Art Studio Vs Home Studio

 Why join a studio when you can work from home?

I unpack my thoughts about being in a studio, along with insights into who I currently share a space with. This post is taken from my Substack newsletter. If you’re not already, then please subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. Thank you.

I worked from home for a number of years after immediately graduating and also, more recently, during the various lockdowns. It was OK, manageable, distracting at times, but ultimately I remember very quickly feeling disconnected from community.

Quick bit of history here... for most of my childhood I was home educated or in a very small church school. I'm also the oldest of seven - three brothers and three sisters.

As a consequence, I think I've always thrived around others and actively sought out community. Perhaps that's a reaction against having a slightly sheltered upbringing or maybe I’m just continuing the big family vibe, I'm not sure - possibily a bit of both.

There was also the wonderful experience of studying illustration at Falmouth. This involved being part of a large, communal studio space, surrounded by aspiring illustrators. Being able to work immediately next to others, even if they had very differing styles of work, was fascinating and I remember it being a constant source of discovery and learning.

Since graduating, I've been drawn back to spaces that encourage interaction as well as being a suitable place for creativity. While - you’d hope (!) the focus in a studio is producing artwork, there's another layer of countless moments of interaction between studio members and visitors.

It's these small moments that, when collectively added up, have positively fed into my practice. For example…

• I've learnt from seeing other illustrators produce work in a way I'd not considered.

• We've problem-solved a tricky commission over a cuppa.

• Exasperated steam has been released when a client has gone AWOL.

And, then there are all the glorious benefits of spurring each other on and feeling informally accountable to your fellow studio pals. You want them to do well and, hopefully, they feel likewise.

It's impossible to put a value on these moments. They are seemingly random. But, even though there’s a pot-luck nature to the connections that a studio provides I love the long-form growth that comes from working among a similarly minded community. I know I’m lucky to have found and be able to afford a studio.

More on who I share with in a moment.

If you aren’t able to be in a studio, then why not find community by:

• Arranging to meet another creative at a cafe for a catch up.

• Attending industry meet-ups, events, talks, or workshops.

• Setting up or joining an online community group. I’m part of a few small WhatsApp groups of illustrators - a useful way to talk about jobs away from the public eye!

• Some studio spaces offer hot-desking or team up with another creative and desk-share.

I currently share a room at Bristol's Jamaica Street Studios with two other illustrators, Jess Knights and Sarah Dowling. We are all at different stages in our respective careers and, for the most part, work in different areas of the industry.

Jess takes on a lot of commissions producing gorgeous illustrations for clients seeking an illustrator with a deep understand of food illustration. She produces her work scanning in rich textures which she's made using a range of paint brush strokes. I love the way she captures the appropriate textured look for food and she's been expanding this approach to animals and people. If you're local to Bristol, Jess also runs creative workshops.

Quick Q&A with Jess Knights:

1. Are there any new ways of making images that you are keen to learn?

   1. It's taken me years to perfect my current style which is a combination of the things that I love: line drawing, composition and texture making. My style is heavily influenced by different printing techniques that I picked up whilst studying at Camberwell. When I have a little more space and time, I would love to dive back into the ongoing learning process of printmaking.

2. What is one of your favourite projects from recent months?

   1. I recently worked with a brilliant senior designer on a map and seasonal calendar project which I can't wait to share in my portfolio soon! That was my fav project recently, not only for the illustrations but because I love working closely with knowledgeable people on the strategy behind the project - that's where the best work comes from.

3. What are your earliest memories of being creative?

   1. I've always loved the texture that comes from the patience of building up thick layers of crayon and pastels and PVA. I also liked to line up all my TY Beanie Babies and hold committees where everyone would come together to find solutions that benefited the group. I think these two sides of creativity are where it comes together for me - tactile creativity and the creative thinking that happens when people get together.

Sarah also has a painterly approach. She scans her beautiful illustrations of birds, fish and food before digitally preparing them for print. I love how she sometimes composes an images from several scanned in pieces. She has a huge love for nature and her portfolio is full of appropriately approaches to capturing wildlife in a realistic and engaging way. She also takes on wedding stationary jobs and private commissions of venues, churches and homes.

Naturally there are some overlaps - we all enjoy taking on mural commissions, for example. And while we actively share advice and thoughts on painting large-scale - we've discovered that we've plenty of support for each other's projects along the way.

Quick Q&A with Sarah Dowling:

1. What's your favourite bird or animal to paint and why?

   1. I really love painting British Wildlife, especially birds, there's so much more colour and vibrancy in UK wildlife than you think at first glance and things like Kingfishers, Gold finches, Starlings and Puffins are always a favourite, I've also got a soft spot for foxes!

2. If you could do an artist residency anywhere in the world, where would you go?

   1. Ooooh somewhere colourful and with good food as I also love painting (and eating) food, maybe Mexico or India! I'd also love to do a sketching trip to a European city as I love drawing architecture too.

3. How do you get out of a creative block?

   1. I try to get back to basics with painting or drawing. I use the Goodship Illustration 'Art Club' archive on the IG to go back and pick one to do. It's good because it's always drawing from life so that eliminates having to decide what to paint. I recommend 'drawing with a stick' or 'one wet, one dry media' as that also helps shake off the idea of trying to make something look realistic. It helps to take the pressure off and shifts my focus onto creating something in the moment and helps relax me which usually helps get the ideas flowing again. 

Special shout to our absentee studio buddy, Zoe Power, who is busy on a new human baby project.

For further reading, please go check out Jess talking about what it’s like working from an illustration studio and Sarah reflecting on the value of having a separate creative studio space, away from home.