Author Archive | samossie
How to commission a custom illustration as the perfect gift
Buying gifts for people can be tricky, especially when you’re looking for something really personal and memorable. That’s where commissioning a custom illustration as a gift can save the day! Just imagine how a friend or relative would feel when given a bespoke family portrait or an illustration of a much-loved home or pet. Whatever […]
How to write an illustration brief that saves time and gets great results
The best way to get the illustration you want, in the timescale you want, for the price you want is to take the time to put together a well-written brief. That might seem an obvious statement but too often what arrives in an illustrator’s inbox is quite the opposite. A brief is an essential tool […]
Oxford University Primary and Secondary Schools Leaflet Illustrations
Q&A about life as an illustrator and graphic designer
I often get emails from students and people just starting out in their creative careers asking about how I got started and what it’s like to work as a designer and illustrator so I thought I’d collect up some of those questions and answers here. I would like to know how you got started in […]
Save The Children Safeguarding illustrations
I was recently approached by Save The Children to create a series of illustrations for a poster and leaflet to help children understand what they can expect from those looking after them. Working with the charity’s in-house design and marketing team I created a series of 13 illustrations to go on a four page A4 […]
2019 Wall Planners and Calendars
Another year has rolled around and I’ve been busy designing my 2019 range of wall planners and calendars! The first selection were launched in my Etsy shop in Mid August and there will be more to follow in the coming months! Here are a few of the designs, most of which are available in printed […]
How much does illustration cost? A guide to how illustrators work out their fees
One of the first questions I get asked by clients is how much the job is going to cost. It’s never a simple question and having a nice neat price list is almost impossible for most illustrators. If you’re not used to commissioning illustration it can all seem a bit of a dark art, so […]
Garden illustration studio. Part one: the build
We moved house in early April and, as we both work from home, our first priority was getting some office space sorted. Here is part one of that story, deciding on and building the garden office! We love our new house, bungalow living is awesome and having a gorgeous garden for the first time in […]
Sam’s Alphabet Art Prints
Inspiration – March Meet The Maker
During #marchmeetthemaker one of the prompts was Inspiration and it got me thinking about what really inspires, what moves me deep down, prompts me to pick up a pen, fire up the computer and create! Don’t be fooled by the illustration, I’m not specifically inspired by onions, although they are awesome, it’s more of a metaphor (bear […]
Customers and Feedback – March Meet The Maker
A part of this years #marchmeetthemaker we were asked to focus on our customers and the feedback. I’ve been running my own business since 2011 and have learnt a few things about this so I thought I’d share my knowledge in this post… Running a businesses is all about relationships, valuing clients and customers and […]
