Art + Illustration by Rebecca Lea Williams

👀 Monoprint close ups from today Thank you for all your comments, enthusiasm and purchases today! open tomorrow 11-6 and next weekend too! X which is your fave?!

It’s this weekend and next which means it’s time! My studio and gallery space will be open this weekend. All details are here!

😃NEW SiGNAGE😄 for Battersea Rise 🍳
We wanted to promote their evening openings Thursday to Saturday when they serve half price signature cocktails and large and small plate food (which are both well tested by me and are delicious!)

I’ve been working with them since they opened this second venue at the end of the summer and they are basically my dream client!

I’ve created all the artwork for the interior, rebranded their menus and website including a bespoke hand drawn digitised font, a map, a set of brand icons and now these big bold signs! Initially commissioned to be handwritten on the window, I felt this venue needed something more graphic and was worried about the images getting lost in the reflections of the moving road outside…and they would be too temporary with window cleaning and wear ‘n’ tear. I’ve outlined the solution I came to below…they are double sided and were a big challenge to hang!

How to hang? I had minimise reflections from the outside, allow the windows to be cleaned, not attach to glass as the sun disrupts any adhesive qualities. I ended up with a solution using screw eyes and S hooks.. the tiniest drill bit and an often precarious ladder situation (see that skinny bit of area behind the stair rail I had to plant the ladder on the second to last slide! 😬 Adrenaline moment! Also drilling tiny holes near window edges using the lowest slowest torque!
I love them! All hand drawn and blown up onto 3mm foamex lightweight boards with pre drilled holes … thank you …. I always recommend them for printing 🙌🏻

I love this kind of work… creative artwork to start but with extra problem solving… using my tools and my brain! Installing them didn’t take too long but I had thought about all the options on and off for hours over the last week! This is their side row of windows… next, the front!
What do you think?! Finally… go and see them! The food and cocktails are also excellent! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📚 STORYTIME 🌞 it’s day 1 prompt of
What’s the story behind my creative career?
I studied English Literature at university… then lots of temping…managed bars and restaurants in my 20s… got my PGCE and worked in Early Years as a primary school teacher… and weaved in and out a big variety of work in marketing, sales, events, painting and decorating, wedding cake making, kids art workshops, sign-writing.. but through all these years I always sketched and ‘made things’ in my spare time…and in each of those jobs I always thrived at the creative aspects…but looking back I picked up so many other practical skills that feed into my work now.

I was an all rounder at school and always envied people who just knew wanted they wanted to do…followed a path… I wanted to go to art college but was pushed to do something more academic… I had no idea what job so wanted but I have (mostly) loved them all! I look back now and see that when I felt like I was flailing around aimlessly whilst my peers climbed their career ladders… I was building up my skill set, my confidence, my experience and my contacts!
Networking is how I get most of my work… I am much better in real life than online!

Where I going with this? I think my story is that sometimes it takes time to find your ‘thing’… and I still feel like I am doing that… I have some skills that I am not using much at the moment.. teaching and writing are two that are starting to come back into focus… but it’s all still a mish mash of outputs over here!

Over this week in my studio… I am working on branding and marketing collateral for a hotel… plus signage and an illustrated map - large painterly mono-prints to sell at my next open house - two personal portrait commissions and some big bold graphic sign designs for a restaurant group.

I didn’t go to art school… but I have done a lot of classes. My parents are both artists and were art teachers. They taught me a lot. I also believe in the ‘fake it till you make it’ approach (there are limitations!) Say yes then learn what you need to know! I’ve got loads of advice and thoughts on this… please ask me anything 😊

🇬🇷 Things I have learnt from my Winter break:

1-Taking a break from my everyday life has been incredible. I worked hard to make it happen and am also lucky that work/family commitments aligned to create some space for me to take some time to myself. It’s easy not to do it but worth planning. I feel rested. I feel brave. I feel stronger!

2-Living on your own is hard! It’s my first time. I’m staying in an old wonderful house at the top of Mandraki. I’ve developed habits and learnt ways to lift myself up. I’ve been kinder to myself that I have ever been…patient even! It’s been a big wonderful bonus. No distractions. Just dealing with myself. It feels big!

