Every month we celebrate artists from Suffolk and local areas. During our first month, we welcome Tully who works in our Restaurant, she produces incredible drawings using fine pens and alcohol markers. I spoke to her and learned more about her inspiration, story and plans for the future. 

Tell us a bit more about you, what you do and your story….

I have a degree in illustration and graduated from Norwich University of the Arts back in 2020 and have been trying to build a career from that since. I’m pretty much always drawing and I do have a few other interests, like reading, history and I’ve been trying to travel a lot this last year but drawing always comes into it, I have to draw the last book I read of the last place I travelled. 

How long have you been drawing?

I’ve pretty much been drawing since I could hold a pencil, so figured it was natural to try and pursue a career in art and have decided to try and go down the book illustration route. 

What’s your inspiration?

I’ve always been heavily influenced by European History and legends like Robin Hood and Renaissance Italy, recently specifically the Carnival in Venice, but always like to move on and branch out to different topics. I love mixing and adding to old architecture which I think is quite noticeable in most of my pieces. I’m also reading a lot so I like to create illustrations on the books I read.

What are your favourite prints, or topics to cover?

My topics tend to lean on darker themes. In most of my prints from my personal projects, I try to add a dark, uncanny feeling to them just because I find them the most fun and challenging to make. I’ve created pieces just for my portfolio from stories I’ve read, from authors like Edgar Allan Poe, Leo Tolstoy and J.K. Rowling. Although my current tastes are quite dark or classical-themed, I don’t have a preferred book genre. I like to create from all genres and I read to try and stretch my art further.