

Bespoke Portraits

2011-09-07T09:37:00.000+01:00

Just a quick post today, to remind you that I take commissions for portraits, including children & babies, weddings, anniversaries and engagements. These make really lovely personal gifts and are a beautiful way to remember a special moment like a wedding.

All portraits are intricately drawn in pencil on acid free paper.

If you're interested in commissioning a portrait from me or would like more information, then please drop me a line here and I can take you through the process.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Gemma x

London Design Festival: Decorex & Heart Home Magazine

2011-09-06T10:57:00.000+01:00

Hi everyone. Just before I begin, can I just say...what is going on with the weather at the moment? I am seriously considering moving to the Caribbean to avoid this 'is it summer, is it Autumn. schizophrenic weather!! Anyway, just wanted to update you on what I've been up to recently. Aside from setting up my wedding stationery/design business that is...

Firstly, I've been working very hard together with the lovely, lovely folks at Heart Home Magazine, on a feature on London Design hotspots. Now, if you haven't heard of Heart Home Magazine before, that's because it's a brand spanking new glossy lifestyle magazine, due to officially launch next Thursday 15th September. As one of the contributors, I'll be Joining the team for the launch party at the Conran Shop in Chelsea next Thurs to celebrate. I worked with fab writer Katie Treggiden to illustrate the hotspots in 5 of London's design districts, and with writer Helena del Rio to bring her fashion visions of each area to life. I can't wait to see the finished product and my illustrations in one of the most exciting new Magazines to hit the shelves this year. You can check out the Heart Home blog here and get updates on the Launch and how you can get hold of a copy.

Work in Progress for Heart Home Magazine.

Secondly, I've had the pleasure of creating a fabric design for Design studio Tercel, to be used for their gorgeous new range of furniture showing at Decorex International in a few weeks.. Tercel Design is part of Falcon Forge, a traditional Forge based in Edenbridge, on the Kent/Sussex borders, which uses skilled craftsmen to create quite simply, beautiful architectural metalwork. So you can imagine the sort of intricate, exquisite furniture they are capable of producing. The theme of the new range is 'Cherished Places: London', and Head Designer Tom Gyr has come up with a stunning collection of tables, chairs and lighting which is really unique and wouldn't look out of place in Liberty or the Savoy. So I'm super excited to see my fabric upholstered onto these works of art. To give you a sneak peak of what to expect from the fabric, here you go...

Decorex is on from the 25th-28th September, and if you are planning on coming down, come and say hello to the Tercel team and myself at stand J319. Hope to see you there!

Gem xx

Diary of a new business

2011-09-04T11:36:00.000+01:00

Oh la la it's been an age since I updated my blog, so I'm feeling rather sheepish about that, but I'm pleased to say that the reason for my slackness is that I've been super busy working on Commissions and setting up a business (with a little trip to Paris thrown in for good measure). Now, you might think it's a bit strange that I'm setting up a business, when I've already been working as an Illustrator for quite some time now, but this is something a little bit different. I've been covering Fashion Week for various magazines for around 18 months now, as well as working on Wedding commissions and portraits, but I've decided to take all the pretty things I like to draw and turn them into products. It's going to be a long journey full of hard work, but my dream is to one day have a shop (and even a chain of shops) selling original artwork as prints and products, running alongside my wedding consultancy. As everything I love to draw seems to have an ethereal, pretty, romantic edge, I think the two ideas would work together beautifully.

So this is the first of many diary posts, which I want to use as a platform to share with you all my progress, my thoughts and ideas, my successes and set-backs along the way. I hope that by documenting my journey, I'll be able to give you a peek into my world and maybe even inspire any other budding artist-entrepreneurs to do the same as me and make their dream a reality.

