Hello!
I just wanted to pop a post up about the book I have worked on with the lovely folks at Arcturus Publishing. They saw my series of inspirational women I was working on last year and it was a perfect fit for this book.
You can now buy the book on amazon, and it’s gorgeous, full of amazing writing by Julia Adams and illustrations by me. One to keep picking up again and again :)
Ada Lovelace
Diane von Fürstenberg
Yey, more to come soon! L xx
Hi guys,
So if you follow me in Instagram (@louillustrator) then you'll already know that I've started a weekly series about inspirational women. Every Friday I'll be posting an illustration and a little bit an inspirational lady.
I'm looking at ladies of the past, and hoping to be able to cover modern day ladies too --hit me up if you have any suggestions :)
Today was Amelia Earhart --
Amelia was born in 1897 and after boarding her first plane in 1920 she fell in love with the idea of flying.
In 1923 Amelia became the 16th woman to receive her pilots license.
Amelia was the first woman ever to fly solo across the Atlantic, and the first person to fly solo across the pacific! ✈✈✈✈✈
Fun facts:
✈Amelia's first plane was bright yellow and she nicknamed it 'The Canary'
✈During her flight across the Pacific Amelia enjoyed a cup of hot chocolate 💛
Happy weekend everyone, I hope you go into it inspired and wanting a hot chocolate ;)
L x
Hi guys,
Ahhh the sunshine is currently warming my back in the studio as our little English heat wave continues -- honestly, this weather is all I need :D
Now in case you haven't already seen the image below yet....my news is that I am now represented by the wonderful Plum Pudding illustration agency!! Whoop Whoop.
I'm so very excited and really looking forward to the next step in my illustration career!
They have published a little interview with me which you can read just here.
I really hope you enjoy having a read and I can't wait to share more news with you soon.
Lou xx
Ohhh I have some BIG NEWS coming soon, but first of all, I thought I'd show you a peek at one of the Goldilocks spreads I've been working on this week :)
This is just personal work to add to my portfolio and it's so lovely to have time to really play around and get into those textures!
More from me very soon!
L xx
Hi folks,
WELL it has been a while since this was updated huh? So sorry about that, and I promise that this year it will improve!
I just wanted to let you know about a super fun project I'm doing over on Instagram where I'm drawing 100 birds as part of the #the100dayproject started by @elleluna
If you don't already you should pop on over and follow along :)
A little personal piece I finished over the weekend - I'm trying to use more texture and work on my characters more, so here we go!
Hello!
I just thought I'd pop on and share some fun work with you as most of what I'm working on has to be kept under wraps, but not this time!
This was some illustration work for a lovely client who needed some professional and friendly images to use on social media and across printed materials.
It needed to show a little group of houses, and incorporate the social media icons subtly within it - Can you find all 6?
I adapted the image so it would suit full Facebook and twitter banners as well as sit nicely on postcards. This meant two versions had to be made rather than just cropping.
Postcard Artwork
You can pop over to the Sold On Social Facebook page to see them in action!
Such a fun project to work on - more work like this please :)
Lou xx
Hello!
Just a quick one from me today to tell you guys that if you aren't already following me in Instagram (@louillustrator) I'm taking part in the 100 day challenge and posting up some art from my sketchbook every day for 100 days! Do pop over and follow along - here are some of the bits you may of missed....
There are some much scruffier work in progress pieces too, I just wanted to show off :)
Hope to you over there!
Lou xx
Sometimes the quiet moments are the most special x
Alligator for you :)
In an effort to post here more and worry about what I'm writing less I thought I'd share more snippets of things with you. Hope you enjoy!
Lou x
Hello hello, I'm aware that I am almost a stranger over here at the moment and I'm very sorry for that!
I hope that you had a lovely Christmas break? I for sure did, I took almost the full 2 weeks off and it was bliss! I barely turned on my PC, we took the dogs for many walks and ate lots of lovely pub grub, I feel very refreshed and ready to tackle all the things on my to-do list (I think!)
Lets not kid ourselves here - I've never been that great at blogging but I am going to try and be better! Even if it's just popping up new bits of work I will try and keep you guys posted on the exciting things that are happening.
Pinky promise!!
I thought I'd share with you a few of my 2016 goals, that way they are reaffirmed and I have to pay more attention to them :)
Personal -
- Get into some kind of fitness routine again (since the move this has been very sporadic)
- Read at least 20 new books
- Try and squeeze in more small holidays
(trying camping with the dogs is one of them)
- Cook more and try new recipes
- Better work/life balance (to achieve this I'm trying to keep the weekends mine for time off)
Business Goals -
- New card ranges + expand and edit current ranges
- Send regular newsletters
- Create new work for my illustration portfolio
- Continue to grow online sales
- Keep on top of accounts (something that again fell apart during the move last year haha!)
There's so much more I have planned for this year but these big points break down into many little things so I don't want to overwhelm myself right at the start.
I also just wanted to say a massive thank-you for all of your support, you guys are the best and without you there is no way I'd be where I am now!
So, here we go 2016 lets get started!!
I've got some super big exciting news to share with you today!
My cards are now being stocked in the Paperchase flagship store in London!!
Wohooo
After placing an order a little bit ago I didn't want to jinx it by sharing too soon but they've ordered quite a few more cards now so I think it's safe to share.
This is a dream come true for me and I'm so happy that one of my favorite stores is stocking some of my cards!
If anyone pops in I would LOVE to see a picture so please feel free to share :)
Lou x
Hello hello!
I'm pleased to announce that you'll be able to find Louise Wright Design across Derbyshire and Sheffield this summer for some fantastic events!
