I am Lucy, an Illustrator and Designer from Nottingham, UK.
I create bright, bold and playful illustrations to make people smile (myself included).

I love nothing more than a good story and enjoy exploring narrative, character and place through image making.

I have been illustrating and telling stories for as long as I remember. These institutions made me a lot better at it and gave me certificates to say I can officially make pictures:

- Norwich University of the Arts - First Class BA in Illustration
- Cambridge School of Art - MA in Children’s Book Illustration

I also have 3 years of professional experience working as an in house gift designer for Lush Cosmetics where I designed surface patterns for gift paper and boxes, tins, textiles, infographics, stickers, greetings cards,  badges and all sorts of things to be sold in Lush stores globally. My work as an inhouse, commercial designer has made me a master of interpreting a brief, no matter how vague. It has also made me well practiced in generating lots of ideas, thinking outside of the box, turning round design changes quickly and working to tight deadlines. 

As a freelance illustrator and designer, I have worked with clients such as Bird and Blend and Scoop Magazine.

Vibrant colour, expressive drawing and a sense of humour are central to my work. I love to have and create fun through illustration and I believe the world can never have enough colour, silly characters, interesting stories or beautiful images. 

Someone once told me my work has real gumption and I found that the best compliment going. I believe in drawing, exploring, storytelling, printmaking, chatting, laughing, observing, learning, collecting, appreciating and caring about the world, nature and other people with as much gumption as possible. As my grandpa always encouraged me to, I ‘put my elbows into’ creating joy, fun and connection through illustration. 

I use a mixture of analogue and digital processes to create work. I really enjoy printmaking and am particularly fond of screen printing for the vivid colours and tactile textures it allows me to create. I also love getting out and about with a sketchbook and some coloured pencils.

I am greatly influenced by psychedelic music posters of the 1960s & 70s, the natural world and mystical iconography. I am also a massive collector of things, mainly of the natural or nostalgic variety; vintage children’s books, weird old toys, antique photographs of interesting characters, stones, sea glass, pine cones, model farm animals, every nice message that's ever been written to me, anything with mr blobby on it, snippets of overheard conversions, great names, retro surface pattern in the form of old curtains and tea towels, embarrassing moments, finger puppets… the list goes on… and on. All of this informs and inspires my work.

Alongside my freelance work, I am co-owner of the design studio Different Day Studio. Different Day Studio is a small business specialising in designing stationery and giftware as well as providing a bespoke wedding and event stationery service.

I currently live by the sea in Dorset UK but thanks to the internet I can make work for you anywhere in the world!

Exhibitions:

  • Pictoplasma: Character Matters, Berlin, 2025

  • War Child presents Secret 7s, Now Gallery, Greenwich, 2025

  • ‘I Can’t Help It, I Like Art’ Lush Knot Wrap Exhibition, Project Ability, Glasgow, 2023

  • Autumn Exhibition Lakeside Arts, Nottingham, 2018

  • Solo Exhibition, Bird and Blend, Nottingham, 2018

  • MA Children's Book Illustration, Graduation Show Candid Arts Trust Gallery, London, 2015

  • The Graduate Collective, Appleyard & Co, Norwich, 2013

  • D&AD New Blood, Spitalfields Market, London, 2013

  • Norwich University of the Arts Exhibition, 2013

Publications:

  • Scoop Magazine, 2019

  • Scoop Magazine, 2018

  • Illustration Magazine, 2015

  • Stew Magazine, 2013

  • Storehouse Magazine, 2011