About

Hi, I’m Rebecca, an artist and illustrator living in Hitchin UK with my husband, 10 year old daughter and Truffle the dog.

Many moons ago I completed a BA in Illustration at Maidstone College of Art. I have since worked as an illustrator alongside many many different roles in galleries, museums, shops, schools and offices. I even had a stint working as a film and TV extra (you can spot me in the Love Actually funeral scene! I’m the one wearing a lilac coat!). 

I decided to concentrate on illustration full time once I returned to work after having my daughter. The realisation of part-time wages, minus commuting expense and childcare hit me hard and created a ‘it’s now or never’ moment. So I designed a range of Christmas cards with grumpy looking cats and dogs wearing Christmas jumpers. People liked them and I started to get pet portrait commissions. Soon after that I expanded my range to include House and Family Portraits and in Summer 2018 Notonthehighstreet asked me to become a partner. I was included in their Christmas campaigns for two years running and became a finalist in the Make Awards 2019.

I continued creating custom portraits for a couple of years but I began to feel stifled by the repetitiveness of them. I appreciated the business obviously, but I missed creating work that excited me and that I felt passionate about. I stopped taking portrait orders and started to draw from life and this really sparked joy.

So this is me. Slowly building up my portfolio with work created with enthusiasm and love. Sketching my family crashed out on the sofa, a busy street scene or just a man in a cafe. I work with traditional media, building layers and capturing scenes quickly with an air of vibrancy. I try to carry this feeling into my final illustrations.

My style is influenced by mid century illustration and printmaking. But I think a lot of other things seep into it packaging, rusty coloured trees, films, smells… I love charity shops, negative space and yellow ochre. See if you can spot any of that in there.