Work in progress: illustrator Beth Walrond

For our next instalment of ‘work in progress’, we spoke to Berlin based freelance illustrator Beth Walrond. Beth works on illustrations for international brands, magazines, newspapers and publishers. We caught up with her to learn more about her process and how she works.

‘I work from a sunny plant-filled studio space in Kreuzberg which I share with three great creatives and a little Chihuahua called Daddy,’ she tells The Peep. ‘My workspace is essential for my creativity, a place away from the haven of my home (where I have no desk and no internet, on purpose) it gets me on my bike everyday and amongst other people who inspire and motivate me.’

Beth’s always creates her images by hand before adding colour and texture in Photoshop. ‘I love creating an image using paper and a pencil to start, it allows me to explore all possibilities of composition and scale before I work it up digitally with an ancient graphics tablet!’ she adds. ‘I find all the stages of creating an image really satisfying, from scribbling down words at the start to explore an idea to finishing up with colours and listening to a good book at the same time.’

Beth’s work is inspired by people and characters. ‘I draw directly from shapes and scenes which I find satisfying to look at, and then often try and work these into my commercial illustration jobs. I find that taking time to do personal sketchbook work really improves my work overall, so I try and do it as much as possible, especially when I’m in a new place.’

To see more of Beth’s work, visit her website and follow her on Instagram.