UK
From a young age, I really enjoyed creating, drawing and making a mess. It is something that has stuck with me and drives me to pursue a career in Illustration.
I studied Illustration at Norwich University College of the Arts and graduated in 2012. I declared myself freelance shortly after.

Freelancing can be difficult, and sometimes the unpredictable part of doing art. There can be times when you are very busy and other times not so. If I am able to, I try to make use of the opportunity when I am not so busy to generate future work. It is important for me to stay positive, keep working and stay driven.

When creating an image I find myself drawn to colours and textures, I think this is something (other than the taste) that is also appealing in food.

I enjoy cooking and have collected quite a few recipe books and like to look at the use of food photography and the way that it has been styled too.

Unless I am working on a personal project the majority of the images I make are made for illustration purposes, so I am trying to use imagery to expand on a piece of text that has already provided and use the illustrations to read between the lines and hopefully add something extra to whatever the context might be.

I always feel a big sense of achievement when I see illustrations I have been working on in print, and ultimately feel proud and very grateful that I am able to do something I love as a job.

Get inspired by what you enjoy

In the future I like to focus my attention on working hard. I have a long list of projects, plans and ideas that I am always adding to, in the future I hope to keep working towards them.

The advice I give to new artists is have a go, paint things that you enjoy. I would also recommend experimenting with different medias. I like to paint using gouache paint but there are many different varieties to try.

To see more of my work or to contact me about my artwork please visit my website at Mia Dunton Illustration or follow me on my instagram @miadunton.

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