Rebecca Henderson draws

Anthophobia

Knitting circle regular and gorgeous gal Becky is someone whose scribblings I just can't get enough of!  I saw some of her work at the degree show and wanted to know more about how she produces these illustrations.  She was kind enough to let me gently grill her last week.  Here's what went down.  

Your drawings are incredibly detailed, and I love the use of flowers and insects.  Who or what inspires your work?

A cliché without doubt but the music I adore and evocative lyrics within largely inspire me, as well as stories I read, overheard conversations and anecdotes told. I realise my own childhood has influenced my work- My elder brother's deep fascination for wildlife has allowed me to appreciate nature and natural history and it is no coincidence entwining ornate clock-hands into my work when my father is a clock-maker! I have a love of juxtaposing something of beauty with something more grotesque and I am inspired by an array of artists, Spunky Zoe, Ross Mcewan, Fernando Vicente and Frida Kahlo to name a few!

Miss H busy a scribbling

Pen? Pencil? Laptop? Magic wand? Just how do you conjure up your drawings?

When the ole' magic wand's being temperamental I tend to resort to the trusty pencil- It seems I'm quite the traditionalist when it comes to media. More often than not my laptop sits beside me with reference material, though occasionally I like to practice drawing from life.. ever the difficult quest!

Do you have a must-have bit of equipment that you couldn't do without? (e.g. Lime green HB that you swear by)

My beloved cd collection without a doubt! On a more technical note I nerdily have an electric sharpener that loyally grinds many a pencil to a flaky mound of wood and lead!

Brilliant! What's your favourite drawing memory?

Drawing a close friend from uni many a time over an abundance of movies! 

Wolf Like Me

You called the bank and they've put you on hold. What are you doodling with your pen and paper?

I've always envied my mother's doodles of quirky, odd characters that always make an appearance in biro when long phone calls have been made! Just now I came across a bewildered, cross-eyed, gawky yet eyelash-fluttering creature of the canine kind adorning a page of her address book.. My absent-minded doodles cease to find such figurative forms and disjointed patterns generally splay themselves out awkwardly over the page!

Wolf Like Me II

What's next for you, Miss H?

I'm very excited to live and work in the arty, vibrant city of Bristol and the dream is to eventually become a freelance illustrator, travelling in between illustration jobs to feed my wanderlust!

What a brilliant insight.   I'm equally excited that the lovely Miss Henderson will be in the city next door!   You can find more of Rebecca's work on her Tumblr.  I'm off to sharpen all my pencils.