3-If you have kids. keep it casual. We’ve chatted 3 times a day… usual chit chat… on the way to school. After school and at bedtime… so it feels like I’m just part of the day. We’ve made deals relating to football cards and on the weekend I am meeting them in Athens for half term. We’ve missed each other a lot but we’ve talked about that feeling and how it’s important to feel it and how lucky we are to feel like that even though it hurts a bit. Really looking forward to a big cuddle.

4-Being an artist is a gift when travelling somewhere new…drawing and sketching all over the place… I’ve always got something to do. And not only that… it’s a conversation starter…you meet people…it’s fantastic.

5-Out of season travel…it’s cheaper! It’s quieter. You might be the only tourist! 🙌🏻 the views of the island are clear and luckily for me this time, the weather has been lovely. Loads of places are closed but you have what you need. I knew one person here and we’ve done daily morning walks, cooked and eaten together in between working on our own projects and doing a lot of staring at the sea (me).

More like this all round in our little family unit is in the planning. After our family half term, husband off on his own trip.
Meanwhile I get to see how all these things I’ve learned might carry over into my everyday life! That’s the real challenge!

Do you take trips away from your family life to recharge?

❤️⭐️Massive Thankyou⭐️❤️ for coming to my open studio this weekend. It was my most successful one to date. Lots of new visitors pulled in by my eclectic street signage and last minute leafleting! Thanks for all the shares on your local WhatsApp groups. All these things made such a huge difference and I’m now overrun with follow ups and ideas! So brilliant!!! 🥰🥰🥰
I am keeping it up all week for anyone who wants to come by appointment. I’ll be busy in my workshop working on my last few bespoke commissions but am always happy to stop for a coffee break if you want to stop by…just DM and we can arrange.🙌🏻

Come to my house on fri 8/sat 9 dec for Christmas drinks and my studio sale! Open from 10am. Pleas share this if you are local!❤️

Self Portraits 👀 always looking through my phone for an artist pic of me and did an impromptu mini shoot this morning. Prob should do again with all the lippy etc 💋 but these are me in my cold studio first thing just rolled out of bed…on a Saturday morning in November. pretty cool these iPhone cameras aren’t they!? strange looking at yourself a lot isn’t it… hello!!! 👋🏻 hello me!!!

🔥 Christmas Art Commissions 2023🔥 4 spaces left!
This includes Landscapes, Maps, Pet + House Portraits or any bespoke artwork you can think of really!
I am working on 3 maps, 2 house portraits and an illustrated recipe this week. Each one is so meaningful and full of love and consideration by those of you who have commissioned.

I work commercially to a wide range of briefs for many different kinds of businesses and charities so this is my comfortable space! I am an illustrator who enjoys being part of a team, a collaborative creative process… so these bespoke pieces are so satisfying and exciting to make for you.

I’ll be sharing some examples here over the next few days but do get in touch directly if you have something in mind.

I thought this photo worked in a “let’s chat about your ideas” kind of way! So let’s get working together to come up with a perfect gift for a special person! Over a cocktail is optional! But might be fun too!

📣I’m having an Christmas Studio Sale at my house on Friday 1st and Saturday 2nd December from 10am.

145 Herne Hill Road, London, SE24 0AD

All welcome! it will be very festive and a bit of a party as well as a good place to stock up on cards, wrap, gifts and goodies!

Message me for any details you can’t see on the invite!♥️

Day 2: Nisyros - Cyanotype day! here’s some of the experiments I made today…showing 5 set up and the outcome… learnt so much, can’t wait to do more! which is your fave?
1) 🍋 citrus (the juice itself added an extra chemical reaction)
2) ♣️dried seeds and 🐟 bone
3) 🌊 net, boat and brush strokes on acetate
4) 🍃 end of summer leaves and floral flares
5) 🌸 dried pressed flowers and leaves

thanks and for a great first day teaching 💙 can’t wait for more! The day culminated in a large scarf design which will have to be another post!

