Bee Brown

Tell us about yourself and a fun fact…

Hi! My name is Bee and I am an illustrator and pattern designer based in the heart of the UK in Warwickshire. I create joyful, folk-inspired illustrations and surface pattern designs for fabric. I also love to make eco-friendly paper products and wooden pins for my online shop. My other half runs an artisan coffee shop and we have 2 teenage boys. I have a studio cat called Schmoo, & I think my fun fact would have to be that she likes to go to sleep with her feet in the air!

What made you get into the world of artwork and creativity?

A creative streak has always run through me as I come from quite an ‘arty’ family. Both my parents were inventive in some way; Dad loves his photography & music and Mum was always delving into some new creative pursuit; they really encouraged me to allow my ideas to flourish & grow, and to most importantly, be independent of mind. My grandma was a huge lover of sewing and fabrics and could knock you up a dress without a pattern! She used to run a little haberdashery and fabric shop and my other grandma spent her life doing carpentry and knitting amongst other things, so I just grew up surrounded by it all.

Drawing and colour have always been important interests in my life so it was quite natural for me to go to art school and study it. I originally trained as a Graphic Designer, but it wasn’t for me so I switched courses to illustration and have been very fortunate to work as one pretty much ever since.

Where do you get your inspiration from when creating new artwork?

Nature and folk art. We used to go for walks along the canals when we were kids and I fell in love with all the gorgeous barges with their stunning hand painted florals and lettering; the decorated pots and watering cans filled with flowers. When I was older I spent some time working in the studio of Jan Pienkowski (the children’s picture book illustrator) in London, and he introduced me to folk art in a wider sense, showing me the beautiful traditional Polish paper cut outs & silhouettes which are of course such an influence in his work too. But mostly, I just get an idea in my head and then I’m off on a mission to bring it into the world for people to (hopefully!) enjoy.

What has been your favourite project to work on?

Ah, well this has definitely been this fabulous stationery box project with ‘For The Love of The North’! I was so excited when I got the email from Lucy and Paul asking me if I wanted to contribute … amazing! I’ve always wanted to have some work in a lovely stationery box so I was ‘over-the-moon-thrilled’ to be considered. A real dream job! I knew Lucy and Paul were going to be great to work with as they really understand creatives and gave me a lot of free-reign to make lovely, seasonal work my way.

Small indie business shout out! Please name your fave three small indie businesses.

• Fleur et Ours Fabrics (lovely online fabric shop run by the super fab Kayleigh)
• Betty Pepper (ingenious stories and paper sculptures from the super talented Betty)
• Zero Store UK (super useful zero waste store in Leamington Spa run by the mega energetic Charlie)

Subscribe by November 30th 2021 to receive your Christmas themed box featuring Bee’s fabulous design.  Use the code ‘StationeryBee’ to get 25% off your first subscription (valid until 30th November 2021).