Sophie

Christine

Palmer

Toadstool Line Illustration

Creative Portfolio

I’m Sophie Palmer - a Shropshire-based climate and ecological justice activist, writer, illustrator and craftivist. I grew up befriending butterflies, tussling with trolls and frolicking with fairies in the forest. I remain enchanted by the beauty and magic of ancient woodlands that surround me, and inspired by nature-based solutions for radical cultural change.


My work centres on the intersection of spirituality and eco-action: campaigning for ecological regeneration rooted in compassion for all beings; holistic and immersive education; and the re-enchantment of the natural world through mythology, poetry and art.


In 2021, I founded The Fox and the Butterfly: a fledgling educational organisation for young children. Offering forest-school and Montessori-style resources based on native UK wildlife, The Fox and the Butterfly aims to nurture a deep connection with our living planet through the power of art and storytelling.

Graphite

2020

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Wildlife Realism

Medium: Graphite, 2020-22


My first dabble back into art since GCSEs. I began drawing again during lockdown, using my favourite animal (and one that I would often see where I lived) - the red fox - as my muse. I taught myself lots about light, shadow and depth in this period and developed my skills in shading realistic fur.



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Graphite, 2022

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Graphite

2021

Graphite

2021

This period reignited my passion of art,

and led to a desire to use my creativity as a tool for

social change. Whilst I really enjoyed the process of developing my realism skills, I realised that I wanted to concentrate more on illustration instead.

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Character Sketches

Medium: Digital (ProCreate), 2022.


Some very simple initial character designs which I plan to develop into full-scale illustrations. Following my detailed wildlife realism pieces, I tested myself to create a new and unique fox design within the timeframe of five minutes.


These characters may be developed to accompany a future book about foxes/British woodland wildlife and conservation. Or perhaps some fox poetry!


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Illustration

Medium: Digital (Affinity Designer), 2022/3.


I am self-taught in basic digital illustration. Below are the initial character designs for The Mother Willow. In this style, I have a further 15 characters on plantable greeting cards which already, or are planned to, feature in themed pen-pal sets. The moths, foxes, toads, starlings and hedgehog will all be developed into full-scale illustrations for the book. To the right is an example of a nursery print I’ve designed - I have developed one for every

letter of the alphabet.

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Digital illustration, 2022

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Digital illustration, 2023

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Print-making

Experimentation into a new medium, following a short workshop. I am keen to develop my print-making skills further, switching from acrylic inks to hand-made botanical inks. I am also looking

to further experiment with block-printing.


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Lino-print, 2022

Natural Pigments

I have experimented using several natural paints including coffee & tea, turmeric, spirulina etc. I am

keen to upskill here and learn the technical process of creating inks from plants, and experimenting with colour using modifiers & mordants.

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Painting with coffee, 2020

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Pen-Pal Sets

Intial prototypes of UK wildlife themed pen-pal sets for children: Nocturnal Mammals, Butterflies, Pond Creatures. In each set, the workbook is highly illustrated and educational, with

ideas and resources for further

creative activities. I aim to partner

with conservation organisations to

create future themes, e.g. River

Mammals, Maligned Creatures &

Re-introduced Species. Each set

contains 1x 8-page workbook;

3x plantable cards & 1x sticker.

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Affinity Designer (illustrations) & Canva (graphic design), 2023

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Graphic Design: Book Cover/Dust Jacket Design

Below is a mock-up of the cover design for The Mother Willow, using self-taught digital design skills. I decided on a whimsical style for the front cover, using a subdued and earthy colour palette.

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Affinity Designer, 2023

Haiku-Inspired Poetry

Mother Nature speaks;

Invites us to imagine

Possibilities

We are storytellers.

Embrace curiosity;

Reignite wonder.

Wonderful water -

Offer us your nourishment;

Replenish our souls

@ Sophie Palmer, 2023