Illustrating from the heart, Heather Boudour communicates a wisp of dreams and inspirational messages and visual treats. Combining collage, hand-drawn sketches, typography and a wealth of mixed media her artworks warm me up on a cold day and chill me out when things are getting a bit hot under the collar. Get comfy with a cuppa and a biscuit as I invite Heather to share her creativity with us…
Can you tell us something about a current project that you’re working on/or just completed? (even sneak us a peek?)
A recent project I worked on was creating the identity for Cut and Stick, I was part designer and part client for this project as I am half of this small but mighty duo who are here to encourage people to take time out to make and be merry. With a belief that everyone is creative, Cut & Stick provide a friendly, relaxed and inspiring space where people can create things that are fun, full of personality and where imperfections are welcomed quirks. Launching this Autumn with a blog and calendar of events, a visual identity was needed that was unique and flexible as it has to work well digitally and across print, packaging and promotion.
http://cut-and-stick.blogspot.co.uk/
(Image Caption: Cut and Stick identity, Copyright Heather Boudour)
Could you share the last one or two websites/artists/events that inspire you?
I'm no poet but I can't help but be inspired by Rhymes with Orange (a fairly new) spoken word event in London. It's fun, lively and it's got me completely hooked - I love it! I use a lot of words, quotes and phrases in my personal illustration projects already so it really plays into that and so far I've been inspired to design a t-shirt, collage and asked one of the poets if I could use a poem they performed to illustrate - which was really fun.
http://orangesrhyme.com/
(Image Caption: 'Poem by Kim Pryor', Copyright Heather Boudour)
Art House Co-op are the peeps behind the sketchbook project and are bloody awesome if you ask me, they organise global collaborative art projects, lots of which are free to take part in. The Sketchbook Project brings together artists from all over the world to submit a sketchbook to a collection that forms part of a library. The collection is taken on a world tour where you can visit the traveling library and look through the masses of sketchbooks. After their travels the collection returns to their permanent home at the Brooklyn Art Library in NYC which is open to visit. I took part in the 2012 project and was reunited with my submission when the tour stopped in London. I also looked through lots of other sketchbooks from artists all over the globe; they were funny, sad, poignant, inspiring, awesome and intricate. As a registered artist you get a space on their website to showcase your submissions, so if you missed the tour you can still browse the collection online...
More about the The Sketchbook Project Website
(Image Caption: Sketchbook 2012 Submission, Copyright Heather Boudour)
Please could you describe a bit about your creative process…
The part of my creative process that is invaluable to me is getting all of my thoughts out of my head onto paper after I've been moodling on an idea or brief for a while. The thoughts, words, images, thumbnails, scribbles, research I'm thinking about begin to make sense as soon as I empty it all out of my mind onto the page. It could be scribbles or sketches or a moodboard, whatever form it takes, once it's there on the page I start making connections, see potential solutions and then take the ideas for a walk. Without that part of my process, it's all a bit of a jumble of possibilities - getting it onto paper clarifies things for me and starts to focus my response, leading me to a solution.
What 3 things from your creative box could you never live without?
A sketchbook with pen, my huge mixed paper collection and a glue stick. Without these I'd go stir crazy!
What word can you never spell?
Occasion.
Finally – what 1 memorable thing did your mum always say to you when you were growing up?
Honesty is the best policy.
(Image Caption: Identiy created by Heather Boudour for Blackbird Bread)
(Image caption: Identity created by Heather Boudour for Curiosity Cupboard
Big Thanks to Heather for her time and sharing her creativity. If you'd like to see more from Heather pop over to her website: www.heatherboudour.co.uk
