Meet Simone - Fine Line Illustrator and Designer
Welcome to my quiet corner of the internet, where stories are drawn by hand and nature guides the way.
Where it all began
Hi, I’m Simone, a botanical illustrator and designer based in the Nottinghamshire countryside. With over twenty years of graphic design behind me, my career has travelled in many creative directions. But what ties everything together is listening carefully, observing and translating your story into creating something that belongs entirely to you.
Ellie and Liv began during my maternity leave, when friends and family kept asking me to design their wedding stationery. I would use nap times as a time keep my creative practice alive. But over time I realised what I actually loved wasn’t the weddings, it was the stories underneath them. The symbolism people wanted woven in. The small details that made everything so meaningful. So the weddings slowly faded away and Ellie and Liv went back to my design roots and life long love of illustration.
We are all connected to nature
I can’t think of anything worse than not stepping outside at least once a day. Rain or shine. I need it. Watching the seasons change, noticing that no two days are ever quite the same.
Outdoors is the place that both soothes, calms and inspires me. There is beauty in all Mother Nature’s creations and natural imperfections are the most beautiful thing of all. To be special, something doesn’t have to be loud or bold.
I strongly believe nature also holds our memories. It connects us to people, places and times in our lives. Whether that is in a personal way or through the symbolism from the Victorian Language of Flowers. It’s this belief that is at the heart of everything I make.
“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.”
Lao Tzu
A little of what I’ve made
Bothy Threads — licensed my botanical illustrations for some of their tapestry kits, I love that these designs now sit in homes across the country, all stitched by hand.
Penguin Random House — editorial illustrations published alongside one of the world’s most recognised publishers.
NHS Nottingham University Hospitals — created maps for an arts trail through Nottingham’s two major hospitals. A project designed to bring calm and connection to staff and long-stay patients.
Newark Book Festival — creating the illustration and programme to celebrate their tenth anniversary. A festival that champions reading, which is something close to my heart.
A little about me
I work from a home studio in the Nottinghamshire countryside, kept company by two cats. Precious, our tabby diva, and Willow, our black and white ball of chaos (he’s so naughty).
Life at home is full, and sometimes wonderfully unpredictable. I’m a mum to twin daughters, who this business is named after, and we’re a neurodiverse family who is embarking on a new adventure of home education. It’s shaped everything about how I see the world and how I work in it.
My family life has taught me that the smallest details make the biggest difference and that things made with patience and quiet attention tend to mean the most. Everything I create is made that way. Slowly, thoughtfully, without rush. Because I know how much it matters when the world feels too loud.
When I’m not drawing you’ll find me at a National Trust property, nose in a copy of The Simple Things Magazine whilst sat in my favourite garden Swing seat, or on a riverside walk whatever the weather. My garden is more wild than tidy, I’m an expert in growing weeds, but I embrace them as they are just as beautiful.