OK, exciting thing no.1 this week was receiving my business registration certificate. I am now officially a registered business! I can tell you, having this one piece of paper is like a big kick up the derriere to actually get my business started. I've also spent a LOT of time reading business books and talking to people, which I have decided are invaluable in giving you ideas and advice about how to get things started. I've also been researching markets and will soon have a stall at Greenwich market selling oh so many pretty things for the home and special occasions (including weddings!). And I have an Accountant :)

I'll be updating my blog regularly with developments, including Greenwich market dates, online shop updates, new products and general news about what I've been up to. So I hope you'll check back to see how things go :)

Ciao for now xx

Exhibition

2011-07-14T10:45:00.000+01:00

Hello everyone!

I'm having a really good week so far, not least because the lovely Faye West and I are in the process of organising an Illustration exhibition in London. Credit to Faye who came up with the idea and I'm excited to be helping her make it happen. This is the premise: there are lot of talented Illustrators out there who regularly contribute their time and talent to magazines such as Amelia's Magazine, Ballad Of... and Illustration Rally, and hence have a huge portfolio of work that once published, is sitting doing nothing. It would be fantastic to celebrate all of this fantastic work by displaying it in a public space, raising the profile of the Illustrators and hopefully selling some prints.

The work chosen for the exhibition will be carefully curated by Faye and myself to ensure that the very best is on show, a job that I'm very much looking forward to. We're in the process of setting up a Facebook page and blog for the event so keep your eyes peeled for updates.

We've had really positive feedback from Amelia Gregory herself, Fashion Editor Matt Bramford and jounalist/stylist/publicist extraordinaire Katie Antoniou, so it looks set to be a fantastic event.

Thanks to everyone that has gotten involved so far, we'll be in touch as things unfold.

Gemma & Faye x

New Designers

2011-07-12T17:33:00.000+01:00

So it's taken me a few days, but I have FINALLY gotten round to writing up about Part 2 of New Designers. It was on a very wet and dreary day that my boyfriend Tom (a furniture designer, aka excitable child at the prospect of a day of looking at tables and lamps) and I made the trip from leafy Alton up to Islington and the BDC. We decided to go to Part 2 of New Designers to look at the Product & Furniture design, as well as new Illustration talent. We were met by Tom's friend who works for Tiger Print (any Illustrators out there should check out their Christmas competition 'Gifted') who very generously gave us VIP passes for the show. Thanks Laura!

First up was a peek at Northumbria's stand, and I have to say I was suitably impressed. My stand out pieces were a side unit with coat stand attached, in a gorgeous shade of turquoise...

and a desk that I absolutely MUST have...one day...*sigh*

Next we moved on to London Met's stand and spotted a beautiful, if not questionable, pony skin-esque chair, and a walnut table with an ink blot pattern inlayed by Alex Stevenson. Fair to say it was pretty stunning. The quality of finish on all the furniture on this stand was outstanding.

One of my highlights was the jewellery and ceramics from Loughborough University. This gorgeous plastic jewellery was so original and simply stunning...

However, although there was a bucket load of talent to be seen, it was the 'One Year On' area that really stood out for me. We had a chat with Monorex and I promptly fell in love with Sivia Suen's handmade, intricate silver jewellery. It must take her absolutely ages to craft her detailed earrings, bracelets and necklaces, but the result is most definitely worth the effort if you ask me. Simply breathtaking stuff.

The Monorex stand itself was pretty impressive too, with a live illustration battle, grafitti on the walls, and some amazing Illustrations. My favourite was this:

The rest of the Illustration was pretty good, my favourite stand being Thames Valley University.

All in all a fabulous day and some great new talent!

Love and Wardrobe

2011-07-12T16:19:00.000+01:00

Oh la la! I have something special to tell you about! I was flicking through some pics on Instagram yesterday and came across Love and Wardrobe - one girl's collection of everyday beautiful images. All her photographs have a really dreamy quality, and there was one in particular that inspired me to create this illustration. If you fancy something pretty to look at today, head over to www.loveandwardrobe.com or find her on Instagram.

