Interview with Sophia Cadogan

I am very lucky to have spent my teenage years developing my creativity with a local youth theatre group, Kildare Youth Theatre. I had the most wonderful opportunities there, least of all becoming friends with some of the most magical people I have ever met. One in particular, Sophia Cadogan, has also been the embodiment of beautiful things since I met her and now she is bringing that to the world through her artwork. 

Sophia recently started posting pictures on her Instagram of her gorgeous pieces combining watercolours, exquisite typography and of course, my favourite, glitter!! The second I saw them I knew I wanted one so I asked Sophia to commission me a piece around one of my favourite quotes "We are the music makers and we are the dreamers of dreams." I was so excited about what she would make and I wasn't disappointed for when this showed up on my doorstep I almost peed myself with joy! 

I also asked Sophia if she would like to be interviewed for my blog so I could find out more about how she creates such wonderful work and share that with you in the hope start it might inspire you to indulge in your own creativity. 

Enjoy!

Has art always been a passion of yours or is it just something you've come to recently?

I have always loved art. Since I was able to hold a pencil I've been trying to draw. I began using Disney VHS covers as reference images in the 90's and slowly progressed from there. Art was my favourite subject all through school and through college, drawing and painting continued in between essays and assignments! In recent years I've had less time for it (what with creating a tiny human who now takes a fair amount of my time and attention) but as this tiny human became a tiny bit more independent (for like 10 minutes at a time anyway), I've been able to get back to it. Since I am currently working random, sporadic hours, I'm at home a lot with the tiny human so I decided that I might as well turn that aul hobby into something useful! Who says your passion can't pay your bills?? (Well, here's hoping!)

You are using watercolours in your most recent work - are they as difficult to work with as everyone says they are?

Um, yes! well no. Well, ehhh.. you see. I'm mostly self-taught when it comes to, well, most of this so I'm always terrified that I'm not even using the correct techniques. I have very little patience so oils never suited me, I like acrylics for more detailed pieces but for these illustrations I'm working on at the moment, the watercolour splashes work really well and I find it’s a really effective, vibrant look that’s quite simply achieved. It is very VERY easy to overwork them though, so knowing when to stop is very important I find! Less is ALWAYS more.

Is there anyone or anything that inspires your work or does it all just come from your imagination?

Inspiration is constant. I have a little ideas thread on my phone and in random notebooks that I jot down notes in as ideas come to me throughout the day. I could be searching through images or something idiotic on the web or flicking through books, just walking down the street and something will strike me as a possible idea. If anyone were to read it thought it'd be hilarious, oftentimes its just a meaningless string of gibberish or crap that I thought made sense at the time - ''hourglass-...ravenclaw-...why skin attached?... spill some popcorn- monopoly? '' -- just an example, Don't. even. ask. 

I get really inspired by other artists, I was in Madrid recently in the Reina Sofia and swooned over Guernica and the other Picasso pieces there, so  I came back and it was all geometrics, angles everywhere! I also saw some incredible war inspired drawings that really affected my line drawing technique. I was the weirdo in the gallery squinting as close as possible to the pieces without the surly guards coming to drag me out the door. 

I also fucking love street art, there's a few amazing accounts on Instagram that are constantly inspiring. At the moment I am having a major moment for Joe Caslin, his recent project 'Our Nation's Son's' around Ireland is unreal. 

There's so many incredible illustrators out there at the moment too. Instagram is a great place to discover new talent. I adore aymsdesigns, found her instagram account a good while ago and she's been a great inspiration - to be so young and use her talent to build her own business is so awesome. 

What are your favourite and least favourite parts of creating a new piece?

My favourite part is when the idea is still in my head and the page is blank because then I cant possibly fuck it up and its still mine and perfect and flawless, haha, no honestly, My favourite part is probably just seeing it coming together in the final stages (when I haven't messed it up). I also love initial sketches, there's something raw and lovely about an unfinished sketch, (although some would say that's just my laziness). 

My least favourite part is definitely my inevitable fuck up. I don’t think there is a single piece that I've completed and thought, yup, 100% flawless! Those little imperfections help me to learn for next time though and make every piece unique I guess (or something something about making excuses for myself!). I also, love the part where it's all finished and mounted and done, and I can finally be proud! I spent years with just scraps in sketchbooks so it's so satisfying now to see some ideas become finished pieces. 

If someone wanted to start creating work like yours - what would be your number one tip?

Try. and try and try over and over again. and mess up, fail and then try again. If you want to be an artist, make some art, and then do it over and over and over and over again.  I used to go on and on about starting up something like this or getting more serious about my art but as long as the ideas were all safe in my head and I hadn't tried, I therefore couldn’t fail. I could be comfortable in the fact that 'I could do it if I want'. Once I got over that fear of failure and actually embraced it (cuz you're gonna fail, a lot) I slowly, slowly began to have little successes and then I found I was doing something I could actually be proud of. (There should probably be a Beckett quote around here somewhere).

