About Emma
I have always loved drawing, picture books, and being in nature, which led me to study Illustration on the breathtaking Cornish coast at Falmouth College of Arts.
Graduating in 2004, I moved to Bristol and into the vibrant Jamaica Street Studio collective in the heart of the city.
Since then I have worked in various studios, from Mexico to Peru and Portugal to France, travelling to the food capitals of the world and fuelling my inspiration and love of cooking from all over the globe.
Now back in England, I spend my free time swimming in lakes and rivers, and on my allotment growing, painting, and harvesting fruits and vegetables of all kinds. Many of my illustrations begin as tiny seeds on my plot.
My process
I love to draw from life wherever possible, and it is often interesting varieties of vegetables that I see growing on allotments that inspire me to start a drawing. I love the way vegetables look in their natural habitat, before they get harvested and trimmed, cleaned, and neatened to sell. Every season I mean to draw more vegetables in situ, but the year goes so fast! Especially when working on the land alongside illustrating; there’s so many tasks to stay on top of to create the best conditions for plants to thrive, barriers to make to keep pests at bay, compost to turn, successions to sow! I keep records of all my favourite varieties and one day I hope to be able to draw them all!
I love to illustrate recipe books, it brings me so much joy to bring together a collection of ingredients and intuitively create something from them, much like it must be for a chef bringing these items together to create a delicious dish. I like the way that echoes through the illustrating of a recipe.
And it is always a privilege to be asked to work on branding identity for a company, to become a part of their story. Working closely with people across a wide range of projects is something that keeps me continually fascinated with this work.
Clients
Waitrose
Great Jones
Pentagram
Krug Champagne
Tracklements
Newman’s Own
Baxter’s Chutneys
The Waterside Inn
The Guardian
Waitrose Food Illustrated
Kew Magazine
The English Garden
Eating Well
BBC Countryfile
Anova Books
Canongate
Penguin
Hodder & Stoughton
Orion Books
Artisan Books
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
The Natural History Museum
Alongside illustration
Gardening
My love of gardening and growing my own food, alongside wanting my life to align more completely with my ethics led me to take a year out in 2024 to undertake a traineeship in Regenerative Agriculture at The Apricot Centre in Dartington. It has been an incredible journey, learning about the many ways we can regenerate land and environment; creating healthy soil and caring for biodiversity and the more than human world. And crucially understanding ourselves as a part of nature rather than separate from her.
I spent a year living and working full time on the land at The Sharpham Trust, a mental health charity and mindfulness retreat centre on the banks of the magical river Dart. This has been so transformative and I’m very lucky to be able to continue in a part time capacity to garden in this very special place for another year. This is such a lovely balance to desk based illustration work and gives me no end of inspiration in all the gorgeous varieties we grow, especially in our glass houses. This coming year we will be trying out growing our own hibiscus for teas which is so exciting.
Yoga & Meditation
In 2014 I found myself at Hridaya Yoga in Mexico and this was the beginning of a life long journey and an ever deepening love of the philosophy, teachings and practices of yoga and meditation.
I’ve been so fortunate to be able to pack up my studio into a small suitcase (see the article above for Jackson’s Art ‘Using Watercolour for Illustration’ for a description of my travelling studio kit, complete with scanner!) and travel with my work. This has supported me to be able to complete two yoga teacher training courses, as well as various CPD courses, and sit and serve long meditation retreats. In 2023 I had the incredible opportunity to sit a 49 day silent solitude retreat in the Mexican mountains. This experience really embedded in my being the importance of meditation and my commitment to these practices. Alongside gardening this has been my medicine and it is now such an honour and a privilege to share classes, retreats and workshops with others.
During my year’s sabbatical from illustration in 2024 it became clear to me that I missed drawing as a practice, the way it brings me into a state of focus and flow. I now weave creative practices into the workshops and retreats that I co facilitate.
Contact Emma
For new projects, commissions, or questions, please send a message.