It’s an epic undertaking but I get it. My dad passed away 2 years ago tomorrow and his workshop is still there, his imprint everywhere. We have tidied and sorted quite a bit but certain tools still remind me of him. I can’t seem to part with a very battered yellow sprit level. It’s covered in concrete but I remember dad having it since I was small, I think he even took it on site with him, working for the London Underground.

This kind of illustration is very pleasing to see, and do. Something one might right off as generic, like 100s of screws, all have quirks and differences, even the new ones. I haven’t this level of patience but I appreciate being able to observe the whole of something.

Lee John Phillips has been working on his Shed Project for years, and probably will be for years to come, these days he illustrates and designs for clients as well as whittling spoons in the wilds of Wales. Recently he has been forging a hub of creativity in the Pembrokeshire woods to teach from and welcome like-minded artisans.

A lovely project, it has me thinking about what my family has collected – or hoarded – over the years. I have so much sewing equipment from my nan and gran. Bobbins and silky trims, crocheted lace and belt buckles, worthy of pen and paper. Model railway bits and bobs from my dad, there’s the aching bookshelves of my brothers and the simple but pleasing hand-thrown pots and cups of my sisters.

The everyday and the mundane become pleasing when placed apart and admired. On-mass like the Shed Project, or perhaps just set aside like the paper bowl my mum made, in front of me.

Pictures from the BBC article.

Lovat Parks kept us busy with wonderful projects to enhance their gorgeous holiday parks across the country. From park maps to kids activity sheets, water bottles to buckets for the beach, plenty to keep our creative juices flowing.

There was lots of lovely print this year. We partnered with Kernow Springs to create leaflets for their Nordic wood-fired hot tubs and creating numerous posters, guides and adverts for the wonderful Pencarrow House and Gardens.

At the beginning of the year one of our bright and beautiful websites went live, Camel CSA.

We also worked on some fab projects with Port Isaac based Harbour Treats. Our first colouring book, as well as tea towel designs and beer glasses.

We helped local businesses like The Nuthatch Barbers expand their customer base with flyers and swing signs.

One of my favourite projects was working with our clients Proper Vintage to design a brand for a local beach, Bossiney Cove, famous for Elephant Rock.

This year has meant meeting some wonderful new clients, but also affirming long standing relationships with clients such as Wadebridge Wines who kindly come to us each year for their wine tasting promotion and to expand the brand.

Well, that’s just a taster of some of the projects we have been involved with this year. Can’t wait to see what 2024 has in store! Do get in touch if you would like to work with us on your next project.

A project that made its debut on Twitter back in 2013 and subsequently went viral, this simple expression of human emotion has now found substance in Noah Camp’s 3D printed models.

With a book coming out this July, the cute and slightly scary characters seem to be multiplying.

I am particularly fond of ‘a song stuck in your head’ and ‘the giggles’!

Nan also ran a ‘teddy hospital’, people would send her their wounded cuddly toys and she would mend them. She made lovely pipe cleaner dolls with hand painted faces that my sister and I adored. One of the drawings I think might be her wedding dress. I know she had to make it out of yellow fabric as there was a shortage of white from the war. The photos we have of them both look resplendent, hand-tinted by Nanny. She coloured photos for people as well, I always thought they looked so real.

Nanny had a business selling luxury caravans, some for minor stars. She really wanted to start a fashion business with her sister Dot but couldn’t quite get it off the ground, it has been lovely to see some of her designs.

Whenever she wrote letters to us it was full of funny stories about the Spaniels and their exploits, complete with little illustrations. Such a talented lady, and a real joy to share some of her illustrations with you today.

Over the last few years we have helped build a brand for Harbour Treats starting with their logo and our illustration the picturesque harbour, moving on to label design, signage and now a handy guide.

The guide features an illustrated map of the town, an eye-spy game and an inside look at how the transformation takes place! Lovely to design, we also print managed the project choosing to print the A5 guide on uncoated stock which gives a lovely texture.

You can see more of our work for Harbour Treats in our portfolio, if your interested in illustration you might enjoy our designs for Wadebridge Wines. If you would like to see more of our guides check out Cornish Horizons.

