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This week we are meeting Stacey from Fable & Black who creates literary gifts for book lovers and bibliophiles. Stacey is a busy lady but also finds time to do a lot for Handmade Nottingham including designing our logo, illustrating the shop windows, writing signs, designing posters and more! She's a super woman!  How would you describe your style? Bright, colourful and literary inspired. Where do you work and does your location influence your work? I work from my little flat in Beeston, where I've turned half the living room into my studio. I'm surrounded by my books so I'm never short on inspiration for new designs. One day I would love to have my own studio.  How did you get started as an artist/designer? I've been drawing for as long as I can remember, but strangely didn't study anything creative at university. It wasn't until a few years after I graduated I decided to try and earn a living from my creations, and discovered Etsy! It's been a steep learning curve but I wouldn't change a thing! Can you give us an idea of some of your creative processes? I don't really have a process, I draw a lot - and occasionally a drawing will be developed into different products such as mugs, notebooks, bags and jewellery. That's the great thing about illustration - you can literally put your designs on anything! I also spend a lot of time reading, collecting quotes I love in a little notebook - ready to turn into typographic designs later.  What is inspiring you or your work just now? Right now I'm taking a step away from typographic work, and developing more illustrations based on books I love - with a style inspired by traditional tattoo's. I'm also loving laser cut acrylic jewellery at the moment, and I'll have some bookish designs ready in time for Christmas! Other than that, whatever I'm reading at the time usually tends to inspire me, from my instagram feed you'll notice I'm currently re-reading Harry Potter!  Do you have any new designs you can give us a sneak preview of? Here's a quick preview of one of the new acrylic necklaces that will be available in time for Christmas...  What is your favourite thing about Nottingham? How green it is - there are so many trees in Nottingham! The Bookshops, the History, and ofcourse - Robin Hood! The best piece of makers advice you have been given or can give to others? Have patience and work hard, people are rarely overnight successes - put all your effort and passion in and your hard work will pay off!  Find Fable & Black available in store!
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This week we are meeting Sofie from Buckle & Cog who uses unusual fabrics to create one-of-a-kind watches  How would you describe your style? Colourful, Unusual, Boho watches… Where do you work and does your location influence your work? I work in a Summer House Studio at the bottom of my garden. I’ve always wanted my own studio; it is so inspiring to go in and find everything as I left it. I can continue with my last project and it doesn’t matter how messy it gets!  How did you get started as an artist/designer? I studied for a Btech in Art and Design, followed by a Foundation in Fashion and a degree in Fashion Marketing. This gave me the skills I needed to start my own business. Coming up with the idea was the fun bit! I experimented with lots of bits and bobs, until I found something I was proud of. Can you give us an idea of some of your creative processes? A new collection of watches begins 6 months in advance. I do trend research, to discover which prints will be in fashion. I scribble in sketchbooks and come up with 15 final print ideas. Many of the prints are designed by me and printed using a website called Spoonflower. Sometimes I’ll use Liberty of London Prints; occasionally I’ll spot some fabric when I’m out-and-about, that I simply can’t leave behind. My main tool is my sewing machine, hardly a day goes by without the sound of sewing coming from the bottom of our garden.  What is inspiring you or your work just now? I’m currently working on the Autumn/Winter collection. The concept I’m working on is: ‘Brighten up the Dark Days’. The idea behind it is: just because it’s cold and dark outside, doesn’t mean you have to dress the same way. It’s inspired my 90’s video games and pixels. So they’ll be lots of simple repeat patterns and primary colours. Do you have any new designs you can give us a sneak preview of? Here is a very sneak peak of a few watch straps from the Autumn/Winter Collection…  What is your favourite thing about Nottingham? It’s vibrancy, and mix of people. I love that both universities bring people into the city; they end up staying, and creating such a varied melting pot of talent and skills. It’s so inspiring to walk through the centre and see so many independent shops and restaurants. I think its small size helps its creative community to feel as if anything’s possible. Other creatives are close at hand to share ideas and give encouragement. It’s a wonderful place that I’m proud to call home. The best piece of makers advice you have been given or can give to others? Go for it! Just make something and see where it takes you. Don’t be afraid that things might go wrong or not work out as you expected. Sometimes the best ideas come from mistakes, that inspire you to look at something a little differently. Etsy is such a great platform for creatives; you can make something, pop it on there for very little money, and see how it goes! Enjoy it! Sometimes working from home can be a lonely place to be. Take a few minutes every day to appreciate how lucky you are, to be able to spend your life creating beautiful things, whenever and wherever you want! Find Buckle & Cog available in store!
This week we are meeting the lovely and bubbly Charlie from CMarshallArts who creates stunning watercolours inspired by nature.  How would you describe your style? Colourful, fun and quirky! Where do you work and does your location influence your work? At the moment, I work in my little sun-filled flat in the middle of Nottingham city centre. My windows are quite low to the floor, and I like to sit and gaze out of them whilst I paint. The natural light really helps lift the colours of the paints. I’m currently in the middle of a move to the outskirts of Cambridge, where I’m looking forward to having my own art room to create lots of new designs!  How did you get started as an artist/designer? I’ve been painting since I can remember, but after I finished my art A-level in 2008, I only ever painted as a hobby. When I got together with my boyfriend Carl in 2014 and showed him some of my work, he really encouraged me to start selling my designs and getting the professionally printed – I thought he was crazy! After having a chat with my good friend Becky Queen of Frocks who I knew from my day job as a PhD student in Astrochemistry, I decided to have a go and set up an etsy shop of my own. The rest is history! Can you give us an idea of some of your creative processes? My ideas start as scribbles in my sketchbook, which I develop further by trying out different patterns, colours and textures with various materials. Once I’m happy with a design, I’ll scan it in to my computer and clean it up in Photoshop (as I have a habit of flicking paint in places I don’t want it to end up!). I then send it over to the lovely Cycle Printworks, who I’ve known for years and who print my designs on thick watercolour paper using archival inks, to make every piece a long lasting piece of artwork, regardless of whether it is a greetings card or a print.  What is inspiring you or your work just now? I’m such an animal lover, and I get inspiration from every animal I see! I used to live in Wollaton, and on my daily commute through Wollaton Park I would gaze at the gorgeous red deer and being dying to paint them in my sketchbook. My Sherwood the Stag painting was the result, which is probably still my favourite. I’ve recently returned from a two-week trip to Brazil, and met some beautiful sea turtles at a nationwide project to help protect them. They were the inspiration for Terence the Turtle, who is now in the Handmade Nottingham shop. I also get so much inspiration from Sir David Attenborough nature programmes, and am currently working on a large sea theme based on animals from his Great Barrier Reef series which aired a few months ago.  Do you have any new designs you can give us a sneak preview of? Sure! Here’s a first glimpse of some of the animals from my sea theme  What is your favourite thing about Nottingham? Other than the Handmade Nottingham Shop you mean? ;) I love the creative scene in Nottingham so much, and I’m going to miss it when I move. I love the different food outlets here too – living right in the city centre, I often give in to temptation! The best piece of makers advice you have been given or can give to others? Just be yourself. I think authenticity is so important, so believe in everything that you do, and that you are happy with the decisions you take. Don’t be afraid to take risks in your creative processes – I’ve made some of my best work by taking risks! It’s hard work starting a creative business, especially if you have another job running alongside, so reward yourself, even if it’s something small.  Find CMarshallArts available in store!
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