Autumn

For me, autumn has always been a season that has fed my creativity and given me an opportunity to feel good about being inside and being creative. From the colours on the trees to the guilt-free days spent inside a snug studio, autumn without a doubt can be one of the most satisfying seasons.

With each year that passes, I find the seasons to be more and more intrinsic to daily thoughts, routines and plans. Both as a reminder of things we have to look forward to and also reflecting on the times that have slipped so subtly into the past. From days out, weeks away, reflecting on those we love and those we have lost, the shift in the weather and the shift in our daily rituals give us a unique breath of (often mildy frosty) fresh air. As we move across the midpoint of the year I find this season to be and opportunity for reflection on our hopes for our personal and allotment / garden-based growth.

I recently created this playful squash illustration, a reminder of the crops we have to look forward to and the autumnal tastes and colours. it felt appropriate as we celebrate the beginning of a new season! The squashes on sale are a feast for the eyes and I am fortunate that the other half often bakes us some pretty delicious Pumpkin Pies! (He’s a gem).

I hope that you are all well and embracing the chilly weather as best as you can. Time to hunker down with a hot cocoa and a blanket.

Wishing you all the best as we move into a new season!

A Reflection: Summer In the Garden 2023

We had a strange summer of growing this year! We were caught out by an early heatwave in June and then never quite recovered amidst that and the relentless rain through July and August!

As ever the Buddleja as ever required constant containment and pruning but also continued to draw in the bees and butterflies in their hundreds. Despite our other blooms being questionable this year our strawberry vine went bananas and grew from pot to pot! This was a real joy, particularly as we had to put very little effort in to its success and constant fruit provision. Our other berries also thrived and I also planted some wild seeds that did really well in a pot. It did make me think as the fruits and blooms that thrive in the wild coped the best with the heat and the rain. I wonder if this should be my focus for next year. I’m now thinking of planting the more wild and tough varieties even if they are in pots!

Pleased To Announce New Branded Paper-Based Packaging Alternatives!

Very excited to announce that all wholesale orders will now be sent out exclusively with these fully recyclable easy-peel labels!

The transition comes as suppliers old and new had a preference for these over the compostable sleeves. I can’t blame them as they look so smart and keep waste down to a minimum. After some thinking and consideration, it only made good sense to now make these the default packaging for wholesale orders. I hope that you like them as much as we do!

I can’t deny I am pretty excited about them! They look great and give buyers the opportunity to see the quality of card we print on and spend so much time sourcing. Once again thanks for all the support and enthusiasm for these!

Busy Summer of Shop Orders

This summer has been great for orders, from wholesale and directly via my online shop. I wanted to share a little insight as this month I have had a number of international orders placed with cards being sent far and wide from Europe to America.

It’s nice to think a little bit of English countryside is being shared around as far as the USA.

I’m so pleased that a positive of the modern age is we are able to share our work on a global scale!

Thank you for your orders and don’t forget how great it is to shop independently. Thanks again!

National Trust Trip to Hill Top. House of Illustrator and Author, Beatrix Potter

Some quick sketches from Hill Top

On a lovely summer day, we took the ferry across Windermere to visit Beatrix Potter’s House Hill Top.

Beatrix Potter was a woman ahead of her time, creating an illustration style that many still continue to use as a premise for their work today. However, her honed skill and high level of craft is at the core of what continues to make her work stand out from all other illustrators.

While visiting the north of England I was keen to explore her inspiration and environment that was so fundamental to her practice.

When entering Beatrix Potter’s treasured house, Hill Top, it becomes instantly apparent how this space nurtured her creativity as well as inspiration for her subject matter. It was here in the heart of the English Lake District she immersed herself in the beauty of the English countryside, nurturing her love of gardens, landscapes, and wildlife.

What many people don’t realise is that the house was in fact a very elaborate studio as opposed to a place of residence. The house was used as a place to work; a generous studio space devoted to her practice and creative endeavors. Here she created many of her stories, and scenes from her illustrations can be found throughout the building. Witnessing the thriving National Trust property, it was moving to see how a Victorian woman’s illustrations continue to attract tourists from around the globe. Meanwhile, her legacy continues to preserve one of the most unique and breathtaking parts of the English countryside. The peace and landscape around it provides a peace that is unique to this part of the country, so much so that you quite instantly begin to feel your mind relaxing and provides an opportunity to hear your own thoughts.

