Cathy Simpson West Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Cathy Simpson is an illustrator and painter based in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire. Her work is concerned with the natural world of plants and animals, and often relates to environmental themes. She studied graphic design and illustration at Central St Martin’s, and archaeological illustration at Bath University.
I have always been fascinated by the natural world, and at a time when species and the environment are under increasing levels of threat, I think it's very important to share this love and increase awareness of the beauty around us.
I like to work from observation where possible, and my own photos otherwise. I like to stylise and understand the underlying anatomy of my subject matter - illustrations can often convey more than a photo.
My process always, always starts with drawing in a sketchbook. and playing around with composition and details - telling a story where I decide the most important part of the piece, or whether a flowing composition gives equal emphasis to everything. At this stage I'm working purely in monochrome.
I then work with Procreate on an iPad; photographing my initial drawings, refining, colouring and stylising the forms from there. This process can be very time consuming and meditative - colours, textures and lines create a mood. I then work on the final piece in Photoshop, using the fact that layers can be duplicated with no loss of quality as I add to and subtract from the earlier composition. I am interested in minute detail, and how the work appears from a distance - and digital media work very well in this regard!
