Welcome to the Plum Family, Brittany Lakin!

One of our new Plum family members and 2nd place runner up in the Plum Awards, Brittany, had a chat to us about her life an an illustrator!

Where do you live/work?

I’ve moved around a bit but I’m currently living in Woking! 

What do you like about working there?

I’ve not lived there for long so I’ve been having a great time seeing new sights and meeting new people. Everything feels fresh and interesting and I’m having a good time exploring the surrounding areas. 

What do you love most about being an illustrator?

That I can create anything through the power of pencils! I’ve always loved to draw, even as a kid, and I’m so happy to know that I can make it my career as well. 

What is your favourite thing to draw and why?

Nature is a big favorite of mine, forests seem like such an interesting and versatile setting. From fairies to spooky ghosts I can really play around with what I like. Having lived in cities and suburban areas more recently I suspect that deep down I’m craving some greenery! I also really love anything with myths and legends, it’s a lot of fun interpreting them in my own designs and giving them my own twists. 

How do you work – what are your techniques?

Typically I sketch up rough ideas and research nifty little facts that would be fun to incorporate into my work. Then for the actual artwork I use a combination of pencils and inks to create interesting textures before finishing it off in Photoshop. 

How did you get into illustration?

Like with most illustrators I always loved art! Me, my sister, my mother and grandmother used to have little craft days where we would just make stuff for the sake of it. Once I discovered illustration was a career path I could follow I’ve had my heart set on it since. 

Do you have a particular favorite character that you’ve illustrated?

I have one particular character I created back when I was at university, a bee called Bumble. Bumblebees are my favorite animals and it was great fun creating such a tiny wholesome character based off all my bee research. 

What or who are you most inspired by?

Mainly myths/legends and nature, I love taking little facts and turning it into an interesting detail in my work. I also have a growing collection of picture books illustrated by artists that I admire that all sit on a shelf in my room. Sometimes if I’m in need of a good drawing warm up I like to take old paintings and redraw them in my own style too!

Do you have a favourite illustrator?

So many artists! There are people like Emily Hughes and Isabelle Arsenault who are fantastic with mark making, texture and colour and are very big inspirations to me. I also love the black and white work of David Roberts, and the humorous pieces by Scott Campbell. 

What do you like to do in your spare time when you’re not illustrating?

I have big fondness for movies! I enjoy trivia about them; perhaps if I didn’t get into illustration, film would have been a path I’d go down. I also enjoy video games, and recently I’ve gotten into a bit of geocaching! 

What are your three top tips for aspiring illustrators?

-       1) Keep experimenting! This is especially great if you’re struggling with your style direction, but it’s also a great way to generate new fresh ideas. 

-       2) It’s ok to take a break. It’s easy to get burnt out when you’re working hard on a project. Take a walk, change your scenery, even look at a different project or draw for yourself – you’ll feel a lot better after. 

-       3) Surround yourself with inspiration. I like to keep my desk space fresh an interesting, it really helps me get into my workflow an gives me ideas for experimentation. 

What were your favourite books when you were younger?

Meg and Mog, Winnie the Witch, The Worst Witch I was a big fan of anything spooky! It was so hard to find as a kid and I’ve always wanted to make sure that when I became an illustrator I would make stuff that I wish I could have read more of as a kid. I also remember adoring the art in the Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events; I loved all the small details in them. 

What was the last book you read? What did you think? 

I’m currently rereading Faerie Tale by Raymond E Feist! It’s a nice blend of horror and magic - dark faerie mythology is a weakness of mine and it’s great to have another book to add to my collection. 

What are your aspirations for the rest of the year?

I really want to knuckle down on my work and get working on new projects! Recently I’ve been experimenting with clay and it would be great to get a little shop going.

What’s your ultimate dream?

I would love to be able to go into a bookstore and see my own work sitting on a shelf! 

Welcome to the family, Brittany!