Some quick sketches from Hill Top Garden

As a young person, I was raised on a small holding facing the Lake District mountains in an unconventional cottage that was a constant source of inspiration. My Grandad, who had lived in a (slightly) more conventional building spent an afternoon in my dad’s favourite armchair. Listening to the swallows nesting in the eves, the breeze whistling over the chimney, the pets pottering around the house and likely the occasional shrew wandering past his toes; he affectionally described the house as ‘alive’. I know that this remote location provided a challenging environment as a young person but it also provided an infinite source of inspiration.

 

Studio envy aside and although Beatrix Potter grew up in London, for the first time in a very long time, I felt a connection with the landscape in a way I hadn’t for some time. This refreshing and emotive visit reminded me about how natural my practice is to me, how integral my country upbringing has been and the importance both of these things have in my daily life. I hope to always be making art, always challenging myself to new projects and always trying to ensure integrity in my illustrations.

Me and my partner are National Trust members and would highly recommend it as a relatively affordable membership with a large number of days out available and allows access to free parking.

World Illustration Awards Submission - Nurtured Pots

 

Strawberry plant happily growing in the garden

Really pleased to share that my project ‘Nurtured Pots’ has been selected for the World Illustration Awards longlist!

How my World Illustration, longlisted project came about…

After nearly ten years of living and studying in London, we made the decision to move into the countryside just outside of the beautiful city of Bath.

 

Lettuce grown from seed and Sunflower on gravel garden

As many of you may already know I grew up on a small holding in the countryside. Slotting back into living a quiet life in nature was something I found surprisingly easy. To begin with, I missed the bustle of London and elements of my old life. The things I had so happily taken for granted, such as casually calling into large galleries and museums and soaking up the undeniable energy unique to our capital, left gaps in my life that I knew I’d have to fill. But I soon found my stimulation and inspiration elsewhere; quickly finding my feet through taking comfort in nature, birdsong and the great outdoors.

 

Tomatoes happily growing in the garden

We moved to an old house with a small and sad-looking, gravel garden. I rapidly began filling the new, small, but sunshine-filled outdoor space with pots of flowers, fruit, and vegetables. I wasn’t always practical and chose plants for their colour and form. Additionally, this also pulled me back to paying more attention to my family’s country garden and the fruit and veg growing there!

This was the start of the inspiration for this project, which has now led to a whole new, colourful body of work and generously expanded my portfolio. After some time of trying hard to bring colour back into my work, this project offered an opportunity to bring colour into my work in a very organic way.

Working through these new ideas complimented my enthusiasm for the exploration of the outdoors and attending to my pots. My love of growing blooms and veg, rekindled and my unwavering admiration for the tools required for the job!

You can visit my entry on the Association of Illustrators website below:

https://theaoi.com/wia/ruth-emma-fox-in-the-garden-nurtured-pots/

 

T h e E n t r y

Ruth Emma Fox - Peaches

Ruth Emma Fox - Sunflowers

Ruth Emma Fox - Artichokes

Ruth Emma Fox - Garden Tools

Ruth Emma Fox In the Garden - Nurtured Pots

2023 / Longlist

Exploration

Multiple Entry | Un-commissioned | Professional | Category: Exploration

Subtitle:
Exploration of a Small Garden and Nurtured of Pots

How were your illustrations used? :
Self Promotion/portfolio

How did you make this work:
Moving from London I became immersed in the countryside. Filling our new, small, but sunshine-filled outdoor space with pots of flowers, fruit, and veg.

Illustrations are traditionally crafted by hand with ink and a dip pen, then finalised with contemporary digital practices. This project was an important development to my process and portfolio having worked in black and white prior to this.

 

Click this button for entries listed on the Association of Illustrators website

 

New!

Inspired by the seasons and the plants and leaves growing in the garden we’re pleased to launch these hand-illustrated cards.

There are six new designs, blank inside for your message, as with all of the colour cards available in my shop, they are printed beautifully on this FSC lightly textured card!

I often have requests for occasion cards. As I don’t often work with type these designs took a bit of time to be realised. However I’m really pleased with them and they’ve now been sent to new stockists!

There are six new designs, blank inside for your message, as with all of the colour cards available in my shop, they are printed beautifully on this FSC lightly textured card!

summer sketchbook drawings

Summer Blooms - Highlights in Sketches

I wanted to take this opportunity to write about some of my summer garden bloom highlights and utilise some of my dip pen illustrations from my sketchbook. So here is a glimpse into my garden and rough sketches in my sketchbook!

