Taking the stand (with my watercolour prints)

It’s been a wonderful mix of nerves and joy to share some of my print artwork at a local arts fair in Somerset - my first ever as an illustrator. It was a sleepy bank holiday, with lots of sunshine outside, so footfall was not very high. But it was still wonderful to catch smiling faces looking at foxes and frogs, and to hear some lovely feedback about my watercolours.

Lots of illustrators never meet the people who flick through their books or images, so I felt shy and curious to share some series of prints and cards celebrating the wildlife I love in such a public space.

Perhaps my most enjoyable takeaways will be: selling a badger card to a woman who wanted to gift it to her husband because it was their wedding anniversary. Sitting next to Sue, the sister of Douglas Adams - author of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (!) - and her wonderful business, “Bee-yond Lavender”. A visitor from Cornwall grinning at my glowworms and giving me recommendations of where to find fireflies in southern France (a small village called Sospel, apparently, where they are resident in mid-June). And, for obvious reasons, I had to smile when a woman working in children’s mental health told me I should illustrate children’s books…

I look forward to sharing my prints in different spaces, and uploading new designs to my online shop here: https://www.helenpatuck-cc.com/category/artwork-prints

Thanks for reading ☺️🎨