Oh to be ten again!

When your client is turning ten, and briefs you with a list of her favourite things... Oh so lovely!!

I am doubly lucky because this has actually happened twice this month. So my 'business meetings' have involved me sipping a brew while I get to hear about the things that delight and inspire a young mind. It made me wonder if I had been sat in their shoes, what might I have put on my list?

Molly Brett's Teddy Bear's Picnic

I was actually gifted a Molly Brett illustration around that time, with a teddy bear's picnic scene which I used to stare at for hours, it was everything I hoped the world to be.

The Wind in the Willows Cosgrove Hall production

Aged 9, I was a huge fan of the Wind in the Willows and my parents took me to visit the Cosgrove Hall set for my birthday, which was so fun and inspiring.

Quentin Blake's Matilda

I got a copy of Matilda for my 10th birthday, which I read and read and read. I found reading challenging , I still do. So I avoided reading once I outgrew picture books, but Matilda was different - ironic really since it is about a girl who loves to read.

Jill Barklem's Brambly Hedge

I loved baking with my mum. And through the marvels of Brambly Hedge, I thought that all birthday cakes ought to be made with 3 tiers - which didn't fully match up with real life, hehe. I think I'd have put one on my list though.

- My sister and I had a rabbit, they would have been on my list for sure.

- I loved to play the piano, and I had a keyboard which had the best sound effects and I had a lot of fun playing about with that - akin to Ross from Friends!

-I had a pair of roller skates which I used a lot, although I never understood what purpose the stoppers served other than causing a face plant, and so I'd go from wall to wall and that worked perfectly! Similarly, I was a huge fan of ice skating - those stoppers never worked for me either... walls - much better!

-I would get SO excited by snow. I hadn't yet skied, but this was something I dreamt of. Ski Sunday, Narnia, and anything featuring snow would capture my imagination.

-I loved to cartwheel...everywhere. It was my mode of travel. Other than a few grazes on my hands, there was no downside and it just seemed so much more fun than walking!

I realised that the things that would be on my list back then, would probably be very similar now if I was to commission an illustration with all of my favourite things. It would be magically snowy with animals and cosiness, tea and cakes and adventure. Well, I think that explains why I draw the things I do!

I'd love to hear what you'd have on your list!

Here is the final illustration for my wonderful soon-to-be-ten client, Olivia. It was a joy to work on this, and thankfully she loves it too.

P.S. Never grow up. x