How To Ink A Drawing

Inspired by ink

Getting started as a freelance illustrator is tough, and when Liz Clements first graduated from Falmouth she only had enough work coming in to illustrate part-time. However, thanks to social media word about her line-based style has spread and her career is taking off. She's built up a broader client base and has been signed by the agency Illustration Ltd.

One of her main inspirations is tattoo art. "People use tattoos to convey messages and tell stories which I find really interesting and that is what I try to do with my work," she says. "Tattoo culture has become much more accessible in recent years due to programs like LA Ink, and I think this could be part of the reason why my work has been getting a good response."

You can certainly detect an 'ink' aesthetic in her work but that's not all there is to it. As a fashion illustrator she's constantly buying rag mags, tearing out pages, and keeping the images she likes in a box for future reference. She loves drawing faces and her portfolio is full of portraiture as well.

Vintage feel

"My images are drawn in pencil then scanned into Photoshop to add colour. I try use the palette as a way of giving the images a vintage feel - Photoshop is a brilliant program for this. I have experimented with different ways of adding colour but I always end up going back to it," she explains.

Recent clients have included the magazines Area, Kerrang and Fused, as well as electronics firm Samsung. She also sells prints on her site. And her ideal commission would be? A Vogue cover, of course.