Artist and Illustrator - Kerry Wint
One of my favourite things about being a personal branding photographer and having my website is that it gives me a platform to shout about the amazing entrepreneurs and small business owners that I get to work with in building their visual identity!
A few weeks ago, I had the absolute pleasure of photographing a long time friend of mine – we’ve known each other since we were 18 and lived together at university…and yes, we have many, many stories (some of which will NEVER see the light of day!).
Our shoot took place on a sunny but cloudy day in Lincoln, during a coffee and catch up walk at a local park and let me tell you, as someone who works with light, texture and colour to make photos ‘pop’, the light that day was just stunning and I was able to find some beautiful pockets of magic in which to capture Kerry! As a client, I will always ask you how you want your brand to be ‘felt’ by your audience and for Kerry it was all about warmth, texture, nature, shapes, inspiration, earthy and instinctive…
So let’s get to know Kerry a little better shall we?!
What do you do and who do you serve?
I’m an Artist and Illustrator; I create designs in a variety of ways which keeps things interesting! I love to draw and paint, filling sketchbooks and working with various media including pencil crayons, watercolours and coloured biros. My work is inspired by nature, history and vintage. I was recently commissioned to complete an illustration for Bird & Blend Tea Co. In March, my artwork will be sent out to tea lovers that subscribe to the monthly Bird & Blend tea subscription. I also work with wedding couples that are planning their special day. I create beautiful, on the day wedding stationery such as table plans, place cards and menus. Essentially, any stationery that you might need on the day. I create custom items that feature hand painted floral designs. I personalise the stationery for each couple. For instance, creating a stationery suite that matches the flowers and colours of the wedding flowers. I love working with couples to create a bespoke service, helping them to tick another item off their wedding to-do list
What first got you into this career path?
I was always drawing as child. I spent hours in my bedroom drawing. I would make birthday cards for all my family and even make my own magazines. I created little stories centred around characters that I’d invented – ‘Benny Beetroot’ and his friends. My love of art carried on through my A’ Levels, but when it came to deciding my next steps, I faltered. I didn’t see myself as a fine artist. I also didn’t think that I was ‘talented enough.’ I was unaware of the areas of art and illustration that I could explore so I instead opted for a completely different career path which took me into youth work and education. However, I believe that your true self is always trying to break through; and the desire to be creative felt increasingly hard to resist. I started drawing again in my late twenties and felt strongly that I wanted to explore this path. I had an epiphany moment on holiday, being an illustrator was my dream job!
Photo credit: PM Photography
Photo credit: Flisher Photography
What's the favourite thing about the work that you do?
I love being able to put pencil to paper. Drawing analogue style, using physical pencils and paintbrushes is my favourite thing of all. I don’t think I will ever tire of it. I enjoy using different materials and learning how they all work together. I have new creative ideas all the time, my brain is constantly pinging with new ideas of topics to draw and opportunities to try. It’s true that creativity breeds creativity.
What's one of the 'behind the scenes' realities of your work that others may not see of realise?
There is a lot of admin. I am self employed and trying to fulfil all the different aspects of a business (and it is a business) is time consuming and requires versatility. I can spend my days updating my website, completing accounting, purchasing art materials, researching, applying for opportunities and marketing. Many hours and often full days can pass by without actually creating any artwork. Because of this, it becomes important to at least take some pockets of time to draw or create. I can feel frustrated If I haven’t created anything in a while. Drawing regularly gives me an outlet and it helps me to experiment, develop my skills and feel fulfilled
What books/resources/podcasts/films are currently on your list?
My favourite podcast is an illustration one – ‘The Good Ship Illustration Podcast.’ It’s a wonderful podcast by three illustrators that is warm, encouraging, practical and unshowy. It’s like listening to a chat amongst friends (which they are) and I love it.
I recently read ‘Find Your Artistic Voice: The Essential Guide to Working Your Creative Magic’ by Lisa Congdon which is a helpful, accessible book for doing exactly as it says. It’s full of interviews with other creatives on the topic. Prior to that I read ‘Steal Like An Artist’ by Austin Kleon which discusses inspiration and imitation. I read both books at the perfect time, I needed to lean it to what interests me and to embrace it
If you could have a dinner party with anyone (alive or dead), what would be on the menu, and who would you invite?!
Great question! I’m obsessed with Billie Eilish as the moment. I think she’s incredible and would be a lot of fun. I listen to her music when I’m drawing, she’s such a talent. I’d then probably invite a mixed bag of people that I’m intrigued by such as Thom Yorke and Gillian Anderson and some people that seem easy going and fun such as Alan Carr, Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders. All alive and some long-standing favourites there. Food wise it would be Italian, at least three courses. I love Italian food and can eat huge amounts of pasta. Tomatoes are my very favourite food, so I would be in heaven!
Author note - after over 25 years of friendship, I'm feeling a little sore about not being on the invite list...but who am I to compete with Gillian Anderson hey Kerry?! ;-)
What's the best piece of advice you've ever been given? (it can be anything!)
The best advice is often the simplest and the most repeated - just start.
Don’t wait for permission to start doing something that you are interested in.
Don’t wait for the perfect time (there never is one), the exact equipment or skill level.
You learn so much from doing. I constantly fight perfectionism.
I’m getting slightly better at letting go of that. As a child, teachers would often say at parents’ evenings that I was ‘too hard’ on myself.
The only way around this is through it; to start creating, making both good and bad art and slowly there will be more good than bad. We all see an artist’s final work and very rarely see the experiments, roughs and work that was not shown. It creates a myth that art is perfect, and artists are genius’ and inherently talented. In reality, there’s a lot of practice, repetition and it’s a lot scrappier than that.
Just start (and keep going).
To get in touch with Kerry and see more of her beautiful work, you can visit her at www.kerrywint.com
