With super sweet characterisation, layers of texture and a dreamy palette, there’s no subject matter that UK based illustrator Jillian Phillips (aka. Jilly P Studio) can’t make extraordinary…

Hi Jilly! Can you tell us a little bit about your work and your journey to becoming a full time artist?

I always loved drawing. When I was 8 I decided I would either be a fashion designer or an Architect when I grew up. I studied Fashion at college for 4 years and ended up working in Kidswear straight after college ended. I worked for suppliers and retailers for many years and started selling my own print collection in 2007. It’s been a long process of developing my own style and building confidence as I go, To be honest. I just love to create new work and see where it will take me.

You cover no end of subject matter in your work, from landscapes to people to florals and abstracts. How do you decide where to start with a new piece and is there anything you love to draw the most?

It really depends on my mood. I usually do a warm up painting before I start a days work. That’s generally some form of floral painting. That is my go-to! I find they just come together really naturally, they are relaxing to paint and there are so many ways to create a floral piece! I never get bored of them.

We absolutely love your dreamy choices of colour. How big a part does colour play in the generation of your ideas and what inspires your palettes?

Colour is hugely important to me. I would be quite happy just developing colour palettes as a full time job if I could! I don’t know how it started but I found myself cutting up paint colour chips and magazine cuttings and building palettes that way. Now I do a similar thing but by painting swatches by colour mixing myself. I find it really theraputic. I’m inspired by nature, by artwork in galleries, vintage fabrics, all sorts of things really.

There is so much wonderful texture in your work through visible brush strokes, linework and collage. What materials do you love to use in your work?

I used to create all my artwork in Illustrator many years ago. But I found the flatness too restrictive. I’d started to see more hand painted work coming through in commercial trends, and started working more by hand and scanning the work into Photoshop.I love the flexibility of it- I can change colours, edit paint lines, layer on different textures and play around with layouts more freely. I often use paper with particular textures, photos of tree bark, built up ink or paint brush strokes to add interest to an illustration.

What’s next for you? Are there any upcoming projects you can share with us?

I’m currently getting prepared for Surtex in May 2023, it’s the first trade show I’ve done in over 3 years so I’m excited to get back to seeing clients face to face again.Hopefully some nice projects will come from that. I also have a new collection of fabrics coming in the not too distant future- but I can’t give any details just yet! I’m hoping to work on some new landscape pieces later this year. It’s a whole new area of work for me, I am a complete beginner but I enjoy working on them so much.

Thank you so much for chatting with us Jilly! You can find more of Jill’s work at jillyp.co.uk