Hello Reader, You've been designing. You've built a body of work you're proud of and somewhere in the back of your mind there's been this question you haven't quite been able to shake: Could I actually get my work licensed? I've been asked some version of that question more times than I can count, and every time, my answer is the same...probably yes, and probably sooner than you think. The gap between having great work and knowing how to get it in front of companies is exactly where most...

Hi Reader, We're told that creative success comes down to talent. Or going viral. Or landing that one big break that changes everything. After 13 years in this industry, I think that's mostly a lie. What I've seen in my own career, and in the careers of the designers and illustrators I teach, is that it comes down to habits. Small, consistent, often unglamorous habits that most people overlook because they don't make for a good Instagram caption. I just published a new video where I share the...

Hello Reader, There is a specific "aha!" moment that happens when an illustrator transitions into surface pattern design. It’s the moment you realise that a beautiful drawing doesn’t always make a beautiful pattern. In fact, some of the most stunning illustrations fail as repeats because they suffer from "Static Layout" syndrome. You know the look. You have gorgeous motifs, but when they’re put into a repeat, they look like they’ve been frozen in place. They look like a sheet of stickers...