Sketchbook Magazine feature

2011-07-12T11:59:00.001+01:00

Morning everyone! Today I woke up to a nice surprise, I was featured in Sketchbook Magazine. You can read the interview here. I'm also on their Facebook page, and if you 'like' my album then I might be in with a chance of winning a commission with them. The more 'likes' the better the chance I have of winning. So I would be hugely grateful if you would pop on over there and get clicking :) It would mean a lot! Thank you x

Website facelift!

2011-07-10T18:20:00.001+01:00

As you may have noticed, my blog has has a little facelift! I have spent most of today (when I was under strict instructions to chill out and relax...oops) writing HTML and making my website, blog and online shop look pretty. I'm actually pretty smug that I have figured out how to code all by my very own self :) and I think it all looks a lot slicker and consistent now. You can see how the new website is looking here.

Wedding Illustration

2011-07-09T11:58:00.000+01:00

The past few weeks have been really busy with various commissions and in particular, wedding Illustrations. I've recently had the pleasure of working with a lovely girl from New York, called Ann, on a portrait for her wedding (see above). The brief was to create an image of a bride and groom kissing in a very romantic and whimsical style. The Illustration is going to be printed on tote bags which Ann and her husband to be will be giving to guests as a 'welcome' at their reception. What a sweet idea!

Ann was amazing to work with, so lovely and open to ideas. I'm so excited to see how they go down at her wedding next year!

If you'd like a bespoke wedding Illustration or portrait, please do get in touch: gemma@gemmamilly.com

p.s. Ann runs a gorgeous little online bag shop with her sister, which you should definitely check out here if you want a new pretty bag in your life!

Sunday Sketch

2011-06-26T21:49:00.001+01:00

Here's what I've been up to today, whilst sitting in the garden with my best friend Lindsey:

sunbathing & chatting
eating Soleros and cream tea
drinking Pimms, ginger beer and chilled white wine
chatting to our friend Lucy in New York, where she's just moved into a gorgeous 1920s flat (jealous? me?)
drawing this girl in a red polka dot dress

That is all! x

Competition in Majesty Magazine

2011-06-24T16:06:00.001+01:00

I'm super excited today, as I just received my copy of Majesty Magazine in the post. This month they are running a competition to win one of 3 signed prints of my William&Kate Balcony Kiss Ilustration, so as well as being extremely flattered I am also looking forward to see who wins! Thanks Majesty Magazine!
If you're not the gambling sort, then you can still purchase a print the old fashioned way, by heading over to my online shop.

New products in my shop

2011-06-16T10:45:00.000+01:00

Morning, hope you're all well on a very wet and miserable Thursday morning! I've just listed my 'Kiss' print over on my online shop, available to buy as a greetings card for only £2. I will be listing the print itself later today.

Polish Fashion Week 2011: Paprocki and Brzozowski for Amelia's Magazine

2011-05-30T20:36:00.000+01:00

One of my latest Illusrations for Amelia's Magazine. Read the full write up here.

Amelia's Compendium of Fashion Illustration Book Tour

2011-05-19T20:34:00.000+01:00

Last week I had the pleasure of joining Amelia Gregory (of Amelia's Magazine) and a whole gaggle of lovely Illustators and creative people at the launch of the ACOFI (Amelia's Compendium of Fashion Illustration for those not in the know) book tour, held at Tatty Devine, Covent Garden. I was thrilled to finally meet some twitter friends and fellow Illustrators June Chanpoomidole, Jo Cheung and Maria Papadimitriou, and of course Amelia herself - at last! The evening was particularly special for me as I've been contributing to Amelia's Magazine for over a year now and it's something very close to my heart.

The evening kicked off with some live illustration on the shop from myself and the guests which was great fun and got people mingling. Then Amelia gave a very interesting and inspiring talk about the Fashion Compendium, a brief history of Amelia's Magazine, how she works with Illustrators and the importance of social media in today's creative environment. Amelia has a very warm, relaxed manner and it was hard not to admire her hard work and determination in singlehandedly getting two fabulous books produced and into print, and tirelessly promoting upcoming Illustration talent.

