People I’m Learning From
A collection of artists, illustrators, designers, writers and creative people whose work I’ve been learning from and enjoying. I plan to make this an evolving resource as I discover new people that inspire my creativity and help me to grow!
Surface pattern and design
Mel Armstrong
Mel Armstrong is a New Zealand children’s book illustrator and surface pattern designer. I’ve been following Mel on Instagram and YouTube for over a year now and I love her style and her quiet but confident way of explaining things. I recently enrolled in her course, ‘The Art and Joy of Surface Pattern Design’, which has also given me access to her ‘Learn With Mel’ community hub. Both are invaluable resources and it’s really exciting to feel like I’m being supported along the way as I take my first steps into building my art business side hustle. I only wish I had more ‘spare’ hours to soak it all in!
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Cat Coquillette
Cat Coquillette is an American artist who spends much of her time based in Thailand. She has her art featured on many products around the world. Cat is another artist I’ve been following for quite some time. Her art is bold and eye-catching, and always on trend. I’ve found many of Cat’s resources to be very helpful, including her free blog posts and ‘how-to’ explainers on various topics such as building cohesive collections of patterns, or how to create seamless patterns in Procreate. I’ve also purchased some of the resources Cat has made for getting a portfolio ready to pitch to companies for licensing. They’ve helped me see just how many different opportunities there are for making an income from art.
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Building an Art Business
Stacie Bloomfield
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Mimi Purnell
Getting Your Work Out There
Stacie Bloomfield is an American illustrator and the founder of Gingiber, a tea towel company that Stacie built from scratch, with her art printed on her towels. I think all artists and business owners work hard, but Stacie seems to do the most! She has many many strings to her bow, including illustration courses, business courses and coaching, a podcast and even a book. Early on in my little art side-hustle ideation phase, I found Stacie’s explanation of the various income streams available to artists instrumental in helping me see that this could be more than just a whimsical daydream. Then, Stacie’s book, The Artist’s Side Hustle, actually got me to take my first baby steps on this adventure.
Mimi Purnell is a visual artist who lives in Australia. She has illustrated many children’s books and she creates content on topics such as building a daily art habit, developing your style, and starting an art business. I think Mimi is my original illustrator ‘hero’, as she was one of the first people I discovered online in this field. I fell in love with her sweet and cosy illustration style, but stayed for her art business course, YouTube videos and her Notion templates and Procreate brushes and colour palettes, which I am still using today. Mimi’s daily illustration prompts also helped me start to develop my own style, which is still evolving but is starting to feel more and more like ‘me’.
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Nurturing Creativity and Embracing Neurodivergence
Andy J. Pizza
Andy J. Pizza is an American illustrator, writer, public speaker and podcaster. I ‘discovered’ Andy when he was a guest on Stacie Bloomfield’s podcast (see above), and I’ve been a dedicated fan ever since. Andy’s podcast, Creative Peptalk, is an invaluable resource on so many levels. I find the way Andy talks about the challenges he faced when establishing himself as a full time artist to be exactly the kind of honest but hopeful message a new artist needs. He also brings in a broad range of guests, and asks them insightful questions about their own creative practice and careers, then ties it all up at the end with a ‘creative call to action’ so the listener is motivated to do something with their newfound understanding. Andy also talks about his ADHD and the ways he has learned to work with, and not against, his brain. As an AuDHDer myself, this has helped me to think about whether I’m doing things in a way that works for me, or whether I’m doing them the way think they ‘should’ be done.
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Austin Kleon
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Austin Kleon is an American author and illustrator. I was first introduced to Austin when he was a guest on Andy J. Pizza’s podcast (I’m beginning to see a pattern here!) So far, I’ve only read one of his books, Show Your Work! Before I read this book, I was aware of these different aspects of working as an artist, but was confused about how they were related. The book helped me understand how these seemingly separate ‘pieces’ of the art, content, audience, relationships, community ‘puzzle’ fit together. Austin’s work was instrumental in encouraging me to literally start sharing my work, and it has also helped keep me motivated when I start to feel lost or like I’m not getting anywhere. I also have him to thank for encouraging me to step outside of my comfort zone and join my local art society. And his words are also the motivation behind creating this very page on my website - a little way of giving credit to the people who have inspired me and taught me along the way!