First up we have the Summer Market at the Roundhouse in Derby. Back for it's 5th year this one is looking like a blast!
You can check out which other exhibitors will be there too now using this pinterest board!
I will be showing off lots of new products including brand new prints and cards! Here is a quick sneak peek at one of my new cards from the 'Fruit Loop' range ;)
Photo by Holly Booth Photography
More news to come very soon!
Lou xx
A part of one of my stands at a craft fair
Today I thought I'd have a chat to you about taking your work to a craft fair.
Selling your work in person is a fantastic opportunity to meet your customers face-to-face, get your brand out there and help your cash flow along too. It's not as scary as you think it will be!
1. Think about your stand, how will this represent your brand and your work? How can you display your products so they are seen at their best?
My work is very colourful and contemporary, matched with lovely rustic elements like the brown envelopes, kraft packaging so all this feeds into my display with a cute spotty cloth and big old apple crates to help pair these elements.
A lot of this will come naturally to you, your brand and business is often a reflection of you so you'll tend to be drawn towards things that complement it.
2. Make sure everything is priced.
It puts people off instantly if they can't see any prices, most assume it must be too expensive and move on.
3. Be friendly and approachable but there is a fine balance, make sure that you are not overwhelming your customer. I try and greet most people that come over but if someone is obviously not wanting a chat I leave it and let them browse. Try and read their body language.
4. Remember all the essentials! These are things like; notebook and pens to write down sales, your float so you can give people change when they buy.
Scissors, string, tape (3 things that will help you fix pretty much anything, including your display falling down!)
A big bottle of water and some snacks.
5. Be prepared to adapt.
Not all craft fairs have a standard sized table or space that will be the same as the one you did last week. Some will be bigger, smaller, another shape even. So I try and have extra tablecloths on hand, various display props and I just use these to figure out the space when I arrive.
Creating height on your display is great to get things at the eye level of the customer so have a think about how you can safely do this.
I hope that helps, and if you have any questions please ask away in the comments!
Lou xx
First of all, don't beat yourself up about it, it'll only add more pressure, try and accept that you cannot possibly be prolific 100% of the time.
1. Take a walk and get some fresh air. Even if this is just a trip to the local shop to buy a cheeky chocolate bar for yourself (you totally deserve it)
2. Talk to someone who understands, a fellow creative. This can be online or face to face over some coffee. A little vent goes a long way, and it's also nice to perhaps get a fresh perspective.
3. Spend some time in the kitchen, no NOT cleaning, baking or cooking something yummy! I really like how absorbing it is and it gives you a chance to put your mind to something else, eat your new delicious treat and then come back to your work with fresh eyes.
4. YOGA! Yoga is my best bud, not only does it go some way to try and fix my nasty posture problems I have from hunching over my desk all day, but it allows your body and mind some breathing space. I can go into a yoga session completely stressed out and by the time I come out I can feel a lightness in myself again.
5. Work on something else, something that isn't for sale, that no-one else needs to see. Crack open a bottle of ink or paint and try working with that, push yourself and have a little fun. Remind yourself what you love doing and how awesome you are <3
Lou xx
A peek at one of the new designs that will be launching from Louise Wright Design
Hello!
I just wanted to check in and talk to you today about recognising when and where your business needs to change.
As my business has grown and changed so has my product range. When I first started out I was creating screen printed tote bags, cards and the odd print. It actually took a fair bit of time for me to accept and integrate my illustrated work into the range as well, because for some reason in my head, the plan was screen printed and that was how it had to stay.
NOT TRUE - You have to allow your business room to grow, change and develop organically otherwise you'll be fighting against it.
After I had accepted this it became clear that although my screen printed goodies sold well, so did the illustrated ones...if not better!
After many many hours of screen printing one crazy Christmas to full fill orders on products where the profit margin was tiny I decided that something had to give. At this point I had a couple of options:
1. Outsource all of the printing, material sourcing and receive back the finished product - this wasn't viable due to the volumes I would have to be ordering and the large amounts of money involved.
2. Raise my prices higher to be able to accommodate for all the work that went into the products -Again this was not a viable option, after all, how much can you spend on a tote bag, however lovely?
3. Cut out the products that were no longer working for my business and focus on the ones that were. - The screen printing process that I so enjoyed had started to become a chore and if it wasn't working for the business then why was I doing it?
This felt like a hard decision to make at the time, although the answer was obvious I had mini panics like 'what will my lovely stockists think, they always order this tote bag?' Or 'what about that customer that promised she would buy 1 million tea towels?' (ok, slight exaggeration there but you get what I mean)
In the end of course the answer was to cut them out, and in turn doing this gave me more time to focus on other products that work better for the business and sell better.
I've had to do reviews like this a couple of times now and even products I really liked have had to go because they just weren't working for the business and ultimately I'm happier for it & the business is happier and healthier too.
As the business has grown and gone through these changes I've been able to really identify what works for me and what doesn't, so not only do I know what to get rid of, I also know where to grow.
In January I've taking the time to carefully add new designs to make sure it all stays fresh and lovely, and to make sure my stockists have lots of lovely new stock in their shops too.
As much as it is a faff to get all the figures together and review your business, I would really recommend doing it, so you know where you should be focusing your time in the future.
Lou xx
As this is the last week of January and I'm immersing myself into more new card designs ready to launch at PG Live I thought I'd share with you some of the new illustration work I've created this month.
I've been pushing my development in between commissions and I'm really grateful I've had the chance to do this as my portfolio feels refreshed and ready and for the new year.
Here is a selection of fiction, educational and commercial work :)
I've been a busy bee this month.
I have lots to share (including the upcoming REBRAND of LWD!!) so I'll be posting again very soon! :)
Lou xx
