What you'll find on her websites are beautiful paintings, knitwear, makeover ideas and lots of colors. Amy's paintings are vibrantly colorful and her knitwear is simple yet amazing, would make a great add on to one's wardrobe. She even has a makeover section on her website, where she plays with color, mixing things up, creating so many jazzy ideas that are worth trying. Amy has even written a book called Pocketful of Black Cats, which as the name suggests is about black cats.
According to Amy her whole purpose of creating this website was to have a reminder for herself of the things she was and is doing. She adds details to all her work, so that it becomes simple for others to follow. Her website is her dairy, where she shares things she loves doing. Read on to know more about Amy and her work in our exclusive interview with her.
1. Hi Amy, please introduce yourself to our readers.
Hello! I'm Amy Blackwell. I'm a doodler based in the midlands. I have a cat called Illya Kuryakin and an addiction to yarn. My favourite colour at the moment is rusty red.
2. What is your website all about and what is the inspiration behind it?
My site is a notice board that reminds me and informs others of the things I do and doodle. I like to keep it quite light hearted and informative. It 's a place where I get to share what I love, the adventures and processes me and my pictures go through and the little things in life that's worth pointing out and saying "How cool is that!?".
3. Your illustrations are amazing. How do you choose the subject of your illustrations? Do you like to work on a specific theme?
Apart from the black cats there no real running theme. I love cats. If I could afford more I would make that happen. I just draw what I like the look of. I pick up inspiration from all around me, I let ideas fizz away in my imagination for a while then I put it down on paper. Most of what I draw are things I would like to own, places I'd like to see or characters I'd like to meet.
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| Image courtesy Amy Blackwell |
4. Tell us about your book ‘Pocketful of Black Cats’. What is it about?
It's 26 or so pictures of black cats. I liked the idea that you could have a pocket full of cats and you could take them where ever you wanted. This is the less messy version of that idea. Some of the cats are wearing strange bits of clothing. It a collection of quirky characters.
5. Your collection of knitwear is pretty trendy. What prompted you to get into knitting?
When I'm not drawing I'm usually knitting or crocheting. I'm not very good at sitting still and doing nothing so I find knitting quite calming, the jumper or blanket at the end is a bonus. It' s a good opportunity to sit back and process thoughts and ideas for new projects. Sometimes it's good just to sit back and do something different, especially if you're feeling a bit like you're stuck in a rut.
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| Image courtesy Amy Blackwell |
6. I really love your Makeover Mission section, its so helpful. How do you manage to think of so many makeover ideas?
Now you mention it there are so many ideas I've had since I started that project but HAVEN'T blogged about. The mission was (and still is) a way for me to pay more attention to what I put on in the morning. Add more colour too or at least play around with the colours I usually wear - mix things up a little. I think it's good to be a little brave when it comes to mixing and matching new outfits - sometimes it pays off sometimes you get home and think "oops". It's all fun though and it's nice to talk about these little rituals we cook up on the blog.
7. What do you enjoy the most, drawing or knitting? When not working for your website, what activities do you enjoy the most?
Right now I've got my painting head on. I'm constantly hunting for fresh inspiration and scribbling down blobby sketches and finding new patterns and shapes. I lose huge chunks of days and evenings when I'm sat with my paints. I love it.
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| Image courtesy Amy Blackwell |
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| Image courtesy Amy Blackwell |
8. Instead of selling your work on your own website you chose to sell your work through Etsy and Folksy. Why not sell stuff on your own website itself as that would engage your audience much more?
There's something lovely about the communities on Etsy and Folksy. You feel like you're a small part of a very big team of makers and that's quite motivating. I think it's also reassuring to buyers because places like Etsy and Folksy have a great reputation and are supportive to both buyers and sellers. I reckon that if I were to set up a shop on my own site I would feel a bit isolated. Now is not the right time, but I'm not ruling it out for the future.
9. What other Artists do you look up to? If you could peek inside the studio/toolbox of any one other artist/craftsperson, whose would it be and why?
I'm not sure. I have an awful habit of shutting myself off from the art world sometimes. I reckon it'd be quite nice to sit down and have a shandy with Lizzy Stewart and a good nosey round her studio. I love her work. Every time she reveals a new picture I say something along the lines of "oh, my. I want it" and then a few weeks later the same thing happens again and then again... etc. I reckon she's got a really nice pencil case too...
10. What are your future plans for your website and as an artist?
I want to paint more. I really enjoy it and I keep setting myself little missions like "paint a picture twice as big next time" and "just use black and white paint today". I would like to progress more towards that side of my practice. And then maybe make a zine about it. As for the website I want to keep it as up to date as possible. Try out new blogging techniques, maybe even cook up some new D.I.Y's for people to try out. I've just moved house recently so I've not been as active as I sometimes can be. I love this time of year though, it's a good time to sit back and reflect or get planning for the winter months. It's a busy time of year too - perfect for blogging.
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| Image courtesy Amy Blackwell |
11. What advice would you like to give to a budding and aspiring artists?
Don't eat dribbly food when you're drawing - it can all go horribly wrong... Oh and don't put your cup of coffee next to your jar of water - Paint brushes always go for the coffee...
Thank you Amy for taking out the time and doing this interview with us. We'd like to wish you the very best for the future.
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