Cute and very yummy cupcakes from Cute as a Cupcake were served throughout the evening, along with fresh juices from Juiceology and tea from Lahloo Tea.

Not to mention the gorgeous Dr.Haushka goodies! The girls from Tatty Devine were so lovely and we have some great conversations about DIY couture and handmade jewellery (of course). Finally, as the evening came to a close we spilled out onto the street and went our separate ways, but hopefully only until the next time!

Head of over to Amelia's Magazine to bag yourself a copy of Amelia's Compendium of Fashion Illustration. If you buy the book with a copy of the first book, Amelia’s Anthology of Illustration, you will receive both for a bargain £30. What is not to love?! GO !

Finally, if you missed her at Covent Garden, catch Amelia on the next legs of her tour:

Sarah Singh

2011-05-14T09:38:00.000+01:00

I've just come across the beautiful fashion illustration work of Sarah Singh. She creates fluid images in watercolour, inspired by the people she sees in everyday life. Sarah splits her time between Manhattan and Stockholn (alright for some!).

Design Inspiration

2011-05-14T09:32:00.000+01:00

This week I am mostly loving design blog Housemartin. It's full of pretty things that are inspiring me as I'm working on wedding stationary design for a friend. Have a peek if you fancy some eye candy.

Grafik Magazine

2011-05-14T09:13:00.000+01:00

This week I've been very lucky to have been featured in Grafik Magazine twice (thanks Amelia Gregory for nominating me). The latest issue of Grafik features new up and coming Fashion Illustration, and I was featured along with other talented illustrators Lesley Barnes, Bex Glover and Jenny Robbins.

William & Kate - Royal Wedding Illustration

2011-05-04T09:22:00.001+01:00

I've been busy this week creating an illustration of Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge, and it is now available to buy as a print from my shop .

The image also featured in Amelia's Magazine which you can read all about it here.

So please pop on over to my shop and bag yourself an original illustration to remember the Royal Wedding by.

Grafik Mag!

2011-05-03T14:56:00.000+01:00

I am extremely happy today as I've made it into Grafik Mag, courtesy of Art Director and Amelia's Magazine owner Amelia Gregory. Amelia was asked by the Magazine to take part in their 'Five of the Best' feature, so Amelia picked five of her favourite illustrators. And guess what, one of them was me! So a massive Thank You to Amelia for including me!

I'll be joining Amelia on May 10th at Tatty Devine in Covent Garden, for the Opening of her 'Amelia's Compendium of Fashion Illustration' book tour. Pop down if you can, it looks set to be a fabulous evening.

Book Tour: Amelia's Compendium of Fashion Illustration

2011-05-03T10:42:00.001+01:00

The ever so talented Amelia Gregory of Amelia's Magazine will be kicking off her book tour next Tuesday (10th) May. I will be joining her for the evening and am very much looking forward to it. Get all the details here

Dates:
Tuesday 10th May – Tatty Devine in Covent Garden, London, 6-10pm
Tuesday 17th May – Fruitmarket in Edinburgh, 6.30-10pm
Tuesday 24th May – Castor and Pollux in Brighton, 6-10pm
Wednesday 25th May – Comma in Oxford, 6-10pm
Thursday 26th May – Soma Gallery in Bristol, 6-10pm
Tuesday 7th June – Tatty Devine in Brick Lane, London, 6-10pm

Hope to see you there!

profile in www.thisisalton.co.uk

2011-05-03T10:05:00.000+01:00

Today I came across this article, which one of our wonderful local shop owners here in Alton published about me in This Is Alton, a local magazine. It's certainly put a spring in my step to read such a nice write up. Thanks Claire!