Also, invest in a ruler. I eventually had to admit to myself that I am not a super human and NO, 'true' artists don't know how to draw perfectly straight lines (why the hell was I labouring under that illusion??). Rulers aren't for nerds and squares, they're for super hip artists too. Rulers for life. #rulernation

What's your favourite piece of work that you've produced and why?

I hate them all equally. 

HA, no ok, It's hard to pick a favourite. I am AWFULLY fond of this watercolour I made for my mates' apartment. Probably it's because it was the first attempt at a portrait with watercolours and my first actual commitment to using my art in a non-hobby way. (I'm sure there's a better way to phrase that). Plus I'm really chuffed that it is actually in my friends' home (they didn’t just humour me and chuck it in the bin) which I think was confirmation that I could maybe, just maybe do this whole 'art' thing. 

Also this: because It's on a wall in an actual house and that’s awesome and also because I can mural and I did not come up with a more natural and creative way to slip that in to this interview! Plus look! A toilet!

Extra special bonus question!! 

Could you tell us about how you create your pieces especially the lettering and what drives your choices?

Ok, so I adore typography and once tried to save for a fancy and stupidly expensive coffee table book that was purely about typography. I think my money ended up going on something boring instead like rent or feeding my daughter BUT there's always ye olde google! I love lettering, calligraphy, any sort of handwriting porn and so I've always tried to emulate that. I guess mostly I try out a few different fonts by hand until I find one that I feel would suit the tone of the piece. Ya feel me? 

Then I guess it's the composition is very important. You can go to class and learn about it OR you can wing it and mess up until you structure things in a way that doesn’t hurt your eyes and makes your picture-mind a happy mind. Whichever way works for you!! but, honestly, don't listen to me I'm just a dirty artist that’s trying her hardest to avoid getting a 'real' job. 

I hope you enjoyed reading this interview with Sophia Cadogan. You can follow her work via her Instagram account and even better, you can buy her work at her Etsy shop.

I can't wait to see what else is to come from this beautiful artist! 

Interview with Scribble and Sew

Recently I came across a lovely business on Twitter called Scribble and Sew where children's drawings, paintings or doodles are turned into embroidered works of art as keepsakes, gifts or just to hang on your wall. They were running a competition to win a free commission and I entered and won!!! 

Amy, who runs the business, was super lovely to work with and super quick! Over the course of only a few days we and gone from agreeing the design to the beautiful piece landing on my doorstep. The piece was of a picture my niece had drawn. She had been bird-watching when I was visiting, and inspired by my illustrator boyfriend, decided to draw pictures of all the birds she was looking at. I thought that this drawing was the perfect project for Amy from Scribble and Sew to work on. She loved the idea and thought it would be great to put the birds in a tree too. Below is the drawing and the finished product - isn't it awesome?!

I loved Amy's work so much, I decided to find out more and interviewed her for Tiddlybobs! 

Amy is the owner of Scribble and Sew. She is almost 30 and has been married for seven years. As well as being a step mum she has two cats called Pickle and Pumpkin (cute or what?).

Amy, what inspired you to start Scribble and Sew? 

My Nan and Mum both taught me to sew starting with cross stitch samplers,  I have my first completed one, a home sweet home sampler by my front door. I always try to make or sew something for friends birthdays & christmas. It wasn't until, sadly in 2013, I lost both my Nan and Mum that it forced me to re-evaluate certain things and start focusing on doing more for myself and that is when Scribble & Sew went from a hobby to a little business.

What's a typical day for you when you're working on a new project?

Well I work full time so I fit my project's in whenever I can. It's brilliant that you can take it everywhere with you, on lunch breaks, while my daughter is at her gymnastics lessons, when I get in from work. My favorite time to embroider is with a big cup of tea and with Murder She Wrote on the telly, I'm a smidge obsessed with Angela Lansbury (I have her portrait tattooed on my leg!)

You create your wonderful designs using embroidery. What are your top tips for someone just beginning to use this technique?

My top tips...It may seem obvious but practice and lots of patience. It can take along time to produce a finished hoop. I would say to start simple just using back stitch to create solid lines then when you are comfortable with your stitch length you can move on to slightly more complicated stitches such as split stitch which is what I favour. There are such wonderful tutorials online and don't be afraid, you can always unpick.

Which has been your favorite project?

This is a relatively new venture for me and it came about from little embroidering portraits of wrestlers for my husband. I just thought it was a lovely way to show your child's work other than on the fridge And also I thought they would make lovely mothers day presents of for grandparents. I have two favorite pieces so far - they are a brilliant little rocket and some very cute little birds that needed a home, so I placed them in a tree.

What is the best and worst thing about running your own creative business?

The best thing about running my own creative business is being able to do something that I truly love doing and being able to create unique pieces that mean so much to the lovely people who ask for commissions.

