Meet the Maker Week #2

day 2 : the inspiration

Today’s prompt is about what inspired your chosen product and where it all began. I can't tell you exactly where I was when I drew what would become my very first Sunshine but I can tell you I wasn't at home 🌍 I was on my travels after uni and feeling very homesick, I had brought a sketchbook and pencils/pens with me and started to draw to distract myself during a storm. After a few mindless scribbles I started to draw friends and family from back home but kept getting frustrated because as soon as I added a nose or mouth to faces they looked rubbish!

Melanie and her shoes 💛 2006

However, I soon realised that I didn't actually need to add those features in to make them resemble my loved ones - I can't tell you how I did it, (I still can't tell you how I do it) but somehow, with just two black dots as eyes, it worked!

When I returned from my travels I scanned in and neatened up all of my scruffy drawings and gave them all to my friends as presents 🎁 I thought nothing of it at the time because I'd missed everyone so much and at the end of the day I was just giving them some heartfelt scribbles.

This one has ended up on her husbands arm as a tattoo! 😍 2006

Over time though people started asking me to draw their significant others and I also started to draw and gift portraits as wedding presents to my friends. When I launched Hello Sunshine I was getting enough requests for portraits that it made me realise I could offer them as a part of my business (alongside the jewellery) 🎨 Even though illustration wasn't the primary focus of Hello Sunshine to start with, I steadily built up a portfolio of work which didn't just include my friends and family.

Amy and her mad knitting skills ✨ 2006

Today, 11 years on, I'm still surprised and delighted by people I’ve never met before asking me to draw them, their loved ones and their pets. It's one of the best feelings in the world! Realising that my portraits, something with such a personal beginning, appeal to other people enough to make it part of my business is incredible! 😍 It's also my most favourite part of Hello Sunshine... but shhhh! Don't tell the jewellery.

My Duckypoos and her kitty, Lily 🐱

I draw many more of my friends and family while I was away and I wish I could remember which box in the attic the sketchbook and my travel diary is in but hopefully you’ve enjoyed seeing a peek into the past!

☀️