Agent Amandine Magazine

2011-04-29T16:03:00.000+01:00

Open publication - Free publishing - More fashion

Colour Blocking

2011-04-21T20:53:00.001+01:00

An Illustration I did recently for Spring/Summer's colour blocking trend.

Pattern Design for Threadless

2011-04-19T14:33:00.000+01:00

Last week I took part in the Threadless pattern design competition, run by Threadless. The brief was to come up with a fabric pattern design which could be used as part of designer Steven Alan's Autumn/Winter 2011 collection.

My design - called 'Dandelion' - was based around the theme of craftmanship and nature, which were seen on the A/W'11 catwalks. I also wanted to use red as this was a dominant colour too. You can visit the Threadless website and vote for my design here - it will make me happy if you do :)

Cassette Playa at London Fashion Week

2011-03-30T14:16:00.001+01:00

Sorry for the radio silence for so long! I've just got back from a 3 month jaunt around North America, and the jet lag has got the better of me! This is a very belated post from London Fashion Week. The ever wonderful Matt Bramford - Fashion Editor for Amelia's Magazine and general lovely person - asked me to illustrate his article on Cassette Playa. Read all about it here.

Seattle baby!

2011-03-18T01:02:00.000Z

Having been in Vancouver for a week, arriving in Seattle was like a breath of fresh air. Don't get me wrong, Vancouver is a great little city but it just seems like the States has got it sussed. We're staying in a cute neighbourhood North West of Seattle called Ballard, and I am very glad we're here and not central. Ballard is a lovely community, with plenty of trandy cafes and bars, not to mention countless cool vintage stores and gift shops. One of my favourite places to eat was a burger joint called Zaks - were you sit at picnic tables and can exchange something to put on their walls for a burger. If you go, you have to try the icecream milkshakes and homemade sauces.

Next I had to stop by Buffalo Exchange, and bagged me a cute little playsuit with polka dots and bows, and an 80s crochet cropped jumper. After being away from home for 3 months and having to wear pretty much the same thing every day, this was a real treat. AND the jumper was only 8 bucks!

I also headed over to Freemont to see the statue of Lenin (??), sample MANY chocolates at Theo's Chocolate Factory, and sample some of Seattle's finest coffee. Oh, and not forgetting mexican and margs at ChupaCabra. A real sweet spot with amazing food, excellent service and very cheap. Check it out if you ever find yourself in Ballard/Freemont.

Other things to definitely check out in the area are the truly delicious pizzas at Delanceys - a Seattle institution, and perfect for a romantic night out - an Honore, a gorgeous little french bakery. On my last day my boyfriend and I tried 6 different pastries and they were all divine. In particular, the salted caramel pastry was out of this world!

London Fashion Week A/W 2011 Catwalk Review: Amanda Wakeley

2011-03-03T01:19:00.000Z

When I was asked to illustrate the Amanda Wakeley show by Music Editor, Helen Martin, I jumped at the chance. The palette of orange, black, camel and gold in Amanda's A/W11 collection were so beautiful. Read Helen's equally beautifully written review for Amelia's Magazine here.

London Fashion Week A/W 2011, Catwalk Review: Fashion Mode No.3 Carlotta Actis Barone

2011-02-24T22:14:00.000Z

Next up this week in the world of LFW and illustration, it's Carlotta Actis Barone. Amelia's Magazine Music Editor, Helen Martin, commissioned me to produce an illustration of the A/W11 collection (above). Backcombed hair and beautifully frosted make up were the order of the day. All in all a pretty breathtaking collection. Be sure to check out Helen's write up and other illustrations form the talented Abby Wright, Gareth A Hopkins, Matilde Sazio and Kayleigh Buck.

London Fashion Week A/W 2011 Catwalk Review: Temperley London

2011-02-22T19:06:00.001Z

Alice Templerley by me for Amelia's Magazine.
Celebrating ten years in the fashion business, Temperley London showed off their A/W11 collection at the British Museum for London Fashion Week. Read Katie Antoniou's review for Amelia's Magazine. Fantastic illustrations by Joana Faria, Gilly Rochester and Donya Todd (oh, and your truly of course!).

