What materials do you use?

Here’s a list of what is currently in my pencil case:

Tikky pens from Rotring in different nib widths, pencils, white gel pens and a brush pen.

Sketchbooks from Stillman and Birn, Moleskine and Laloran are all favourites.

Colours in my watercolour tin:

·         Winsor Lemon (W&N)

·         Naples Yellow (W&N)

·         Indian Yellow (W&N)

·         Opera Rose (W&N)

·         Cobalt violet (W&N)

·         Buff Titanium (DS)

·         Goethite (DS)

·         Indian Red (DS)

·         Vandyke Brown (W&N)

·         Neutral Tint (W&N)

·         Terre Verte (W&N)

·         Oxide of Chromium (W&N)

·         Hookers Green (W&N)

·         Olive Green (W&N)

·         Permanent Sap Green (W&N)

·         Perelyne Green (W&N)

·         Cerulean Blue (DS)

·         Cobalt Turquoise Light (W&N)

·         Cobalt Blue (W&N)

·         Veridian (W&N)

·         French Ultramarine (W&N)

·         Lunar Blue (DS)

W&N = Winsor and Newton

DS = Daniel Smith

How much do you charge?

Fees for illustration work are calculated by offering a licence based on the usage (i.e. packaging, editorial, billboard poster etc.) the locations where it will be used (i.e. locally, in the whole of the UK, all over Europe etc.) and how long the image will be used for. I am a member of the Association of Illustrators and use their standard ‘Acceptance of Commission’ form when taking on a job. Please get in touch by email if you require more information on this topic.

How long does it take to do an illustration?

It depends! I have produced work to a very tight deadline but usually this is the process:

·         Receive the full brief from the client including the number of illustrations, their dimensions, and any particular colour palette to be used.

·         Confirm details in my 'Acceptance of Commission' form, including the length of licence and usage.

·         Gather reference material of the required illustrations.

·         Supply black and white line roughs for the client’s approval.

·         Make up to two rounds of amendments and changes at this stage.

·         Supply the colour artwork in high-resolution digital files to the client’s specified format and submit the invoice. Payment with 30 days.

·         I can also supply the client with the actual artwork although the copyright would remain with me.

 What is a licence?

A licence is essentially an agreement between the illustrator and the client setting out where, when and for how long an image can be used. It helps to clarify the rights and ownership of any images created. There is an excellent piece entitled ‘Illustration Licensing Explained - For the Small Business Owner & Marketer’ by illustrator Carys Tait on her website. It is an easy read and goes into more detail about the subject.

How do I commission you?

I would love to hear about your project! Just drop me an email at studio@liswatkins.com with the details of what you require or fill in the contact page on my website. I aim to reply to all enquires within 48 hours during the working week. If you prefer, we can also arrange a call to talk things through further.

Do you sell prints and cards of your work?

I have a collection of prints available exclusively at The Traveler Art.

Do you sell the drawings in your sketchbooks?

My sketchbooks are very precious to me and I don’t sell them.

Can I buy original drawings from you?

I have a gallery page on Saatchi Art where you can buy original sketches and watercolours.

Do you work for free?

Being an illustrator is my job and the way that I earn my living. My clients realise that they can get a lot of value from the hand-drawn images I produce, so no, I don’t. Very occasionally I will donate a piece of work to a cause that I support but this is the exception not the rule.

I’ve written a book. Can you illustrate it?

Publishers choose the illustrator that they want to illustrate a book so most likely, no. There is a very good article on this subject by Sarah McIntyre. It is well worth reading for any budding authors.

Can I use your image for ...?

As a British artist, I automatically own the copyright to all the work I produce. Very occasionally I will allow an individual or organisation to use images for a non-profit purpose, but you MUST get written permission from me before doing so.

Do you licence your work?

Yes, when I create new illustrations for a client it is done on the basis of offering them a licence to use the image for a set amount of time, in a set geographical area and for a set usage.

I also have a large archive of work which is available to licence so please get in touch if you are looking for a specific image. I may be able to help!

Do you teach classes or workshops?

I haven’t anything booked in at the moment (March 2021) but it is something I am interested in doing more of in the future. I gave two workshops at the USk Switzerland Symposium in 2020, gave a series of Urban Sketching sessions to groups of interior design students from the London Metropolitan University in 2019 and demonstrated my drawing process in Lisbon in 2017. I also gave a talk about the Urban Sketcher community at the Society of Graphic Fine Artists’ AGM in 2020 and have been filmed sketching for a promotional video for Winsor and Newton.

There are also some free downloadable worksheets available on my blog.