Art Holiday in Nysiros: day 1 🇬🇷 It’s me in Greece! Campari and soda 🥤 in my very own hotel room for a whole week of art and me! I am happy to report I am feeling equal amounts relaxed and excited, and both lucky and deserving!
It’s hard to carve out time like this for many reasons but a quick deadline is what I prefer and this one came about fast! I spotted art holiday post a few weeks ago and will now be learning hapazome printing, natural dye and ink making and printing and dying, cyanotype printing, traditional Greek and freestyle embroidery and painting using constructed paintbrushes found on a walk to a monastery.
Lots to learn! whoohoo!

🐾 Created for 🐕 As part of my project for their new bar/restaurant, I had to come up with interesting ways to impart information. Arty infographics if you will! This is my fave so far!

I sketched out loads of ideas it struck me to use the lead to help the flow of the message … I pulled the detail right back and designed the layout of the words first using a big pointy chinese lettering brush and black ink. I researched and painted many many silhouetted breeds of dog in a variety of poses then scanned them into photoshop.
I coloured them using my fairly restricted palette that I’d worked up and then spent far too long moving them into position! The combinations of course are endless! I love how it looks against the beautiful raw plaster walls and welcomes you as you enter the space. What do you think?

Next to Clapham Common and opposite grooming parlour on Battersea Rise, this new spacious all day brunch spot is the perfect fit! So bring down your well behaved dog to they will be very welcome!

🌳 I used a lot of paint, charcoal, pastels and paper experimenting today to get to this point. The study from which a bold colourful triptych will emerge…to be completed tomorrow. The last piece of the puzzle for my big old project.

🌳Herne Hill from Brockwell Park 🌳 This is a 5-layered screen print… each layer is hand drawn and captures an artist’s view of Herne Hill from the highest point of Brockwell Park. I’ve been wandering round Brockwell Park for 25 years! It’s such a beautiful green space that holds so many memories for all of us that love it.
I have a few other colourways in this and some pared back simpler versions which I can send to you, just ask. I can also personalise this print… there’s a heart between the swans for initials or I can add your names or extra figures in the park space too. Anything goes 🌳

This is a small limited edition of only 18 prints and I have 12 left to sell x

Inspiration ❤️ I’ve been looking back through my iphone photos to grab some inspiring images to help guide me through a project I am working on at the moment. I’m creating artwork for a new restaurant, the second opening up in Battersea Rise. It’s a big project with a swift turnaround but I like a challenge so it’s heads down for a few more days before our summer holiday.

Image 1: a felt tip sketch of husband Mike in Sicily. Spritz, giant basil leaves, Mondello Beach, my boy’s first trip to Italy. Birra on the beach.

2: Some plate designs in ink I used in a pottery session at my mums studio in Lent. I made 3, sold 2 and kept 1! I’d like to do more but it takes a lot of time and I’m not patient enough to commit to it at the moment. One for the future.

3. March 2022 I finally got covid and was painting from my bed. I loved this little postcard sketch… I was quite ill but dreaming of scenes like this. I turned it into a screen print a while later which led to another…images 4 and 5. The first is a summer table and the second an autumnal one. Limited editions of 10.I have a few left to sell link in bio!

6. Speakeasy ink sketch. I had started thinking about some scenes from a velvet lined, jazz club for a pitch which I didn’t go for in the end. I love her languid exuberance!

7. Lips. One of my doodleaday postcards from 2020 lockdowns…
bold colourful graphic hand drawn style really came out in lockdown doodles…see them all by searching

8.and 9. The last two are cutouts from a bigger painting I did in my sketchbook when I had covid…extremely colourful escapism. Dreaming up future plans and the joie de vivre that disappeared for a while there.

A mini trawl through some inspiration that is giving me happiness this week! Schools out! The long summer work childcare juggle ensues! I hope you like them! Which is your fave and why?

