Toward the end of last year, I ran a stall at the Out of the Blue Drill Hall winter arts market. Opposite me was a stall adorned with a range of enticing prints and cards featuring hand-drawn and printed illustrations inspired by nature, plants, travel, architecture, landscape, and other such good things. These were the works of Sarah Martin, an illustrator who had relocated to Edinburgh recently to continue her studies at Edinburgh College of Art (ECA). Her screenprint of a cormorant sunning its wings instantly caught my eye - such a characteristic pose of a bird that I associate with coastlines around Britain, printed by Sarah in a striking stencilled silhouette.
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| Image courtesy of Sarah Martin |
I asked Sarah if she would be interested in participating in my 'featured artists' series, and as you can see from this blog post, she happily agreed. Sarah is the first illustrator I have featured in this series. She started her studies in England, before moving to Edinburgh to work on her Masters degree. In a relatively short space of time, she has begun working on commissions locally, most recently working with St. Cecilia's Hall, a University of Edinburgh museum. Before I give anything else away, I will leave it to Sarah to speak about her work and studies. As always, I put a few questions to her, and her answers are below...
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Josh Murfitt: How did you become interested in drawing and illustration, and when did you start to think this is something you’d like to do for a career?
Sarah Martin: I was brought up in a very creative household and loved getting messy as a child. I enjoyed art in school and wasn’t necessarily good at drawing but liked it, I also did graphic design which I did well in so decided to take a BTEC in Art & Design and then a Foundation. Here I discovered illustration as a career path, with a mix of drawing and design I knew it was the course for me.
JM: Could you summarise your background and experiences of studying this subject in Plymouth and Edinburgh?
SM: Illustration truly is a wonderful degree to be part of and you meet the friendliest people! Plymouth was a great seaside city to study, and I loved being near the sea hopping on a train with my sketchbook to escape to the beach for the day. I had a great experience on my undergrad and experimented a lot over my years there, I was passionate about picture books at the time which drove most of my projects.
It is now 7 years since my undergrad and I’m currently studying an MA in Illustration at Edinburgh College of Art. It felt like the right amount of time to want to study again. Going back to school and getting out of that comfort zone has been hard but it’s been the best experience. Drawing 5 days a week again has been amazing and it’s helped me feel confident in my work. The year is going way too quick but I’m having a blast and feeling positive about life after the course.
JM: What have been some of the highlights and/or challenges of moving to a new city at this stage in your career?
SM: I have moved around quite a bit and it’s always exciting but also challenging to get on your feet again and find the creative scene. Moving to Edinburgh for my MA has been a lot easier as I am within that uni bubble again. I have access to a studio, print facilities, and a lovely group of creatives to work alongside every day. This will soon change once the course is over but I feel like my time here is only just beginning.
JM: Has your work changed since you started studying at ECA? What new ideas or techniques have you been exploring in that time?
SM: Making illustrations full-time again has been an amazing experience and it’s really honed in on my interests and how I like to work. It’s been great to have time to play, create work that I don’t feel the need to share, and really develop my practice. I have been enjoying working with cut-out shapes, exploring these in collage, screen-printing, and riso. As well as rediscovering my love for design, and exploring type and layouts within my illustrations. I’m also part of a comic collective with some friends on the course, we’re called A Little Group Meeting. We make comics around a theme every 2 months and do the whole production side. I never thought I would be doing comics but it’s great fun!
JM: Where do you make your work? And what would be your ideal workspace or studio?
SM: I am mainly at my uni studio and sometimes at home but work better with other creatives around me. I would love to be in a space that has printmaking facilities attached, hard to come by so would maybe have to make my own one day, that’d be the dream.
JM: Where or when do you feel most inspired to make new work? Are there any particular places you look or go to for ideas?
SM: I enjoy being outside and seeing new places. The Water of Leith is just behind where I live and it’s my favourite Edinburgh green space to get inspiration from. The museums here are also great to draw in, The Museum of Childhood and Wee Museum of Memory being my favourites. A lot of inspiration happens when I’m traveling. I love capturing the essence of a place through its colours, landmarks, and environment, putting this into my sketchbook to refer to when I’m back in the studio.
JM: Could you name one artist/illustrator/designer/maker, one book, and one exhibition that has been especially influential or inspiring to your own practice?
SM: So many to choose from... M. Sasek will always be up there, I created a travel concertina about Venice in college and discovered his This Is series. Travel illustration has inspired me ever since! I have been in absolute awe of the book Meet The Typographer by Gaby Bazin, it’s the most delicious mix of colours and printy textures. I went to see Emily Sutton’s Toy Shop exhibition at The Scottish Gallery back in December and it inspired my current project delving into my interest in furniture and objects.
JM: What are you working on at the moment, both within and outwith your studies at ECA?
SM: My current fascination has been doll houses, drawing furniture and objects from different time periods, which I’m enjoying exploring in collage and print. This semester at ECA I have been working on client briefs which have been an exciting contrast to a personal project. Collaborating with St Cecilia’s Hall in Edinburgh I have been working on an activity trail for their music museum. This has been a super fun project, and the trail leaflet is out now. I have also been working with the Water of Leith on a brilliant project, creating an illustrated wildlife guide of mammals and birds you can spot around the river. This is nearly finished and hopefully will be ready in early summer to pick up from their visitor centre.
JM: Aside from participating in art markets and working with independent retailers, are there any other outlets for your work that you are interested in exploring?
SM: I would love to work on a long project like a non-fiction book one day! Exploring design in recent projects has opened me up to a new sector and I’ve loved collaborating with different organisations, creating trails and guides which would be great to explore further in future projects.
JM: If somebody offered you £5,000 to work on a new project of your choice, what would you do?
SM: A recipe book! Illustrating food within a project has been something I would love to do, but someone would have to write the recipes...
JM: Do you have any other upcoming events or projects you’d like to share with your readers?
SM: Inspired by the birds spotted at the Water of Leith I have an ongoing project creating screenprints from cut-out shapes and textures. I have a much-needed break from studies in May and I’m looking forward to returning to this series. A Little Group Meeting will be at Glasgow Zine Fest 5-6th of July. Our MA degree show is mid-August so stay tuned for dates, it’s going to be a great event!
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