“A lot of my work was (and still is) focused around mental health, female empowerment, and friendship.” If you love those three topics as much as we do, then you’ll adore anything that Emmy Lupin (she/her) creates. Seriously, just take another look at our gorg logo above!

Here, the UK-based illustrator tells us how she went from advertising to art, what inspires her super relatable work, and what’s next for her personally and professionally.

How did you get into art?
I would say I’ve always been creative, and have always been drawing from a young age. I didn’t study art at college or university because I always thought that I would never make any money in a creative job. I’m from a working class background, so making a good living and being able to support myself was always at the front of my mind when I thought about a career. I went on to study advertising and work as an account manager in design agencies for around five years after I graduated. Alongside this, I used to do portraits for friends and eventually started an Instagram posting my illustrations. I went on to open an Etsy shop after more people started asking for portraits, and everything really spiraled from there. That was around six years ago now, and I’ve been working as an illustrator full time for the last three.

What medium do you use for your work?
I work digitally on my iPad. I love working like this as there’s a lot of freedom, and I’m a pretty impatient artist. Plus, I like to work fast! I use a lot of patterns and color, and it’s easy to do this working digitally, too.

Your work is also super relatable (which we love!). What inspires you?
I’m definitely inspired by the life around me: my friends, nature, culture. I notice things and ways that I’m feeling, and tend to note them down for illustrations later. I always want to aim for relatability in my work, and I think that comes from me wanting to be seen, myself. Art is a great way to help people feel less alone, and there’s no better compliment for me than when people can relate to my work, and see themselves reflected back.

Are there any other artists out there who you look to for inspo?
So many! I love Bijou Karman and Bodil Jane particularly.

If you had to choose one piece that’s your favorite, what would that be?
That’s so hard! As an artist, you look at your work so much that by the end, sometimes you think it’s not good anymore. I’m very guilty of that. This year, I worked on a “things to look forward to” illustration each month, where I crowdsourced the moments from my audience on Instagram. It felt like such a big, positive thing to do each month and brought me so much joy. I then made it into a calendar, which you can see here!

Do you have any other exciting projects in the works?
I have a line of clothing coming out with a fashion brand this month, which has been a dream for a long time. I’m very excited about that! This year, I also opened a physical studio/shop in my hometown, and I’m about to go on maternity leave in December—my biggest project yet! Overall it’s been a really busy year both professionally and personally, and I’m very grateful for all the support I’ve received whilst navigating that.

And finally, how can we shop, follow, and support you?
You can shop online here, and/or shop at my physical shop in Nottingham, UK at no. 12 Sneinton Market. You can also follow me on IG where I’m most active and on TikTok where I mainly share my outfits.