🍃 Floral Monoprint 🍃£75 Screenprint 1/1
I can a couple of 🐝 in this one which makes in really special. We have bee hives behind our house and they love the end of my garden gone wild.
This features poppies and was one of three I made using the method I described in a previous post where I paint directly onto the screen and build up layers. This is a 3 pull piece and I think the colours are delicious!
It’s magical to look at in real life so let me know if you want to visit or I can also send a video too.
At the moment these are not on my website but will be soon so let me know if you’re interested! Rebecca x

🌺Floral Monoprint 🌺 £75 This one is so richly layered, it is a beauty! The more I look, the more I see. Those liney lines are printed with thin edges of strips of card, bent this way and that. The brushes are old and unkempt with errant bristles supplying magical shapes. I love this work!

For more images or a video of the print; just ask and I will send! I think I might make this up into a repeat pattern before it goes to its new home. Let me know if you’d like to buy for yours!

Floral Monoprint 1/1🍃 £75 🍃 I created this mono screen print by painting the acrylic inks straight onto the screen mesh. I pull the ink through and then I usually take a fresh paper to take a second paler version. I then start the process again overlaying each onto a set of 3 that I work on simultaneously. This creates the magical build up of images you can see here. It’s a really effective way of creating a floral artwork as it reflects the natural layered growth of a bed of plants and flowers. It took me a lot of experimenting to get to this point but I am so proud of them! I’ve now sold 22 of them which is incredible!

My plan is to share them here whilst I am working on a very big commission before the summer break. Any that don’t get snapped up, I will share to my email subscribers before finally putting up onto my website shop after my current deadline!
I hope you love it! DM for more details/photos/to buy! # # # Rebecca

🌼 Exploring Mimosa 🌼 a few pics from the screen printing studio session yesterday. I loved working with this vibrant colour palette and at the end of my session I made an abstract of all the glorious inks that I had mixed. Scroll through…What do you think? Lots more still drying at the studio…
There will be some of these monoprints at where I will be showing my work on sat 8th July. Click the link in my profile for all the details!

Sketch-a-holiday 🍅 fresh sun ripened Sardinian fruit n veg. Inspiring and delicious

Sketch-a-holiday 🇮🇹 Palau, Sardinia. The verdant view from our balcony over to La Fortezza di Monte Altura. A quick watercolour study in shades of Winsor Green (Blue shade) by

Been too busy settling in for a couple of days but now I have made this sketch, I realise how much painting really helps me to relax. More to come….

☀️ A wonderful warm sunny afternoon filled with painting gouache on my screen printed backgrounds (my current colour obsession: chartreuse-pistachio-avocado … what would you call it?) Will be ready to sell by the weekend ☀️

🍃 Some Watercolour/Gouache studies to sell at my Open Studio this weekend. Totally inspired by the glorious green growth we are surrounded by now that spring has finally dug in!
Last weekend I sold all (but one!) of my floral monoprints which has been just incredible… and they were also inspiration for these studies, which will in turn inspire a new set of monoprints that I am going to create today. I’ve done sketches and am so prepared for my screenprinting session. I am will be making some beauties for you to take home this weekend!
Anything I don’t sell will be sent out to my newsletter subscribers next week and then they will go onto my online shop. Thank you for the support I am getting, it is making my week wonderful!

As always…do message if you are interested. Details of the show to see them in person in my bio links

🌞 Day 1 done of and I am a happy artist! This is the first time I have shown a big exhibition of my screen prints and I sold many!
I am on my 3rd term of screen-printing under the tutelage of the wonderful and want to give her a big thank you for teaching and guiding me so beautifully! I am finding mono-printing exhilarating and magical and have been thriving in class over the last month or two…and guys… you bought them! It’s exciting to feel supported and to see excitement on your faces as you take them home.
Best day ever! Open tomorrow from 11-6 and next weekend too. I hope to see you!

🌺 Flowers! Joy! Fancy a glorious pop of colour for your walls?! 🌞 One of a kind monoprints getting framed today for my show this weekend

Screen-printing these was a magical experience 💫 and I am a little bit in love with them all! They will be £60 each (Artist Open House price) (40x50 cm) so holler if you have your eye on one (this is a sneaky preview after all!) because they are one offs! Now to thing of a name for them…. any ideas? Something happy-happy-joy-colour-flowers related!

Artist Open House 2023
May