About Hilary
Hi my name if Hilary, I am an illustrator, student and mum, currently living in the Merseyside area.
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I work primarily with watercolour and ink to create lively illustrations of local beauty spots here in the Northwest of England. My hometown of Formby, whose vast expanse of beach, woodland and red squirrels, has provided endless inspiration for my work.
My original landscapes are all hand painted on high quality watercolour paper weighing in at 425 gsm, which allows for greater depth of colour when applying the paints. I often paint first allowing the watercolour to fall and spread as it wishes then use my fine liner pens to outline the image. I have found that this way round adds a certain degree of “liveliness” to the illustration!
I hope in the future to share more of my creative process through my mini-reel lessons and behind-the-scenes breakdowns of my sketchbook work and original pieces. So subscribe today to my newsletter for more details.
My love of dogs
I am not alone with my absolute LOVE of dogs and they play a big part of my work and giftware range. I love unusual or rare breeds and I particularly like capturing dogs in motion! My beloved dog Grace is my best friend and is a big reason for why I am often found walking amongst the dunes.
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I have a growing collection of doggy themed coasters, mugs and cushions as well commission spaces for pet portraits - to see more follow the link below to my dedicated portfolio page
How it all started
Started in 2020 as much needed relief and hobby from my university studies. I have grown Illustrations By Hilary year by year with the much love and support from my mum and husband who I really could not do any of this without.
​I started with 10x10 cm hand painted originals, today I have a growing collection of illustrated giftware being sold both in shops and on stalls. Products including coasters, cards, postcards and tea towels!
What's Next
As I sit and write on New Year's Eve eve, I can't help but be tempted to set myself some small goals for 2024!!
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I hope in the coming year to share more of my creative process with my followers through instagram by sharing some mini-reel lessons/series of the behind-the-scenes breakdowns of my sketchbook work and original pieces.
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I plan on finishing 1-2 books that have been sitting in my notes file of my phone for the last year or so, which I look forward to sharing.
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Finally after a fair few requests, I hav decided to start commissioned work once again. I have very, very limited time for commissions due to my final exams and for a while shut my books completely. However, I hope to build in some time in the new year to offer limited number of “commission slots” per month going forward into 2024. Please make enquires via my Commissions Page
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So subscribe to my newsletter for more details.