One of the main reasons for starting this blog was to kick-start me into being creative with my spare time. Whilst the blog has grown and I have met some truly wonderful bloggers, been to some amazing events, and been lucky enough to even work with some of my favourite brands, I can’t help lamenting the fact that I haven’t done much on the creative front.

So when a lovely lady contacted me on behalf of Direct Blinds to tell me about a competition they were running to find ‘the next Banksy‘, I jumped at the opportunity. Sure, Direct Blinds may not be the the first company which comes to mind to design for, but by jove to they sell some pretty fancy blinds. Plus it gave me the chance to actually do some drawing for once – a kick up the bum that I needed, if you will.

I was sent a fabulous box of paints and pencils to get cracking on my design, but being a bit of a shy artist and designer, I defaulted back to what I know – dip pen and ink. I utilised some beautiful new watercolour pencils, and began drawing what was in my head. I had a look at some of the Julie Dodsworth designs for inspiration, but to be honest, I was just drawing what came to mind.

I started off fairly simple and straightforward; teapots and tea time things for a kitchen blind (including authentic ink splodge), pansies for a fancy vintage-style bedroom blind (turns out pansies are quite difficult to draw), boats for a nautical themed bathroom blind, and pizza because… well, pizza. I’ve caught the drawing bug again, and would love suggestions as to what to draw next. I’m definitely still learning, too, so if you’re an illustrator and you have some tips/constructive criticism then let me know!

Having a look at the other entries on the I’m certain I have no chance of winning! Nevertheless, I’m really grateful for this opportunity to pick up the pencils, paint and ink again. Who knows, you might be seeing more of my illustration on here in the future…

For more information on the Next Banksy Competition, head on over to the Direct Blinds website. Enter on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram using the tag #makemeadesigner. You’ve got just over a week to enter – the competition closes on 21st November. Good luck!