Illustrated Monthly - Petal to Petal

It's been some time since the last 'Illustrated Monthly' feature what with one thing or another and, whilst on Twitter the other night I noticed this amazing illustrator, Lily Reilly. Having fallen for her beautifully detailed floral designs it made complete and utter sense to make her the next instalment in this monthly feature. So here she is...

••••

• Tell us a bit about you and your background 

My name is Lily Reilly and I am an Illustrator and Surface Pattern Designer from Cork City but currently living in Berlin. I work under the artist name ‘Petal to Petal’. 

The name 'Petal to Petal' describes the method in which I work- literally drawing one petal at a time. I can (and do!) spend hours drawing and can get lost in my work- I think that time flies when you're doing something that you love. 

My style is quite intricate and I use a lacing pattern that I call ‘flower bomb’ in a lot of my work. The pattern explodes and disperses and I like to experiment with it and use it in different ways. I particularly love working in monochrome and just concentrating on the shapes and detail of an image. 

I studied Graphic Design and then trained as an Art and Design teacher, both at Crawford College of Art and Design in my hometown, the beautiful Cork City. I  graduated from Rachael Taylor and Beth Nicholl's course 'The Art and Business of Surface Design' last summer.

'Seed Heads'

'Lace Doily'

• How did you find your way to illustration?

I wanted to be an interior designer when I was younger and at an early age I was introduced to the works of Charles Rennie Mackintosh and William Morris. I loved the detail and perfection in their work, the pattern and symmetry. It was so clear that they loved what they did, not just in their work but in their involvement in the Arts and Crafts movement, and that made me realise how important it is to do what you love- I thought 'what a lovely way to view the world'. When I studied Graphic Design and trained as an Art and Design Teacher, neither of those professions appealed to me as a whole. I love elements of both but my heart just wasn’t in either, I knew there was something else. 

While I was in college I started making and selling illustration work in my spare time- I always made time for it because it was what I wanted to do. I then started approaching galleries and exhibiting my work in Cork City and County and the response from people gave me that boost to take the next step. 

'Blossom'

• Your work is incredibly intricate with a lot of attention to detail. What or who inspires your style and what is your creative process?

I am inspired by so many different things- the stunning classic designs that the greats (as above) have left behind, work by talented designer friends and established designers today, the seasons and patterns in nature, trend boards and blogs. Living in Berlin, you can't really go anywhere without getting inspired. I work from home so it's good to get out of the apartment (especially if my kitten Poppy is in a hyper mood!). The area that I live in is jam packed with lots of beautiful little shops and cafes and I like nothing more than to disappear to a cafe and sit drawing for hours, accompanied by some creamy Cappuccinos! 

'Roses'

• As a surface designer, what's your preferred medium to work with and why?

I love working in pen on paper- I always have. When I studied Graphic Design and one of our topics was print. I developed a healthy obsession with paper- the texture, the weight, the colour- it is wonderful stuff! I really enjoy sitting down with some nice new pens and beautiful paper and just starting a project- it’s just as exciting for me as when I finish the piece. When I have finished the image I scan it in and work on it in Photoshop or Illustrator. 

'Spring Florals'

• What's next for Petal to Petal?

 I am currently part of an exhibition here in Berlin, which I helped to organize with two friends. The exhibition is called ‘all in the detail’ and it shows three very different but feminine, artistic styles. The exhibition will be running until mid June so if anyone is in Berlin please call in!

I am always open to commissions and collaborations with other designers and I enjoy participating in different events and exhibitions.

Follow Lily Reilly at Petal to Petal

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Etsy

I hope you've been inspired by Lily's work-she's sparked a desire in me to cover everything in tiny daisies! Enjoy your weekend and I'll be back on Monday...

A Small Office Tour - Just A Little Corner

Morning. Sleep well? I thought I'd start the day gently with a milky decaf and a little insight into my new office space, sharing a little corner of it with you. Over the past few days in between trips to the supermarket and hunting for nurseries for our son (a whole different ballgame here) I've managed to pick my way through the boxes and slowly unpack my office. I'll say it again. My office. You have no idea how good it feels to say that, given that I'd gone from having a corner of a room in our two-up-two down, to working on the sofa/dining table once our son was born. I planned entire weddings that way and it wasn't conducive to anything remotely organised...although I did it. Now I have an entire room. I can fill it with whatever I want. I can swing the cat if I feel like it (and I wouldn't really) but it is such a creatively liberating experience to finally be here. 

I discovered this beautiful old bureau in our local charity shop a few years ago and, although it was partly my sewing cupboard, it was also needed to store some very ugly DVDs for some time, so being able to lovingly display all my fabrics, linens and sewing paraphernalia is just really exciting. I'm rediscovering things I forgot I had be it from past shoots, projects or events and I treasure them even more now. 