Alice Templerley by me for Amelia's Magazine.

Alice Templerley by me for Amelia's Magazine.

Joe Turvey's Illustrations

2011-02-21T04:18:00.000Z

Today I have an illustration crush on Joe Turvey's sublime artworks. He recently illustrated for Amelias' Magazine and London Fashion Week - you can read all about it here.

London Fashion Week A/W 2011, Catwalk Review: Prophetik

2011-02-21T02:34:00.001Z

This weekend I had the pleasure of illustrating an article from London Fashion Week, written by one of my favourite Amelia's Magazine writers - Helen Martin. The show she was reviewing was Prophetik, and I can see why it was Helen's favourite show of the day - the collection was Louis XV inspired, and oozing drama. Simply beautiful! Read Helen's write up here.

Prophetik by Abby Wright. I love Abby's effortlessly fluid and ethereal style.

Nice things for a Thursday

2011-02-17T21:02:00.000Z

I have a cold today, so I am posting some nice things I've found on t'interweb today to cheer myself (and anyone else with a cold) up!

http://www.faunesque.com/illustration/originals/

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5095/5441061361_8b74fbf112_b.jpg

http://www.amyclaire.com/

London Fashion Week A/W 2011 Preview: Rachel Freire

2011-02-16T17:43:00.001Z

Rachael Freire A/W 11 for Amelia's Magazine.

I've just finished an illustration for the ever wonderful Matt Bramford of Amelia's Magazine. This time is was a review of Rachael Freire's A/W11 collection. I adore Matt's style of writing, so if you fancy a treat read all about the uber-cool, tea drinking, costumier-cum-fashion Designer's work here. Her website is most definitely worth checking out too, the photography and styling is absolutely breathtaking. Check it out here.

Here are some of the other illustrations for the piece which I love, courtesy of Krister Selin, Abby Wright and Yelena Byksenkova.

Rachael Freire by Yelena Bryksenkova.

Rachael Freire by Krister Selin.

Rachael Freire by Abby Wright.

My work in Burst Magazine

2011-02-15T17:37:00.000Z

I'm very excited because the 'Love' issue of Burst Magazine is out! And I'm very happy to say that it features a profile on me and some of my work. Thank you Ali - very lovely Creative Director. You can take a look here.

Messing around with watercolour

2011-02-14T05:19:00.000Z

This is a little experiment I did today with some left over watercolour, which I was using for another illustration. I quite like the effect.

Images from the #ACOFI launch party

2011-02-11T17:09:00.000Z

The lovely Amelia Gregory asked me to illustrate her and Courtney of Forward PR from the #ACOFI launch party. Here are the portraits I did. Amelia's outfit was to die for, she wore Joanna Cave earrings, Beautiful Soul cape, Monsoon dress and Nina Dolcetti shoes.

Here are some more of my favourite illustrations of the evening from a bunch of talented ladies.

Yelena Bryksenkova illustrates the launch party.

Ethical stylist Tamara Cincik by Michelle Urvall.

AMAZING cake by Lily Vanilli, illustrated beautifully by Abby Wright.

Hannah Bullivant by Natasha Thompson.

Sketch of the lady herself - Amelia Gregory

2011-02-08T04:26:00.000Z

Here's another sneak peak at an illustration of Amelia Gregory that I'm working on for Amelia's Magazine. Expect to see the final piece very soon :)

Sketch for Amelia's Magazine

2011-02-04T00:48:00.000Z

Hey peeps. I've been working on some portraits of some of the people from the ACOFI launch last Friday night. I thought I'd share my initial sketch of the gorgeous Courtney from Forward PR as a little teaser!

