Anastasia Drawing & Dreaming

A Girl Called... Lucy
hi everyone, hope your day is going nicely!!

Its time again to meet another girl and today we're heading on over to England to meet
Lucy Claydon.


Lucy is a talented graphic designer and the creative girl behind Lottie Frank illustrations.


Firstly, Welcome Lucy!!
Can you tell us what is currently inspiring you?
I am always inspired by the use of colour because of the positive effect it can have on your life from what you wear, to what you see, to what you eat (I have just come across Renowned pastry chef Claire Clarks delectable desserts, she opened a brief pop-up spot for afternoon tea at Harvey Nichols in London. Just the names were inspiring to me:- bubblegum marshmallow pavlova; rose and raspberry eclair; pistachio, passion fruit pain de gene; lemon madeira cake; praline roulade; mini battenburg cake; and warm chocolate cherry cake. Lovely! I can immediately visualize my Lottie ladies wearing tea cake dresses in these wonderful colours and flavours!
Another truly inspiring find for me is Heather Bailey for her colourful designs and stunning photography of her studio space...check out her shop here .
For this Autumn my current fashion favourite has to be Miu Miu for its campaign photoshoot.
Oh my list could go on I am inspired by anything and everything!

My day job as a graphic designer definately keeps me up to date with the latest trends as i work predominately for the fashion and beauty areas of a large department store creating editorial pages for new season brochures and promotional campaigns...so I always love to see the new brands and products coming through....


Name three things you couldn't live without
1. My little lady - she is my true inspiration and I am at my happiest when she is by my side...she is definately the root source of my inspiration for my Little Lottie Ladies collection... I set up my etsy shop for the little ladies when i was pregnant with her in 2009 - I knew I'd have a girl!
2. My Apple Mac - I do a lot of my work straight onto my mac and I would be lost without it, but ...I do have a new one on my wish list!
3. Magazines - I have piles of them, when I feel like I am in a creative rut I can always go back to them and tear out new sources of inspiration form styles, to girls poses and colour mixes.

Can you define to us your personal style?
My style is playful, bold, colourful and confident I want people to view my work and create their very own stories, for them to take it in and draw out elements from it that reflect their own lives or they dream of being that stylish girl that is full of confidence and lets nothing stand in her way!
I want my ladies to become icons for people to look up too, they can give them there own personality and imagine the circles they would mix in and the lavish lifestyle they would lead.
Whether these ladies reside on someone's wall at home or are used as part of a commercial campaign. I hope that my Lottie ladies have the potential to strut their stuff on the world catwalk!


What is your Favourite Smell/Fragrance?
I currently love Lola by Marc Jacobs, I was drawn to it for its bottle design, colours and packaging, it is new out and definately one you want out on the dressing room table! and of course it smells gorgeous!
I also like to collect the Gwen Stefani Harajuku Lovers fragrances as my little lady likes to collect & play with the dolls that are the bottle tops! I love anything Japanese inspired! and I am a true sucker for pretty packaging!


What do you love about your city?
I live about 50 mins away from London city, so it is easily accessible for an inspiration fix...I love the fabric and haberdashery stores especially VV Rouleaux, I could spend hours in there! Also the V&A Art Gallery always has interesting fashion related exhibitions on. I am going to the Barbican in a few weeks to visit the 30 years of Japanese fashion exhibition, which I can't wait to do! I will post about it once I have been.. So mainly I love it for its galleries and of course shopping!

and lastly Lucy, do you have a favourite quote you would like to share with us?
Oh yes I do, I recently wrote this quote in my weekly wonders column on my blog..I found it truly inspiring and it made me want to get on and do!

"Work with the dreamers, the believers, the courageous, the cheerful, the planners, the doers, the successful people with their heads in the clouds and their feet firmly on the ground. Let their spirit ignite a fire within you, to leave this world better than when you found it" by Wilfred Peterson
Thanks so much Lucy, great chatting with you!!

To see more of Lucy's work please head on over to her
Website
Etsy Shops LottieFrank
and LittleLottieLadies
and of course her inspiring Blog