And the bad? Hmmm, well I don't think it is necessarily a bad thing but not being able to run Scribble & Sew as my full time job - perhaps a little way down the road this might happen... fingers crossed.

I love running Scribble and Sew and it makes me ever so happy not just that I get to sew everyday but because I get to create wonderful keep sakes for lovely people. Children have a fantastic view of the world and I feel very humble to be asked to capture these little moments with a craft I enjoy. 

If you want to find out more about Scribble and Sew or if you think a custom piece would be the perfect Mothers Day gift then visit Scribble and Sew on Twitter or Instagram. 

Interview with Matthew of Bonfirecherry

Today is a very exciting day for Tiddlybobs! For the first time I've interviewed a creative business for the blog in order to inspire any of you out there who might be thinking of setting up your own. And who does this wonderful honour go to, I hear you cry! None other than Matthew of Bonfirecherry - the home of unique handcrafted prints & bags with fantastic designs. I came across Matthew's work on Twitter and fell in love from the beginning so I wanted to know more about how he creates his designs as well as how it all began.

I love the name Bonfirecherry – where did it come from?

The name originated from college 5 years ago. It was coming up to my final major project in my second and final year of Level 3 Graphic Design and I decided to produce a fictional t-shirt business had some great ideas for t-shirts but no idea for the name. At the time I was thinking of ideas for names, it was coming up to bonfire night and I came off the bus home from college drinking cherry coke, which I rarely have, and I spilled some of the cherry coke over my hand while going past a house which was having a bonfire and that is how Bonfirecherry came about. The logo as you can see I've changed a bit since. I was inspired by the cherry on a slot machine and the rest of the logo was designed by myself getting inspiration from neon lights. I did have plans to have the word cherry underneath the logo but I believe the cherry in the O speaks for itself.

An old mock up Bonfirecherry advert Matthew made in college

What inspired you to start your own creative business and how long have you been running? 

I was inspired by a college project to start my own creative business. After I finished studying I did not have the money or the job so I had to wait 2 years to get my first job to bring the fictional business from the ashes to reality, so to speak. I originally wanted to do produce a t-shirt business as I gained the knowledge and skill to produce my own range of t-shirts for people to like which I still have from college waiting to show them off to the world.

But like most things they change. During the time of getting a job, I started to dislike the idea of just producing t-shirts as there are a lot of printing businesses that produce custom t-shirts so I looked into what else I gained while in my time in college. 

One of the skills I gained during college was lino cut printing, the last time I produced a lino print was in 2007 in my first year at college when I was studying Art and Design where I produced a print based on a computer circuit book... trust me it didn't turn out well so well. I still had a notebook I had to draw/write down what I was doing during that year but thankfully I still remembered from memory the equipment that I needed and what I needed to do.

One of the first prints I produced was called The Mysterious Philosopher which was inspired by banksy and street art.

By the time I am doing this post Bonfirecherry would have been around over a year now.

You said you use lino printing to create your products. What are your top tips for someone just beginning to use this technique?

One of the tips when it comes to lino cut printing is it is not to worry about cutting yourself first time around it is normal and that you will be alright and cut yourself less and less after awhile. Another tip is to never rush and always carve in deep as you dont want your hard work ruined!

Where do you get inspiration for your designs?

I've been into art and design since college I've got tons of inspiration to choose from for my prints. My prints so far have been inspired by street art, steam punk and photography. 

Which is your favourite product that you've designed? 

My favourite product I've designed so far? Has to be my camera no.2 prints as I am a lover of photography among other things so these prints appeal to me more than my other prints. What happened to Camera no.1 you may wonder? Camera no.1 is the camera design I used on the t-shirts which didn't look right as a print by itself. 

Before I got the job to bring Bonfirecherry into being a real creative business I volunteered at charity shop for over a year to gain experience and one afternoon I was going through a book of old film cameras to sell and came around this Bell & Howard film camera which really caught my attention but at the same didn't have any money to buy it so only took a picture which I later found when I was looking through inspiration for prints. I finally bought the camera the prints are based on sometime during this year off eBay which made me happy. 

What is the best and worst thing about running your own creative business? 

The best thing about running my own business has to be that I have a way of getting the ideas out of my head onto a print for people to see and buy. The worst thing about running a business, especially a new creative one, is that it isn't going to be busy all the time there is going to be quiet moments. But hey life isn't that easy is it?

Regardless of the small bad things I love running my own business. I work a part time job alongside it so that keeps me going and I get to show people my unique prints.

I have written the following at the bottom of my website that I think says a lot about my work -   "What makes these prints unique? I can easily answer that for you it's my ideas, everyone thinks and interpret things differently :)"

Thank you so much Matthew. It's been great talking to you and I have loved getting an insight into your designs!

If you too have fallen in love with Matthew's designs visit the Bonfirecherry Etsy shop and shop tip your hearts content!