Meet our creative team: Illustrator Emma Ferguson

Author: Dana McGorlick-Appelman  Date Posted:22 January 2021 

DRAWING ESSENTIALS FROM ARTSHED’S ILLUSTRATOR AND GRAPHITE ARTIST EMMA FERGUSON

We spoke to beloved Art Shed team member and Illustrator Emma on her creative process, her must-have tools, where she finds inspiration and her advice for budding artists. Keep reading to learn more about this superstar and how she creates her signature graphite dreamscapes.

'Whalesong' by Emma Ferguson, Wren of RubyTM  , @wren.of.ruby

 

Tell us about your work? How did you get started drawing?

 

"I’ve loved to draw my whole life, but I only really started to focus on realism back in 2015, teaching myself how to draw in a hyper-realistic style mostly by observing other artists like Jono Dry, and by re-creating pictures I found on the Internet. I’d work on the pieces between my classes at school, and my skills and love for the medium developed even more.

It wasn’t until 2019 that I realised you could earn a living as an artist when I heard about how other artists were. Alongside doing commissioned wedding portraits in collaboration with The Wedding Depot, I also did a small business course, put together my brand Wren of RubyTM , and started taking commissions and creating original pieces, and the rest is history! Since starting at Art Shed I feel like I’ve learnt so much and developed my skills so much more just by being surrounded by so many creative staff and customers."

‘Whalesong’, Emma Ferguson, Wren of RubyTM, 2020, Graphite on Watercolour Paper

 

Where do you source your inspiration, and what artists do you look up to?

 

"So many places. I’m ever inspired by the divine feminine, and love exploring the connection between the female form and the natural world, and the power they emanate together. I also love a lot of artists that create somewhat surreal and dreamy art, and adore the work of @carlyrenee.art, @tanyashatseva, and @jonodry.  In particular Jono Dry. He’s an insanely talented realism artist and I love his YouTube Videos for inspiration and helpful insights."

 

Tell us about your creative process