Vicky Scott A world of pure imagination

Vicky Scott's colourful, retro-inspired illustrations are a feast for the eyes, and since making the move from Brighton to Sheffield her artistic output has swelled to pay homage to some of our most beloved landmarks.

With high-profile clients including the RSPB, The Postal Museum, and Scholastic, Vicky has made a splash through advertising campaigns, book covers, magazines and more, in addition to creating a beautiful range of illustrated products that she sells online and in indie shops.

I chatted to Vicky to find out more about her artistic process and how she's been settling into life in the north.

What drew you towards pursuing a career in art?

Some artists have a really exciting story about how they discovered they wanted to be an artist. Unfortunately, I’m not one of those! I’ve always been creative ever since I was little and announced I was going to be an artist when I was about 5, and that was it. I wrote my own children’s books, including a really weird one about an apple on fire. I spent my teenage years finding some of my influences - going to William Morris’s house, seeing an exhibition on 1960s art, visiting Barcelona - and then deciding that illustration was for me.

Originally hailing from London, you're now a Sheffield dweller. How are you finding life in this beautiful city?

The parks and greenery in Sheffield are so beautiful - I love the Botanical Gardens, Endcliffe Park, Nether Edge and Kelham Island. The other creatives in the city have been extremely welcoming too and it is definitely starting to feel more like home.

The first few months were a little bit scary, though. I’ve never lived that far from London and my family and friends there, and I didn’t know Sheffield very well at all so felt a bit lost and isolated. My partner and I explored a few places like the nearby Ecclesall Woods and music-related venues, and then I started forcing myself to go to creative meet-ups, life drawing and doing craft fairs, which were a huge help.

Your work spans multiple mediums, from paper collage and Photoshop, through to large-scale paintings. How do you adjust so well to each medium?

I think it’s having a plan that helps. I’m not the sort of artist that can jump straight into painting a giant mural for example. I get a bit scared of huge blank spaces and these are much easier to tackle if you’ve got a rough idea of what you are going to do.

What does your working process look like? How do you plan and create a piece?

I start every single illustration by doodling out some ideas in a sketchbook. Once I’ve got one that looks promising, I do a bigger pencil sketch and a quick colour mock-up in Photoshop to give me an idea of which colours I’m going to be using. Then I get a piece of tracing paper and trace over the lines of my original pencil sketch, flip it over and start tracing out the different shapes onto coloured paper.

I then cut these shapes out using a sharp scalpel and start sticking the pieces down with blue tack. Once I’m happy with how everything looks, I scan my collage into Photoshop, add any details that are too small to cut out, and play about with the colours. I sometimes also use found papers like magazines and envelopes, and paper that I’ve painted myself if I can’t find the right colours! It can be quite a long process but it’s really tactile and enjoyable.

You've worked on an array of fabulous commissions during your career. Can you tell us about one or two of your favourites?

One of my favourite projects has been creating posters for Cheltenham Festivals. I’ve always wanted to design posters, particularly for music events so I was really happy with the jazz design in particular. They wanted something that wasn’t a clichéd jazz poster, but apart from that it was quite an open brief. In the end I came up with a colourful, slightly abstract design that mixed-up musicians, instruments, dancers and the audience into something creative and eye-catching.

What's next for you in the coming months?

At the moment I’m busily working away on a few commissions and preparing for Christmas craft fairs in Sheffield - I’ll be at Meersbrook Makers and the Kelham Island Victorian Christmas Fair.

I’m keen to get back to my Sheffield teapot designs again, when I get a chance. It's been fun seeing people’s reactions to what I’ve done with their landmarks and a great way to get to know the city. I’d also love to work with a local Sheffield-based event or museum.