We are so delighted to be working with the incredible Emily Wainwright as our 2024 artist-in-residence for the Wainwright Prize.
Working from North London, Emily’s bespoke illustrations will be threaded throughout this year’s campaign, bringing to life our messaging. It’s not just the artist’s name that is fitting for the Prize, as Emily’s design work is centred around intricate illustrations of plants and botanicals.
Having felt a desire to understand plants and botany in more depth, Emily has studied both Garden Design and Horticulture with the RHS and is a great believer in the benefits of spending time in nature and helping others to grow their own flourishing gardens.
First of all, could you tell us a little bit more about how you feel about working with the Wainwright Prize? How did it feel when we approached you, and how has your experience been so far?
Oh, it’s great. I was thrilled. I actually got the e-mail on the afternoon of my 40th birthday…
Ah, happy belated birthday!
Thank you! But yes, I was thrilled. Obviously, it really ties in with what I do in terms of nature illustration, especially with the children’s aspect of the prize. I’m a great believer in teaching children about nature, so I’ve particularly enjoyed designing the illustrations for the children’s prize. I’ve got kids so, when I was drawing, I was picturing what they like in the garden and spotting on walks. It feels really closely tied to what I’m about, which is great.
Talking about children’s relationship to the world around them, do you have any early memories of being in nature? Or any sense of where your relationship with nature began?
My whole family enjoy being outdoors – we regularly camped and went out on walks! We mostly camped down in Salcombe, and it was all very traditional English camping, you know? Even if the tents were getting blown over, we would stick it out. I still go camping, with my husband and kids. I love that it is part of their childhood too.
Walking was a thing too – on holiday we’d always head out together. My mum would pack watercolours and sketchbooks for us. We would stop in beautiful places and sit painting the view. Art was encouraged and that’s the same at my home now – I like to have pens and paper out on our table. It has just become a fundamental aspect of our lives. I think it’s great to have an output for creativity. Everyone has different versions of what they enjoy doing but it’s the act of making something in the mindless moments, when it’s not homework or work – when you’re just creating something for the fun of it.
I love that! Back to your work, could you tell us a little bit more about your process when you begin an illustration? Where do you start from? And how do you approach each new project?
My process varies because the types of work I do and the projects I take on are all reasonably different – they can range from something quite commercial and deadline-driven to more free, creative work. If I’m working on a commercial project, I believe in starting with visual boards to align what people are looking for, and then the process between the initial sketches and my final output is usually quite quick. I like working quickly. I really like to see what the result could be.
This is a thing I love about illustrating – the actual creation of something from nothing. I really enjoy the process. There was a show that stuck with me as a little girl. It was called Penny Crayon, which was a character who had a crayon, and whatever she drew came to life. For me, there’s something about an illustration going from an idea, a piece of paper, to a piece of art. I love that process of giving life to something. So, I like to initially work quickly to bring something to life – jumping straight into brush and ink or brush pen – and then I spend a lot of time fine-tuning. I love ink as a medium because it has such a beautiful change in line weight, and I enjoy the way the ink moves on the paper. Everything always starts with this black line work, and then I scan in and add colour in Illustrator. I also often hand-draw elements in isolation and then build the complete composition digitally.
And do you always work from your studio?
Mainly! This little space is where I am most of the days of the week, but if I’ve got the kids around or if it’s the weekend, I’ll often complete drawings from the kitchen, sitting at the table while the kids draw too.
It’s been quite the journey. I’ve been doing the illustration side of things for ten years now, and it went from sitting on the floor in my kids’ bedroom drawing whilst they napped to being set up with all the bits I need, in my little studio.
Do you think studying Horticulture with the RHS affected your illustration? And, if it did, how?
I don’t know if it has actually – I thought it would! I went into it wanting to learn about the details of plants, to really understand the way plants work, as opposed to just how they look. Ultimately though, it hasn’t changed my output. I find botanical illustrations absolutely stunning in their own right, but I prefer adding more fluidity to my work. I do think it helped me understand compositionally what goes together. For example, for The Wainwright Prize, I had a better understanding of what would be botanically appropriate for an illustration, whereas before, I would draw what I thought looked pretty without fully understanding the plant’s natural environment. I would say, all in all, it has given me a great foundation in understanding plants and how they work, and an even greater appreciation. You can’t not admire nature when you’ve understood the mechanisms behind it.
