Sian Hughes

My illustrations didn’t start from a strike of inspiration, they came from wanting to go against the flow of my technical drawing skills. One night, in a bit of a stress, I picked up the broken end of a nearby paintbrush and started to pull ink around a blank piece of paper. This technique felt unfamiliar and after a while pulled me out of the rut I had found myself in when painting “classical” artwork. Rather than spending hours blending shades in acrylic, working meticulously to create the form, shape and texture of a subject, I had instead created a mouse which appeared round-bellied and curious, despite its stark and minimal style.

My illustrations look much like my handwriting, but when I sketch I don’t use normal stationery. I like to use the pointed end of a broken paintbrush; wood has an absorbency that takes away the scratchiness.