We are back with another feature! This week we chat to Courtney, a designer who has turned her passion for illustration into a business!
Hello Courtney! Tell us a little bit about what you do!
Hello! I’m an illustrator and designer of cute and quirky jewellery, gifts, cards and stationary. My style is very colourful and feminine, and my designs are a combination of hand drawn and digital art. I set up my business in 2017 as a creative outlet – I’m a fulltime book cover designer so creating my own products is a fun way to be creative for myself. It makes me so happy being able to turn my artwork into finished products.
We love the jewellery you create! What’s your favourite thing you’ve ever made?
Aww thank you! I think my favourite pieces would have to be either my sunflower necklace or my pink rose necklace. They’re super summery designs, but funnily enough I think I wear them more in the autumn and winter months. I love to pair them with cosy knits to brighten up my outfits and to cheer me up on cold, miserable days.
How did you start selling your products can you remember the first thing you sold?
I started selling my products through Etsy in September 2017, and my first ever sale was my Buckeye butterfly enamel pin which is still my most popular item. I’ve also just recently created my butterfly design as a sticker and I’m thrilled with how it’s turned out.
What advice would you give to someone wanting to start making products and selling them?
I would say go for it, but do lots and lots of research! Also, don’t be put off if sales are slow to start, I don’t think I had my first sale until one month after opening my Etsy shop and I’ve just reopened after a year’s hiatus so I’m expecting it will take a while to build it back up again. Patience and passion are two words that come to mind!
Things that inspire your creativity?
Nature has always inspired a lot of my work, especially flowers and animals. I also love bright, bold colours and patterns. More often than not when I’m designing a new jewellery piece I’ll create a repeat pattern first and play around with the motif composition and try different colour ways to see what works best – it’s a really fun process.
Favourite thing to draw?
I love drawing flowers and plants but lately I’ve been getting into drawing cute animal characters – one of my favourites to draw is Gigi (as I like to call her) – she’s a lazy little house cat. She’s made an appearance on some of my greeting cards, keyrings and stickers.
Where can people view and buy your beautiful work?
You can buy my products on my Etsy shop
www.etsy.com/uk/shop/CourtneyBlades
You can also view my work on Instagram and Facebook @CourtneyBladesShop