Totally. I know you’ve also worked on helping people design gardens, so I wondered what, in your eyes, should the perfect garden provide for its owner?
Gosh, that’s a good question. I would say it is individual to each person, because people want such differing things but, in an ideal world, I love to see a space for wildlife and, if you’ve got children, places where the kids can immerse themselves in that wildlife. As an example, in our garden, we had the traditional lawn with flower beds, all very normal, but the area we had for a lawn couldn’t give us what we wanted – an area for the kids to run around and play. So, we decided to take a large chunk of it away, building a big flower bed filled with loads of plants… not forgetting stepping stones, a hedgehog house, a small pond and a ladybird hotel! We were worried about doing the wrong thing by losing this lawn space, but the kids loved it! They go out every single day after school and they run along the stones and look into our little pond – they are always exploring. I love it when they come to tell me they’ve spotted a new flower or bug!
If you have a small garden, for me, I’d say pack in as many plants as you can, and trees! Trees, Trees. Trees. I think we’ve got eight trees in our tiny little garden, and I love them the most – we get so many birds, beautiful light through the leaves, lovely seasonal changes, and shade on hot days, and their height makes the garden feel bigger. I think that every new house should have a pond and at least one tree!
That sounds great! Maybe you should lobby the new government to add that to their list of things to do. I do see what you mean though – I feel like there’s a slight misconception about trees, in the sense that you shouldn’t have too many in a small space because it would be too cramped. But when I think of my grandma’s garden, it was small but there were so, so many trees and it was magical.
Exactly! Since we moved into our home 10 years ago the scene from the window has changed so much. There used to be tons of trees in gardens but so many have now been taken away. I know there are fears about risks to house foundations and everyone wants as much sunshine as possible, I do understand all of those things, but you only need one small tree to make a difference.
What excites you the most about nature?
My Grandma told me once to ‘always be part of something bigger than yourself.’ I loved that. We can get so caught up in our day jobs and swept away by deadlines and pressures, but there’s something about nature just being so big and all-encompassing. It’s bigger than us and it’s more powerful than us and, I believe, it’s cleverer than us. And that thought humbles me and connects me to something. It’s an idea that really puts life into perspective and makes me feel grounded.
If you had no work and no deadlines at all, what would be your perfect day out in nature? What would you do?
I’d draw it! I genuinely would draw it, it’s my dream just to go to a beautiful garden or walk through nature with a pack of pens and some paints perhaps and draw what I see. I would love to sit and take the time to take it all in.
Are there any particular kinds of types of environments that you are kind of drawn to?
For drawing, I would probably say meadows where all the beautiful, diverse flowers are completely wild. And apart from that, I love a pebble beach on a wintery day. I can’t help but feel really at peace on a beach when it’s windy, chilly… and empty!
We’ve mentioned children’s literature a little bit and how it can inspire new generations, so I wondered what you think the role is – of both literature and art – in bringing about an awareness about the current environmental situation?
Literature and art feel like such a positive way to talk about the world and connect with children. In terms of art, it makes nature interesting and highlights its beauty. It means you can engage with it in a way that isn’t pressured or didactic – it’s light and fun.
In terms of literature, I think there are two aspects for me; one is the sense that books about nature make the subject visually interesting and engaging for children. But another is the tangibility of a book. My own kids will sit and flick through books for so long, and they just love it. And going into a library – I actually think my son thinks it’s the same as going to a fair! The way we’re moving with everything being digital and online, I think we should really hold onto some things that are special, and I think books are right up there. They allow us to really connect with a story and get lost in it so, for me, it has to be physical.
And do you feel hope for future generations?
I think so! I don’t like being negative because I don’t know if negativity encourages a positive outlook or attitude. I would love to see more and more positive messaging about the planet and sustainability, to help people engage with nature, be excited by it and admire it. Knowing how magical and inspiring it is and how it can give you so much back if you treat it the right way. I think as a whole, to teach everyone, including the next generation, about the amazingly wonderful world around us will make us all want to look after it, not because of the fear of what damage will do, but because we love and respect it. That feels very motivating.