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Interview With Jacqueline Colley

They got in contact with illustrator Jacqueline Colley and together we worked on an exclusive print for the boxes. Kate and Rachel sat down with Jacqueline to find out more about her work.

Can you tell us about how you got into illustration?

Sure! I studied Graphic Design and always loved drawing, when I graduated I was super lucky enough to get a job with H&M working on the girls wear department which became 6 years working as a print designer for high street brands including Oasis. Then 5 years ago I decided to go freelance in a bid to get more creative work! I found myself gradually moving over into the illustration world which I think is secretly where I always wanted to be! I still design lots of patterns but love working on editorial and packaging commissions too!

How long have you been running your business and what is the best and worst parts?

It was my 5 year anniversary last February but it didn’t look anything like it does now at the beginning. It’s been a gradual evolution figuring out what works and finding a balance between the product and service sides of my business. My favourite part is getting to draw and make things, but as any creative will tell you that often takes a back seat to the boring jobs! At the moment I really need to send out some promotional mail to try to get new work! But I hate that job so I’m ignoring it!

We love seeing where people spend their days – tell us about your workspace and what a typical day looks like.

Most days I spend in my studio (which I love) I work from home alone which suits me perfectly as I’m an introvert! I catch up on emails with a coffee, pack orders from my online shop and then I like to go to a group class at my local gym! It’s super empowering doing aerobics en mass with a room of women! Then I’ll pop into the post office red faced and sweaty before heading home! I try to do something creative everyday even if it’s just sketching or refining an idea that’s been bouncing around in my head! But I also try to do a bit of admin so that it doesn’t pile up and stress me out!

You’ve done work for amazing brands such as Heals, Kate Spade, Twitter and Mollie Makes. Have you enjoyed collaborations, and how did they come about?

I love to collaborate it’s so much fun to work with new people and see what you can achieve when two ways of thinking come together! The Heals collab was through an open call competition not long after I went freelance and I thought ‘I have to go for this’! The Kate Spade design team found my pencil shavings pattern on Pinterest and got in touch to license it for their stationery range, which blew my mind but goes to show that it’s really worth using Pinterest! A lot of clients find me through Instagram which is great and Mollie Makes was through their Hand Made awards I was shortlisted in 2017 and met Kate & Rachel from The Fold Line at the awards, as they had won the previous year!

What projects are you working on and what is coming up for you next?

I’m very excited to have designed two ranges for quilting and craft fabric, it’s something I’ve always wanted to do and I’ve gotten to work with an awesome company so I’ll be sharing that soonish, I can’t say anymore than that! Next I’m going to get back to designing some new silk screen prints for my shop mainly so that I can go to the printing studio and mix colours and make prints as that is my favourite thing to do!

Find out more about Jacqueline’s amazing work HERE