My garden is a small patch, but I like to make the most of it for both myself and the wildlife. Due to the nature of the space, the plants I grow are predominantly in pots. As many of you already know I had a magnificent sunflower growing this year and it’s now been featured across my new range with a response that’s been really moving. However, I wanted to turn my attention to some of the other garden bloom highlights.

 
 

Hollyhock Lavender original dip pen sketch

 
 

Hollyhock

Starting with one of my all time favourites, these resilient plants create a captivating display, their height and colour alone are pleasing but add their soft shapes and they are otherworldly. These towering giants are in my all-time top five flowers. Growing on all kinds of terrain these blooms can grow in the most unlikely places, you can sometimes spot them alongside UK train lines, along hedgerows or even gravel/ rubble-covered ground.

 
 
 

Buddleia

This year I let our buddleia go a bit wild. With a little bit of pruning it’s created a beautiful canopy. The bush has by no exaggeration been fantastic and teaming with bees and butterflies. After a wild summer, it was crying out for an autumn prune ready for the dormant period. I also clipped the rose bush - always the most severe trim in the garden.

Buddleia original dip pen sketch

Begonia original dip pen sketch

 

Begonia

An unlikely featured candidate but I underplanted the bulbs for these in some of my pots as summer blooms and they’ve been stunning right into September - helping bridge that gap between summer and winter bedding. They have kept my pots looking fresh and elegant in white blooms.

 
 

Verbena

With its geometric stalk and its delicate purple flower, on a whim, I managed to get this going into a strong and beautiful specimen from a small plant I picked up. I stuffed it in a relatively shallow pot, and it’s been a complete joy to watch thrive. I’ve heard people mention that they haven’t had much luck with the plant, and I can’t help wondering if the conditions in the shallow pot unintentionally provided the ideal growing conditions. Though I am aware they like well-draining soil, I didn’t expect it to flourish to the extent it did in what I deemed as an extremely inadequate pot!

Verbena original dip pen sketch

 

Lavender original dip pen sketch

Lavender

I can’t get enough of lavender, I have it by the pot full to try and create a fragrant sensory experience for when I’m sitting, reading or drawing outside. I also like that it’s low maintenance and requires little watering – ideal for these warmer summers that are becoming more frequent, and the bees love it!

 
 

Brand new additions to the catalogue!

So pleased that the new trade catalogue is complete and online! This digital booklet is now available for my new and existing clients for this season!

I have included a small selection in this post but if you’d like a closer look do follow this link to see in the online views or download it as an interactive PDF.

See the full catalogue here

Bespoke wedding illustrations

Something a little different! This was a very special commission for a beach side wedding. These bespoke illustrations were created for use on both on a wedding save the date and the wedding invite. This was a really fun project and it was nice to work on something quite creative for a special day. I believe they will also be used on the seating plan and day schedule in a large A2 format. Anyway I thought they’d be a nice edition to the blog and I hope you like them!

New Range

I recently launched a new range inspired by garden harvests from past and present. This set of illustrations has been important to both me and my portfolio. I have gradually been increasing my use of colour for some time now but with these particular illustrations, I felt like I’d found my flow. So far they have been popular and I look forward to going into a little more detail about the new ranges in the near future.

Artichoke Greeting Card
Artichoke Greeting Card
£3.75
Peaches A2 Fine Art Print
Peaches A2 Fine Art Print
£105.00
ruth emma fox illustration Sunflower Greeting Cards.jpg
Sunflower Greeting Card
£3.75

Minor Studio Renovations

 

This week I renovated an Ercol cupboard for use in my studio. Being Ercol and of its time, it is an ideal size and shape - nice and narrow, not too cumbersome. It has just enough room for many of the items I use for direct orders that come through from my online shop.

When this piece of furniture was given to me it had been stored in dry sealed barn for a number of years, desperately in need of some TLC. I brought it home and sat it next to a dehumidifier and gave it a good scrub down. Once it was in my studio I didn’t have the time I’d hoped to fully sand it down and strip the varnish off the cupboard (although this is something I may do in the future!). So I bought a tin of my favourite eco - Farrow and Ball paint and gave it a nice coat leaving some parts in its original birch colour. These are some of the results. It always feels good to get organised.

