Sarah Papworth

Where do you live?
I live in the North Cotswolds in the UK, in a village called Honeybourne.

Where have you lived?
I grew up in Surrey, went to university in Winchester and worked in London for about 9 years.  Perhaps Victorian England in a past life!

What medium do you use?
I really love to use mixed media.  I go to watercolors, acrylics, pens and pencils the most, but also love inks, collage, printing and Photoshop too.

How do you stay inspired?
I generally have too many ideas, but if I need clarity or get a bit stuck, I just go for a walk, go on an arty trip out to a museum or gallery,  Pinterest is great, and I like looking at different creative areas for inspiration, like photography, sewing, quilting, or just finding an organic form in nature might set me on a good path.

Where do you buy your art supplies?
Sometimes online if time is tight, but I like to go to little art shops if I can, there’s a good one in Stow-on–the-Wold which is a beautiful drive through the Cotswolds.

Do you work traditionally or digitally?
I work in both traditional and digital, all of my painted work will be scanned in and adjusted on Photoshop, and I occasionally still use Illustrator too.

What color combination are you most excited about right now?
Oh so many, color is an inspiration to me all by itself.  But if I had to pick one, perhaps pink and green, in all its forms and variations.

What blog(s) do you read?
Hmm,  Makeartthatsells blog! ….I have to admit, I’m more of an Instagram girl creatively speaking, but I could spend a few hours on mindbodygreen.com, and other wellness blogs.

Why do you like being an illustrator in 10 words or less?
Because I get to do what I love.

If you weren’t an illustrator, what would you be?
Perhaps a gardener or horticulturist, interior designer, herbalist, hermit.

What illustration job would you love to get (your dream job)?
I would love to work with Anthropologie or create magazine covers for Flow, work with the Natural History Museum, kids books!  So many things would make me very happy.

Name something you do in your spare time.
Grow my own vegetables.

What’s the strangest work experience you’ve ever had?
I once had to go in a London cab to buy a hamster for my Buying Director (when I was a Homeware designer).

What are you reading now?
And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini

What recent book do you recommend for a good read?
The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown.

Where would you like to travel to next?
Just out of my house would be good, or Japan.

What’s your favorite TV show?
There are many, I love Stranger Things currently, and always love Everybody Loves Raymond or Frasier, Only Fools and Horses.

What movie have you seen several times?
Amelie

Who is your favorite cartoon character?
The BFG

Who are you in “The Office”?
Wow I watched that years ago, I’m not sure now, sorry.

What is your favorite cheese?
Brie

If you could name a nail polish, what would you name it?
Miaow miaow sparkle puff

Do you wear shoes when you do art?
No usually, bare feet, or cozy socks.

What do you listen to while you work?
London Grammar, Ben Howard, Lorde, and my music collection, BBC Radio 1, Gaia App, Creative Pep talk podcast, or just the birds singing.

What artist are you reincarnated from?
Ha ha, erm, maybe one of the impressionists as I’ve always loved their work from a young age, particularly Vincent van Gogh!

What’s your middle name?
Louise

What do you wish your middle name was?
Starshimmer

If you could eat only one food, what would it be?
Broccoli with butter.

How do you stay in shape?
Yoga, swimming, gardening, moving furniture around the house at regular intervals.

How don’t you stay in shape?
Chocolate and Netflix

What is your current favorite font?
Not sure, just love hand-lettering though.

How do you take your coffee?
If I had to, decaf latte, but I prefer a herbal cuppa these days.

Whom would you like to meet?
Yoda from Star Wars

What question would you most like to be asked?
Would you like an all expenses paid trip to Japan for a month?

What was your favorite illustration assignment?
I loved creating the portraits for the ‘I Know a Woman’ book for Quarto, I got to really dig into a big project and bring my own style to it.

Client List

180 Degrees
American Greetings
Aurum Press (Quarto Publishing)
BHS
Callisto Media
Debenhams
George at Home ASDA
HarperCollins
Kew Royal Botanical Gardens
L’Oreal Paris
MADE.com
Mollie Makes magazine
Piccolina
Rock Flower Paper
Scholastic
Studio Eleven Papers
Talking Tables
The White Company
Tree-Free Greetings

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