Artist Profile: Gemma Davies

Of Us
Feb 27, 2018
2 min read

Meet Gemma Davis, who designed the Sunflower Print for us! After studying Illustration at the University of South Wales, she is currently playing hockey in Spain. Find out how she balances her love of drawing and hockey:

What made you want to be an artist?

Ever since I was little I loved to draw. I never thought about studying it until my sister took it in school and I could see what she was doing.

What are you doing now?

At the moment I am in Spain playing a season of hockey, so my illustration has been on a bit of a back burner. The dream would be that I could support myself by doing freelance illustration and to be able to travel around the world playing hockey and seeing some cool stuff.

What projects are you working on now?

I am doing more personal work at the moment trying to get my portfolio up to scratch and in the process of making some illustrations to sell online then just thinking of ways to get my work out there more. Mostly planning and procrastinating.

What inspired the Sunflower Print?

There isn’t really a meaning behind most of my work (unless its editorial). I focus more on the aesthetics and colours. The inspiration of this print came from the research that I did on the style of the pieces.

How would you describe your artistic style?

My artistic style is fun, light hearted and colourful.

Describe your creative process and your favourite part of it.

In university I was all over the place because I was working and playing with 3 hockey teams, so I learnt to make illustrations using the bare minimum. I start off by researching and making a Pinterest board full of inspiration. Then I rough out some ideas on scrap paper with a biro and some pencils. Next, I make it on illustrator. My favourite part of my process is messing about with colours and seeing which ones work well with each other colour is so important an illustration can look x10 better if you use the right colour scheme. My process is pretty bog standard, but it works for me.

Why do you enjoy collaborating?

I enjoy collaborating because it motivates me more to do the work. I hate letting people down so I’m more likely to complete a project on time where as personal work takes me so much longer to do!

Any advice for aspiring artists?

I feel like I am still an aspiring artist but I guess make sure that you love what you are doing and don’t be too critical of yourself. Critique your work like it was someone else’s.

Who are your biggest influences?

My biggest influences are my friends and family.