Wadebridge Wines are one of our oldest clients, it’s always a joy to expand their brand or work with them on the side projects that pop up now and then. Check out the Gin, Rum and Beer festivals we have designed for over the years.

Our clients wanted to have a voucher they could print themselves as well as a complement slip. To save on ink we created a design all in black that could then be printed on coloured paper. Vouchers can have the amount altered and the complement slip can double as a note for posting. (Pictured above)

Also extending a brand, we have been busily working with Lovat Parks getting their beautiful holiday villages ready to welcome visitors. From signage to leaflets to covid safe stickers, we’ve done it all this year! These are some envelopes we had custom printed in their brand blue simply highlighting their logo.

We also designed these signs to work as a notice board, featuring one of our illustrated maps. For more of our maps check out other projects we have created for Lovat Parks.

The weather magnets were great fun! A chance to illustrate some of Cornwall’s pretty varied weather.

Finally, our latest logo design for The Breakaway in Crickhowell in Wales. An ideal place to stay for cyclists, we incorporated that in our logo, as well as a nod to the hilly landscape and famous river. See more here.

When you know an artist so well it can be easy to miss the detail, the process the shear brilliance. By hand Morris crafted the intricate arrangements inspired by, but so much more, than the natural fruit and flowers he adored. The Art Nouveau movement celebrated the beauty of nature, some of the designs appear fluid and free but as you can with Morris, accuracy and precision underpins it all.

His drawings provide a glimpse into the artist’s process and further commend his great talent.

Images clockwise 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

I love the colours and patterns Rodríguez creates, the self-taught artist brings this precious and vanishing part of our world to our attention in a truly captivating way.

See more at Artsy

This amazing library has more than 55 million pages of literature, some from as far back as the 15th century, and 150,000 illustrations. All free download (check copyright here) and all available to peruse at your leisure, these are just a few of my favourites.

Originally found at This is Colossal. The different collections these images are from are, Appendix to the first 23 volumes of Edwards’s botanical register, Revue horticole: journal d’horticulture practique (1877),  Trees and shrubs of the British Isles; native and acclimatised v.1, La plants et sesames applications ornementales, Belgique horticole. v.3,  British trees v.2.

You get the impression most of Yu’s drawings are off the cuff as it were, people watching or chilling with friends. I especially love how angular her work is, building the scene with minimal use of line and managing to fill her page with such dynamism.

Originally found at The Fox is Black.

For 2018, which I am sure you are aware, we brought you our Scandinavian-style-with-a-retro-nod illustrated poster featuring our pick of great British trees. For December we highlighted the Juniper, famed for its association with gin.

Funnily enough for 2019 we are sticking with edibles and considering packaging. Being in the business of graphic design, packaging is a bit of a passion. We have always loved visiting the likes of posh supermarket isles to peruse biscuit boxes, foil embossed chocolate bars and elegantly illustrated far-flung teas. For this next year we wanted to look back and see what our favourite brands looked like originally. A lot of the cupboard staples we have today have been on a gentle evolution but others have radically changed to follow the trends.

Rather than our more graphic vector illustrations, for this calendar poster Emma picked up her pen and got drawing. Filled with colour and personality, we can’t wait to show you our artwork! Hopefully it will be a welcome gift to our clients, and if anyone else would like one we would happily post it for just the cost of postage. It’s exciting to know that past year’s designs have graced fridges, study walls and kitchen cabinets from Barcelona to the US of A!

Watch this space as all will be revealed soon…

I noticed her work today at Miss Moss, in a blog post about nursery artwork. I think this is a great idea, a wonderful way to bring the outside world in, one element at a time. You can see more of Jorey Hurley’s work on Etsy.

His work is quite collectable and known by the verdant and richly coloured stylised but natural forms. The fruits look large and juicy, barely contained on the plate! He uses thick glazes and 3d elements to make his plates and platters as delicious as what might be sitting on them.

I love the colours Kaipiainen combines, such confidence and brazen beauty.