It was whilst reading an online article in relation to the Virgin Short Film Awards, that l came across talented artist, illustrator and designer, Sarah Maycock. The article presented pieces of work by various illustrators, and it was the poster for the Short film ‘Without Saying’ directed by Paul Dingwell that caught my creative eye.

l find Sarah’s authentic style of illustration heart-stirring and richly expressive in the way that the brushstrokes dramatically create a scene. Looking at this particular watercolour illustration, l can instantly feel nature’s elements, with the sea lashing against the harbour wall, and the wind causing the couple to huddle together to keep out the cold – a moment of tenderness, perfectly reflecting the title – ‘Without Saying’.

Naturally, this then led me to explore Sarah Maycock’s website. And what a pleasure to behold! From the broad brownish form of the bear to the elegant fine lines of Virgina Woolf’s portrait, each piece with its emotive brushstroke style tells a story.

Sarah describes her work as “quite chaotic”, and feels the best piece of advice given by a tutor was “if l put one thing in there, that is really crisp and looks like l’ve done it on purpose, then the whole thing will look like l’ve done it on purpose, and not sort of just fallen over near the paper”.

l completely agree, leading me to believe that this train of thought creates an illustrative style that is truly her own.