Hi, I’m Ferne. This is the part where I’m supposed to be impressive, but honestly, I’m more interested in being curious, creative, and a little bit human.
I draw things, collect ideas, and occasionally overthink all of it – but in a fun way.
I have been creative since I was little, which was inevitable with so many of my family being painters, either professionally or passionate hobbyists.
As with many artists, I struggled with perfectionism, and this pushed me to move away from painting and into photography, studying first at college and then at university.
The only suitable course was BA Hons: Marine and Natural History Photography at Falmouth, which was incredible, and throughout my time, I loved using my photographs in an editorial or graphic sense. I then went on to do a Master's of Art: Authorial Illustration – which was awful, but that's a story for another time.
Photography, especially wildlife, is a tricky business, and being a broke graduate, I applied for every creative job I could. I was finally accepted into an entry-level position as a junior designer in a printing company, and I moved from Cornwall to Bristol.
It was during this time that I learnt so much about design and working with clients and on projects; after 3 years, I left and was headhunted by another printer and worked there for another 3 years.
As much as I loved designing, I knew office life wasn't for me, so the pandemic was scary, but it was a breath of fresh air being out of this environment.
We all got into our activities in lockdown, and I logged an unhealthy amount of man-hours into my Animal Crossing island. This was when my partner said I need a project. I was already painting for fun, but I expressed that I have always wanted to try digital illustration.
When I got my iPad, I was inseparable; it was obvious I would draw animals, and the more I drew and shared, the more requests I would get to sell my work, and there, Ferne Creative was born.
Nature sneaks into everything I do. Most weekends, my partner and I escape to the quiet of woodlands, listening to birds, rescuing beetles from the path, and letting ideas for future projects float around. These little retreats fuel my creativity and spark inspiration for my wildlife illustrations and nature-inspired artwork.
I’ve been lucky enough to explore some incredible places – from following winding rivers through the Borneo Rainforest to freezing my hands off in Iceland, staring up at the stars and the Northern Lights. Moments like these don’t just inspire my illustrations; they remind me why I do what I do. And the best part? Creating art often gives me the chance to travel even further, discovering more wild corners of the world to bring back to my nature illustrations.
