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New print: Oddicombe

Meet my latest illustration: introducing Oddicombe beach in Babbacombe, Torquay. I’ve captured the view from the snaking cliffside road, showing a first glimpse of the beach through the trees.

illustration of Oddicombe beach in Torquay, coastal art print

The story behind the illustration

I initially took some snaps from this spot back in 2018, back when I first started drawing local landscapes. It wasn’t until early 2022 that I actually created a sketch, as previously I’d considered the view too ‘ordinary’. However, following the restrictions of covid lockdowns, I found myself fuelled by a renewed appreciation for the natural environment.

It was another 18 months before I pursued this one again, revisiting the spot in summer 2023 to create new sketch and check out the plants and flowers that grow there. I took a break from actively promoting Hillfolk in2023, so this new sketch was destined to remain in my book for another six months.

Fast forward to 2024 and I started with a fresh enthusiasm and creative focus. I spent many evenings adding the details, working out how to simplify shapes and arrange the leaves and flowers like puzzle pieces.

@bethathillfolk

I get asked this A LOT at craft fairs! So much so that I’ve now started taking my ipad to events so people can watch me work on my illustrations. It’s really helped! 🎨 Digital art does have a bit of a rep as ‘cheating’ as there are plenty of pics out there that have been made by tracing photos or adding some whizzy filter at the click of a button. But thats not how I work. I’m a bit old school, starting with a research trip and prep sketches, then moving on to a rough colourlayout. This illustration probably took about 30 hours, but I’m hoping the final result and level of detail reflects this! . #ukillustrator #digitalfineart #coastalartist #landscapeartist #natureartist #illustratorsontiktok #tiktokart #fypart #artprocess #illustrationart #artprint

♬ In The Forest (Acoustic Indie No Copyright) – Instrumental – Lesfm & Olexy

I’m really happy with the end result, and thrilled that Three Degrees West (the cafe on Oddicombe beach) has agreed to display my print too!

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The story behind… my Italian Gardens illustration

framed print of meadow flower illustration, Torquay

This summer, flower beds across the Bay have been planted with the most gorgeous meadow flowers! I absolutely LOVE it! So much prettier than the traditional formal planting. Here’s the Italian Gardens in Torquay…

I took the girl down with me to Torquay seafront and we sketched the view from the Italian Gardens, looking towards Rock Walk and the Riviera Wheel. It was so lovely to hear the positive comments from passers by, and it’s definitely proved to be a popular backdrop for a selfie! Find more photos from our day out on my Facebook page >

Here’s the girl sketching her interpretation, along with the page from her sketchbook below. I love how she has captured all the different shapes and sizes of the flowers 🙂

There were so many wonderful flowers, it was hard to know what to leave out! Here’s my initial messy sketch…

Next step was to import the sketch into my design software and make an initial colour study. I use a programme called Adobe Illustrator, which uses shapes and layers to build up the image. I normally like to use a limited palette of 4 or 5 colours, but this one demanded a pop of colour! See a short video of how I build up my work using layers here >

Sometimes it takes a while to build up the final piece, but this one of the Italian Gardens took only 2 days! Once I get an idea in my head I need to just run with it and keep working until it’s done! As the foreground was so busy, I kept the view behind fairly simple, using blues and greens to make it recede into the background.

And here’s the final thing! I loved creating it, I hope you like it too 🙂 It’s available now from my shop, both as framed and unframed print, in sizes A5 – A2. Shop now >

framed print of meadow flower illustration, Torquay