Wooden Pin Badges | Woodland Wildlife Watercolour Illustrations with Fly Agaric Mushroom, Honey Bee, Bumblebees, Butterfly and Snail

I made some new wooden pin badges featuring some of my nature-inspired illustrations!

Made from responsibly sourced, fast-growing maple wood. Not only are they nice to look at but they use 20 to 24 times less energy to produce than enamel pins!

The wood grain compliments the watercolour textures really well. I'd love to expand this collection over time with more designs.

These lovely pins were made with the help of the great Zap Creatives here in the UK. 

Available at amyholliday.etsy.com 

Artwork © Amy Holliday 2023

www.amyholliday.co.uk

Cheetah // Watercolour and Black Indian Ink

I recently found this in a sketchbook from back when I set myself a personal project of drawing 100 animals in 100 days, and 4 years later, I have finally scanned it in. It was an experiment with black Indian ink on top of my usual watercolour paints.

 Artwork (C) Amy Holliday 2020

Do not use without permission

www.amyholliday.co.uk

Baby Massage // Concept Illustrations in Line & Watercolour

Earlier this year I was asked to provide some conceptual illustrations suitable for a guide to baby massage. The style direction was influenced by simple lines and subtle touches of colour. This was a very different subject for me to work with, but I enjoyed the challenge of something new.

The first piece was quite close to my usual way of working or 'style', with most of the image having some colour as well as paint splats. In the following pieces, the colours became increasingly subtle, with most of the illustration becoming line drawing - much more suited to simple and elegant step-by-step instructions.

Following the first design, I was asked to show more detail in the baby's face, and reduce the saturation:

Artwork (C) Amy Holliday 2019

www.amyholliday.co.uk

"The Little Book of Bees" // Beekeeping Tools and Honey Illustrations

Beekeeping equipment illustrated for The Little Book of Bees - a traditional beekeeping suit hood, two hive tools, a smoker and a honey extractor. 

Honey in its various forms: capped honey, as it looks as soon as it is removed from a traditional beehive, raw honeycomb, a honey dipper and glass jars.

 The Little Book of Bees is published by HarperCollins and Abrams

Artwork © Amy Holliday 2019

www.amyholliday.co.uk

I have illustrated a book! About Bees!

From last October to March this year I had the pleasure of working with Harper Collins books to illustrate a wonderful little book - all about bees! The book is due to be released in the UK and US later this year. Here are some work-in-progress shots from my desk, featuring a small sneak-peek selection of paintings…

Artwork (C) Amy Holliday 2019

www.amyholliday.co.uk

Bottle-Nose Dolphins // Sketches and Watercolour

Artwork (C) Amy Holliday 2019

www.amyholliday.co.uk

Asymmetrical DNA // Somatic Cell Illustration Process

Continued watercolour cell illustrations for bio-engineering company, the wonderful Fluidigm. An asymmetrical-style DNA helix, including open-ends which allow it to link-up upon itself in order to create an extended, longer version of itself. This one was a little trickier to draw...

Then followed a series of colour tests, using bright greens and rich blues:

 The final DNA strand has rich tones, with deep shadows and bright highlights:

Fluidigm (C) www.fluidigm.com

Artwork (C) Amy Holliday 2019

www.amyholliday.co.uk

Watercolour DNA // Somatic Cell Illustration Process

Continued watercolour cell illustrations for a bio-engineering client. This time to produce organic, fluid and beautiful-looking DNA helices. 

Initial concept sketches: To help produce these designs, the creative team continually request additional input from working scientists, who help to ensure the images being portrayed remain somewhat realistic and scientifically-correct.

When the shape and style of the helix had been determined, the next stage was to find the most effective way to add colour.

In addition to a vertical helix, a horizontal design was also suggested:

The final, finished illustrations are... a bold, vertical helix shape in turquoise and purple with chartreuse-green and fuchsia-pink highlights:

...with an accompanying horizontal perspective using a similar colour-theme:

Artwork (C) Amy Holliday 2019

www.amyholliday.co.uk

Jekyll Island Bottle-nose Dolphins // Editorial Illustration

Another wildlife illustration for a particular Georgia-based magazine, 31-81 - this time for an article discussing the bottle-nose dolphins within the region.

At the time of this commission I later continued with my sketches of dolphins. I had some fun playing with loose, expressive lines and then later on, some vibrant colours... 

View an online version of 31-81 magazine here

Artwork (C) Amy Holliday 2018

www.amyholliday.co.uk

Raku Pottery Illustration // Painting Process

A little painting to illustrate Japanese style "Raku" pottery-firing event at an annual fair. This illustration was created for Southbound magazine in Atlanta.

"The process of Raku firing differs from other firing methods because the pots are removed from the kiln at their maximum temperature. The unique look of Japanese Raku pottery is achieved by utilizing both smoke and fire in the Raku kiln to create an unpredictable and unique style." 

Painting the iridescent glaze on this beautiful style of pottery was a first for me - so I needed some practice before I was confident enough with my technique...as you can see some turned out better than others!

www.amyholliday.co.uk