Monday, 1 December 2025

Beehive illustrations for Collin's Beekeeper's Bible

The lovely Harpercollins publishers asked me to provide some new and updated beehive illustrations for their "Types of Hive" page in the Collin's Beekeeper's Bible.  

I used the original illustrations from the book as reference for the first four hives, which were to remain the same, and added two new types, which replaced the out-of-date designs. Only two needed updating but to keep the page consistent, all six needed to be redone. It was a pleasure! I loved painting the woodgrain effect.






Artwork © Amy Holliday 2025
www.amyholliday.co.uk


Saturday, 1 November 2025

Cosy Sleepy Watercolour Dachshunds!

In the spirit of the sleepy "shrimp" cats I painted recently, I just couldn't resist painting some sleepy, snuggled-up sausage pups too. Like the cats, these weenies were another personal passion project, and I have made them into keyring charms, which can be found here

 



Artwork © Amy Holliday 2025

Thursday, 5 June 2025

Sparkles the Lion (And Happy Pride)

Happy "pride" month!

A bit different! This is a quirky little commission I finished recently.

I was so excited to paint a rainbow mane. The client's final design has an added purple headband/bow 
(yes its a girl lion, with a mane).

I made some nice big shiny stickers of this and you can find them here

(Disclaimer: This wasn't created specifically for pride, but it certainly is rather fitting for this month😊)




some rough sketches:


Artwork © Amy Holliday 2025

Thursday, 8 May 2025

The Little Book of Chickens is out now!

"The Little Book of Chickens" is out now! 


Over the winter months, I worked with the lovely HarperCollins team alongside chicken expert 
Jessica Ford, to illustrate this pretty little gift-book packed full of chicken-keeping knowledge.

I first painted some samples back in 2021 for this, back when the idea for the book was being pitched to the publisher. The idea was partly inspired by three hens and one rooster painting I made way back in 2012.
Those four, plus the samples, are included in the final book! I'm honoured the rooster made it to the front cover.
I'm delighted with how pretty it turned out, and how much there is to learn about our humble chicken friends.

If you'd like a copy signed by me, I have a few available in my shop here

The Little Book of Chickens is out today 08/05/25 in the UK and US!

I will be sharing some of the new art I created for the book soon :)



Advertised at the 2025 London Book Fair! 




Saturday, 8 March 2025

Happy Spring! Splashy Spring Daffodil Studies in Watercolour

Happy spring! Here are some recent daffodil flower studies. These were done for me personally as a bit of practice, and an experiment with more splashes, as if pollen and the sheer energy and life of spring is bursting out of them. Which do you prefer, with or without the extra splashes?










Artwork © Amy Holliday 2025
www.amyholliday.co.uk



 

Thursday, 13 February 2025

Ingredients for a Chocolate Cake! | Cottagecore cute and cozy kitchen tools

 


I combined some paintings, originally created for Bloom Puzzles' "Baking Day" puzzle, to create a little chocolate cake recipe design. As it is currently the season of love, this inspired the cute pink colour theme :)
Artwork © Amy Holliday 2025

Tuesday, 27 August 2024

Sleepy Cosy Tabby Cats | Art therapy for pet loss

 At the sudden loss of an extremely beloved kitty companion, I found myself with the urge to draw him in his favourite cosy, peaceful sleeping positions. He was a beautiful brown tabby, but for variety when it came to painting I included orange and grey tabby colours.

brown tabby cat sleeping watercolour painting

orange ginger sleepy tabby cat watercolor painting

the first sketches of kitties in cosy slumber


cute cosy sleeping tabby cat watercolour illustrations
the completed, scanned paintings

I liked them so much I decided to make them into keyrings, with the idea that anyone else grieving a beloved tabby could find comfort in them, or to carry a reminder of their companion with them on their travels.



They are available to buy in my shop here !


I doodled more sleepy cats (I can't stop!) with various colours and breeds in mind, some based on new real life fluffy friends who have blessed us with their presence. (The cat distribution system is real!)



siamese tortoiseshell black and calico sleeping cat illustration


Artwork © Amy Holliday 2024