News: nature

Mary Woodin has been commissioned to illustrate the cover and internal spots for a book on how to grow and use herbs; The Homesteader’s guide to growing herbs. Wanting to create a cover that would stand out from the crowd of existing herb books on the market, Mary created detailed colour roughs that could be judged […]

Sarah McMenemy has lent her textured illustrative touch to HIPP organic, a milk formula for newborn babies. Featuring a small scene of a stork family in the country, Sarah’s loose textured brushstrokes and softness work well to reflect the organic formula. The client was keen to feature the storks, alluding to both the stork who brings […]

Nic Jones’s first book for Quarto Publishing, North Pole/South Pole (written by Michael Bright), is available to pre-order now! A literal “flip book” the reader begins at the North Pole, learning about the climate and geography of the arctic and then flips the book over to arrive at the South Pole, where you can discover the tabular […]

Nic Jones draws inspiration from the animal world, creating beautiful digital illustrations that evoke the tactile feel of fur and feathers through her use of painterly texture and confident mark making. Colour palettes and the settings they suggest are another important feature of Nic’s work; warm saturated reds and green suggest active nighttime in images […]

Laura Barrett creates elegantly composed illustrations made up of layered levels of silhouetted cutouts, throwing her subject matter into stark relief and confidently exposing her eye for gesture and the intricacy in her designs. Developing her style from traditional Scherenschnitte (paper cutting), Laura uses digital techniques to enhance the theatrical nature of her work; clearly divided […]

Dawn Cooper has created another summer spotting guide, this time it’s butterflies instead of birds for Pets at Home’s My VIP Magazine. Aiming to capture the individual complexity of the different species, Dawn was grateful to have an expert on hand to give her a few pointers on the differences between butterflies, having them appear […]

Lucy Rose’s illustrations have a vintage, timeless appeal. Which is not to say that her images aren’t contemporary, but there is something in the softness of her line, the distressed textures and the muted colours that offers a nostalgic warmth. After being quickly picked up by The Artworks upon graduation, Lucy has worked for clients […]

To celebrate the return to the screen of the BBC’s Springwatch, Dawn Cooper has illustrated the perfect bird watching guide for this weeks Radio Times; something to occupy yourself with on those daily exercise walks, adding in Dawn’s words, ” a little brightness into our lives at a less than usual time.” Working from Chris […]

Mary Woodin has contributed illustrations to revamp KeVita; who produce an extensive range of probiotic drinks, drinking vinegars and kombucha in a variety of fruity flavours. According to Mary, the timing of the project couldn’t have been more spot on; “I’d recently started brewing my own murky manifestations of kombucha at home, so was genuinely […]

Jesús Sotés was commisioned by Xauxa, a fair trade and organic chocolatier, to illustrate the packaging for their new range of vegan chocolate, ethically sourced from Peru. Jesús has captured the warm climates of Peru in his colour palettes, also evoking the richness of the chocolate inside. A single figure stands amongst the trees, surrounded […]

Amy Grimes’s illustrations are brimming with the human touch, her fluid landscapes are full of brightly coloured elements, soft textures and confidently made marks; reflecting the natural patterns found in her favourite subjects. Amy creates botanical motifs and leafy scenes that highlight the dense enclosures of the outdoors, while somehow giving every element of the […]

Mary Woodin’s follow-up to her first ten-step drawing book “Flowers” has arrived! “10 Step Drawing: Nature” aims to provide readers with clear and simple instructions on how to reproduce Mary’s beautiful pencil drawings. The challenge with working on books like these, Mary says, is being “…able to break each subject down into logical and progressive […]

Holly Maguire’s illustrations are bursting at the seams with all the vibrancy and colour of Spring in full bloom; both the subject matter she chooses and her techniques reflect the influence of and an appreciation for, nature. Her hand painted gouache illustrations show brightly coloured characters surrounded by curling leaves, happy pets and sometimes, even […]

Dawn Cooper was asked by BBC Wildlife Magazine to create an illustration teeming with life to accompany an article that delves into the history of hedgerows. Excited to help illustrate their importance, Dawn set about making an image that looked wild and abundant, a time-consuming task but ultimately very satisfying! The other challenge Dawn faced […]

  Rachael Saunders has illustrated the debut picture book by author Patricia Forde; an epic tale of love, loss, reunion and adventure on the high seas, told through the friendship of a girl and her dog, Fidget. Rachael describes how, like Fidget, she also went on an adventure with this project, striving to Along with […]

Sarah McMenemy has created a new series of  gouache and collaged paintings, celebrating the landscapes that make up childhood holidays to the seaside. The paintings focus on the north Norfolk area; Cromer, Wells-next-the-sea and other seaside towns, the kinds of places Sarah spent time in as a child, “I have become a keen sea swimmer […]

Lucy Davey was approached by Strømme Throndsen to create front and back pack designs for two new, exciting varieties of oatmeal cookies. Perfect for “families with kids that are going out and enjoying the beautiful Norwegian nature”, the designs reflect both the flora and fauna of the landscape. Lucy worked alongside Strømme Throndsen to come […]

We are delighted to announce that Rachael Saunders’ packaging designs, in collaboration with Whole Foods Supermarket Natural Grocers is officially ready to buy! MBDesign approached Rachael from the US last year to ask for her assistance in developing a new look for the ‘home brand’ products for Natural Grocers.  Rachael told us how excited she […]

To celebrate Aurelia Lange’s lengthily collaboration with sustainable energy company Bulb, we chatted to her about the creative process behind animating Bulb’s energetic seasonal mailer headers and how they reflect the ‘go green’ attitude of Bulb and its users. Bulb is a green energy company that aims to help consumers reduce their energy costs, consumption […]

As we enter the start of 2020, a time for exciting new projects, collaborations and Illustrations, we wanted to remember all the fantastic work created by our artists over the last year. Here is our 2019 round up of the ‘Best of Illustration’! Animal Atlas by Anne Rooney and Lonely Planet Kids. This stunning picture […]