The flip-side to up sizing a home is that you suddenly discover how much furniture you lack-slightly frustrating when you have all this "stuff" you had stored in the loft for years needing a home but nowhere as yet to put it! So, I'm only sharing this small corner of my space with you today because if I took any shots behind me you'd see a mess...so give me some time and I'll post a full reveal. 

As an impatient person I'm not too practised at waiting but I'm enjoying relaxing into the space and letting it reveal itself, how I use it and thus how I choose to decorate it. I'm going to live with it for a little while and carry on adding to my Pinterest board for inspiration until I feel ready. I'm pretty sure that crisp white will be the order of the day on the walls though, with colour brought in with accessories, perhaps a little rug?

My next project will be to revamp my boring pine desk -thanks to everyone who voted on the colour on Facebook and Instagram. I'll reveal the winner in a DIY as soon as I can get out in some dry weather and get started!

Hope you enjoyed exploring this morning. What's your creative space like?

Nkuku 'Design Your Pinterest Wedding' Competition!

Heads up for an exciting must-take-part-in competition launched by eco homeware company Nkuku. Built on the principles of sustainability and supporting fair trade artisans, the Devon based company offer a truly beautiful collection of decorative and practical items to style your home. I'm a huge fan and was delighted when friend and food stylist Natalie Seldon got in touch to tell me about it!

Nkuku would like you to dream up your perfect wedding over on Pinterest and create an inspiration board, using a minimum of five of their products as well as creative details and ideas to bring it all to life.  The winner can look forward to a £250 voucher to spend on any Nkuku products of their choosing-a pretty good score for an evening spent pinning, right? (and I know you'd be doing it anyway!)

Well, I'm already married (it's five years this summer, where does the time go?) so I imagined what my ideal day would look like today, perhaps as a vow renewal when we reach the ten year mark. I chose an intimate, warm Amalfi Coast celebration with a citrus and Mediterranean colour scheme to share with close friends and family...

{Click to view the full board}

So what do you think? Feeling inspired to give it a go? See the Nkuku website for the full details and get pinning! Competition closes May 23rd, so get your skates on!

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The New Neighbourhood - Finding Our Feet

Well, I'm still alive! We made it! Three days of DIY house moving (and boy was it exhausting, especially with this growing bump) and we're settling in nicely. I'd thought that weekend was going to be really emotional from the viewpoint of leaving our home of over ten years and starting anew but actually I don't miss the place at all. I have space here. And light. Lots of light!

The first few days have been like a reawakening for all of us here, on our first morning in Rochester I took our son for a stroll into the town and was greeted and smiled at by people we passed in the street. The students at Kings School coming out of the cathedral after morning service were polite and considerate as they passed us on the pavement. Our neighbours actually introduced themselves and welcomed us first. It all felt rather like being in a musical, cheesy as it sounds. So I suppose you could say that my expectations have changed since moving just 20 minutes up the road. Thank goodness we did it.

We're surrounded by Victorian town houses here-I loved the stained glass on this one.

Just our local castle, you know?

Over the bank holiday weekend Rochester welcomed its annual Sweeps Festival to town, a tradition steeped in history and folklore in which around 60,000 visitors and local morris dancing groups flock in their droves, faces blacked out as a nod to the chimney sweeps, clothed in their finery to dance and celebrate the May Day weekend. The fair set up camp outside in the castle gardens for the three days where live music played and kids got sick from the sweets and rides...

Eccentric characters were in abundance and were admired, the town was absolutely buzzing. Having come from a shut down commuter town where you kept yourself to yourself it really brought home to us what we've been missing. Community.

Who says men can't rock the floral headdress? 

The stick was the hottest accessory over the weekend. Used appropriately of course. 

Rochester is in full bloom at the moment, whether it's the cherry and magnolia blossoms outside the cathedral or inside the Six Poor Traveller's House courtyard garden (my new favourite retreat to escape the chaos). There is colour and texture everywhere. 

We finally discovered how to reach the Saxon Shoreway too. It's in Lower Upnor, just down from the castle. Upnor in itself is the most stunning little village but here you can walk the shoreline for quite some way at low tide. With the sun and a warm afternoon on our side, we stopped for a cool drink in the local pub and meandered along, enjoying the sound of the water.

Hope you enjoyed this first little insight into our new neighbourhood. I'll be getting on with some 'Before & After' tours of the house once we're settled in but with the next few weeks packed with work for shoots you'll have to be a little patient in the meantime ;)

Have a lovely weekend, whatever you're up to!