 
 

The Phenomenon That is Everydayness

Lately, I’ve been working on a number of new projects both personal and commercial. I’ve been thinking about how I feel inspired creatively in my personal work and more deliberately, why? Many artists I talk to or read about, their inspiration often occurs from travel, epic novels, surreal experiences, music, or movies. Although I take pleasure in many of these activities, my illustration inspiration stems from something much more simple than that, the phenomenon that is everydayness. The ordinariness and the tasks of my own personal daily life.

Some might argue it is monotonous or plain, average or expected. I find most days pleasing, from the ornateness in everyday objects, tools, and the intrigue of mechanics used for the most simple jobs. Or quiet lives being lived by the plants in my garden and nature. Recently I have wanted to dig a little deeper than that and ask, why? Yes the outdoors, growing, gardening, and being surrounded by a background of fixers, engineers, gardeners, and general handy - ness has influenced me, but why do these things most people walk past or throw in a drawer make me want to illustrate?

The answer turned out to be quite obvious. Because there is nothing in life I take pleasure in more than everydayness. Nothing I could be more thankful for. There is often no place that I’d rather be. I like the satisfaction of repairing something that allows me to go about my daily tasks; from re-wiring my drawing lamp plug to planting out some veg for an after-work meal. Nothing to relish more than being around the home, working hard on my business, being with Gabe, being with my small family of three. Even everyday chores like hanging the laundry on the line and feeling the sunshine on my face. These small spectacular moments of the day give me a level of grounding, satisfaction and comfort, and most of all inspiration.

If you made it to the end of this post I would also invite you to think about why your inspirations inspire you. For me, doing this has allowed me to be grateful for my every day and also take even more pleasure in my creative practice. Take care and I hope that your everyday and personal inspiration brings you comfort and creativity in some form, whatever you might be going through.

Who Are 'We' and How Do We Work

Who are ‘we’, most of the week it’s me and Gabriel the cat (below)! When I get really busy with events or orders and I’ve got creative projects on sometimes it’s all hands on deck in our house and my other half helps or any family that might happen to be around!

There are a lot of plates spinning most of the time, there’s usually a commission on the drawing board, orders in my inbox, and a pile of carefully wrapped illustrated shop items ready to go to the post office.

Sometimes it’s hard to fit in personal project time and I’m currently working hard at scheduling some time to get my new projects finished. Although it’s a busy life I remind myself that I am lucky to have my own creative business.

I am regularly asked for advice on how to balance the varying aspects of my business - it’s not always perfect but here are some of my Top Tips!

Top tips For balancing an independent creative business

  • Have a diary, a calendar, and a notepad. A diary will help you break down the long-term goals into daily to-do’s and achievable aims. A calendar will help you see the bigger picture and a notepad will help you carry creative ideas into the next day!

  • Have a plan! Three months to a year is usually adequate.

  • Keep your space comfortable for you. I read recently that some of the most creatively recognised people in history all had messy desks and it’s believed that in some cases it can actually assist your creativity (something I choose to believe!).

  • Eat well, sleep well and drink well. It sounds simple enough but I think being a creative business owner we can sometimes get carried away and forget to take good care of ourselves!

An Afternoon Out at Kew Gardens

As some of you may know we recently left our long-term home in London for the fresh air of the beautiful countryside that surrounds the gorgeous city of Bath. We love our new home and one of the great elements is that we are still very close to London (just one hour on the train and under two in the car). London called for a meeting this week so we made the most of the day and visited Kew Gardens one of my favourite places in London. We’re members so we visit regularly, the gardens, palm house, and temperate house have a feast for the eyes all year round. I would recommend visiting to all, it was misty and cold this time we visited but we still had a great time and took our flask of hot tea.

Illustrated Wrap and Pack for Mail Order

I hope you enjoy browsing my online shop. Each item is carefully selected for it’s well made and high quality ability to showcase my illustrations. Where wrapping and packing is concerned I do my best to source as environmentally friendly options as possible. Our new tissue paper is carbon neutral and printed using compostable soy ink. Each item comes in an illustrated gift box or wrap.


Welcome

Welcome to our new blog.

Thank you to those re-joining who have been long-term followers of the previous Ruth Emma Fox blog. Using this new platform I hope to share updates and behind-the-scenes images on here direct from the studio! I hope that you will follow my illustration journey with me through my weekly in-site blog update! Alternatively, you can sign up for the biannual newsletter below for updates direct to your inbox and you can also find us via social media using the icons below.

We look forward to the next chapter of the Ruth Emma Fox Blog. Thank you as always for reading!