Minna for Amelia's Compendium of Fashion Illustration

2011-02-04T00:28:00.001Z

Here is one of the images I did for ethical fashion designer Minna, which features in Amelia's Compendium of Fashion Illustration. You can read all about it here. And if you haven't gotten yourself a copy of the book (what? Has your head been buried in the sand?) you can nab a sneaky 10% discount if you order before Feb 28th 2011. Just enter special discount code ACOFI LAUNCH at the checkout. Enjoy!

Burst Magazine

2011-02-03T18:16:00.000Z

Today I woke up to a very nice surprise. The illustrations that I submitted to Burst Magazine's recent competition to feature in their February edition have been selected! So Im a verry happy bunny. Can't wait to see the real thing, especially as it's a special Valentine's issue, so the illustrations ought to be super beautiful.

Amelia's Compendium of Fashion Illustration in Vogue!

2011-02-01T17:19:00.000Z

Wow I'm pretty excited today as Amelia's Compendium of Fashion Illustration has got a write up in none other than Vogue! Check it out here. This is great press for the book and it's hats off to Amelia again. Here are two of my favourite illustrations

Fifi Bijoux by Abby Wright.

Partimi by Jennifer Costello.

Vessels new album review: Helioscope

2011-01-31T23:16:00.000Z

I recently reviewed Vessels' second studio album - Helioscope - for Amelia's Magazine. You can read all about it and see my illustration for the piece here.

The album is extremely good, so if you're into your post-rock then you should definitely check it out.

ACOFI launch party

2011-01-29T17:51:00.000Z

Official invite to the Amelia's Compendium of Fashion Illustration launch party.

Today I am a little melancholy, mainly because yesterday was the launch party for the amazing and beautiful Amelia's Compendium of Fashion Illustration, and since I'm in snowy Canada right now I couldn't make it. The book features work by a bunch of very talented illustrators, including myself, and I still haven't managed to see my copy of the book for real yet, it's safely at home in Blighty waiting for my return in April. I was really looking forward to meeting Amelia's Gregory in person, not to mention all the illustrators I consider my twitter buddies now.

Image courtesy of the gorgeous Ellie Loughran

Image courtesy of the gorgeous Ellie Loughran

I've had a look at some of the pictures which are already emerging by the power of t'interweb, and it looks like it was an roaring success and everyone had a great time. The goody bags that Amelia put together looked like they were amazing, full of all my favourite things including a Tatty Devine necklace, monogramed Moleskin, Dr Hauschka facial cream...oh la la I wish I had gotten my mits on one! Next time eh.

Image courtesy of the gorgeous Ellie Loughran

Image courtesy of the gorgeous Ellie Loughran

If you haven't already got your copy, you should pop on over to the Amelia's Magazine website and purchase what will be your prettiest coffee table book this year. Amelia and all the illustrators featured have worked super hard to put it together and promote it, so it would make all the hard work worthwhile for this book to be flying off the shelves.

Vessels new video

2011-01-25T18:57:00.000Z

Vessels - The Trap live at Abbey Lodge from Vessels Band on Vimeo.

Oh la la I am actually in love with this song - The Trap - by Vessels. It's the second track from their upcoming album Helioscope, due to be released March 21st. I have got my sticky mits on a preview copy though (lucky me!) and am currently reviewing it for Amelia's Magazine. I can say this for sure - it's an absolute stonker of an album and I can't stop listening to it!

I ♥ Grounded

2011-01-22T20:03:00.000Z

This is a sketch I did whilst eating the yummiest breakfast bagel and drinking good coffee in a local coffee shop called Grounded. It serves freshly roasted organic coffee and homemade cakey treats. I have a loyalty card which is almost full after a couple of visits! One of the perks of being self-employed is that I can spend an unnecessary amount of time there under the guise of working.

Oh the loveliness!

2011-01-22T03:50:00.000Z

I have just come across this absolutely gorgeous book on Amazon, and I have decided that I need it immediately. Rob Ryan is a genius!