Welcome to the November edition of our "Artist of the Month" blog series, a special space dedicated to celebrating the extraordinary talent we’ve had the privilege of collaborating with. It's always difficult to pick from our wide range of wonderful clients. Whether you’re an artist seeking inspiration or an art lover who simply enjoys the creative process, you’re in the right place. Let’s dive into the world of pets and other furry creatures as we hear from these month's curated pick.
This month, we’re thrilled to introduce Holly Reynolds, an award-winning artist and illustrator who creates stunning pet portraits and book illustrations. We had the pleasure of catching up with Holly to discuss her artistic journey, sources of inspiration, and creative process.
Q. Where have you found inspiration recently?
A. I'm originally from Birmingham, but I moved to a little town called Tredegar in South Wales just under two years ago – we're nestled just underneath the Brecon Beacons and I love having nature like that on my doorstep. Over the summer, I've been working on a picture book project that's inspired by the landscape and weather of the valleys.
Q. Is there a piece of art or a project that you are particularly excited about right now?
A. At the moment, I'm being kept busy with lots of pet portrait commissions as we get closer to Christmas! It's so lovely to work on portraits that you know are being gifted, even if it does raise the pressure a little bit!
Q. What kind of tools or references do you like to use when creating artwork?
A. For my pet portraits, I work exclusively from photos of clients' pets, which is lovely because I just get sent lots of pictures of dogs everyday! But for my children's book work, I have a much wider range of references – a lot of taking sketchbooks out and drawing on location and my own photography, but where I need to draw things I don't have direct access to, youtube videos, documentaries and films are great resources too.
Q. What artists or artworks (from your life or art history) do you admire or consider influential to your work and why?
A. I've always said that Alan Lee is the illustrator that made me want to be an illustrator. Most people probably know him best for illustrating Lord of the Rings (and subsequently doing the concept design for the Peter Jackson films), but for me, he will always be the illustrator of a little book called 'The Moon's Revenge', which was one of my favourite books as a child. His watercolour rendering is second to none. In terms of illustrators working today, I've also got to say that Levi Pinfold and Elise Hurst are two of my favourites – I love that there's a bit of grittiness in both of their works.
Q. What advice do you have for other new or aspiring artists?
A. The best way to get better at something is to do it over and over again, so lean into whatever scares you. I know it probably sounds so obvious, but practise really does make perfect (or better, at least!) so draw those hands or faces or whatever it is that you don't feel confident in over and over again until you've found your way of doing it. There's not really a shortcut on just putting in the hours.
Q. Professionally, what has been your biggest achievement so far?
A. I had my first book published at the beginning of this year, which felt like a massive milestone! It was a heavily illustrated retelling of 'Black Beauty', translated into Chinese and published in the Greater China region. Getting my artist copies through the post and holding the final book in my hands was a very surreal feeling.
Q. What is your first memory of creating art?
A. I remember writing and illustrating my first story when I was about 4 or 5 – it was called The Socktopus and was about an octopus made of socks! I've still got the original painting I did of Socktopus, and I've often wondered whether I should try recreating it now.
Q. How do you spend your time when you're not creating artwork?
A. Taking the dog for a long walk over the top of the valleys is a great way to unwind at the end of a long week in the studio. I've also got back into reading this year after not finishing a book for years while I was in school and university. As a serial book buyer, I decided it was time I actually started reading them too!
Q. What work do you most enjoy doing?
A. I've got two sides to my practice – my pet portraits and my children's book illustration – and it might be cliché to say, but I really do love them both, even though they are very different! It's great to get your teeth stuck into a big book project and to develop something that's going to go and be sold out in the world, but I do like the intimacy of getting to know a bit about someone's pet and making something especially for them.
Q. What is your dream project?
A. I would love to have my own picture book published at some point as an author-illustrator, especially in the UK. Being able to go into a book shop and pick up my own book is the goal!
