Hello my name is Georgia Rose Thornton, I am an illustrator based in the East Midlands. I am a freelance illustrator and work mainly in analogue media. I have been creating pet portrait work in a realism style.
I have explored putting my work into animated GIFs, stand alone prints, mock ups on products and t-shirts and jumpers.
I hope to branch out into children's illustrated books one day with hopes of creating my own picture book. I love making images that are fun and joyful and I wish to show this in my illustrations.
I discovered my practice during my art foundation course in 2016, which helped me discover what sector of art I wanted to get into. It allowed me to explore so much mixed media, including textiles, drawing, painting, digital work, photography, print, ceramics and 3D modelling.
I then attended Leeds Arts University and was able to push my practice, experiment with materials and understand my style better. I discovered I am not only an illustrator but a designer too. I enjoyed print making, fabric design and surface pattern creation as well as stand alone illustrations.
I have enjoyed utilising digital media to make my illustration work with my analogue textures and patterns.
Over time, my creative style has changed. I feel my work becoming bolder, more joyful and adventurous.
My main subject has always been animals, I love the shapes, colours, designs and patterns that the natural world offers. My illustration logo is even a tiger I named "George"! My style has often been described as cute and colourful. I like to make people smile and feel happy.
The themes I like to explore in my work range from conservation work, sustainability, education and story telling.
Even though I would describe my work as happy and colourful, I have explored other themes as I am a really big fan of Halloween, anything folklore or mythical creatures!
I came across Printed by us while searching for new opportunities as an illustrator. I had been making a lot of stand alone images at the time for my portfolio and Instagram and wanted to know if my images could at all be used for making some social change.
I really felt connected to the company's ethos and work to positively change the lives of previously homeless people. I contacted Printed by us and found them friendly, approachable and extremely passionate about making social change. Collaborating with them has really given my work some additional meaning knowing it has contributed to making someone's life better.
Having the freedom to make work without many creative constraints was also very fun and exciting, and knowing that my print is available for people all over the country to purchase and enjoy.
I feel that art has always reflected the state of society and its problems. Art has fuelled protest and has in some ways challenged societal norms to create change. Artists find creative solutions for problems and often have social justice in mind when they make work. I myself enjoy incorporating ideas about sustainability in my work. I did a project on the Amazon rainforest constructing a concertina style book from old unwanted scraps of paper left from the scrap bin during our sustainability week.
When creating work I try to make use of materials and be wise with what I use. When I think about making work that's physical to sell I often keep in mind production and its impact on the environment. I personally like to use print on demand companies so less product is created to be wasted, only printed when needed.
Print by Us also did a short batch of my prints so I know my work was created with sustainability in mind. I like making unique pieces that people can't get every day. People are more likely to keep these objects rather than them going to landfill.
Right now I have really been enjoying capturing peoples' pets in art work for them. I have been looking into setting up a Red Bubble and online shop to start pushing my illustration work.
I want to let my practice continue to combine the design aspect with practical applications for my illustrations. I would like to develop a collection of printed pattern work to then release online through an on demand print service.
I always want to continue to make work that makes people smile.
