Leona Clarke is a graphic designer by day and illustrator by night. She lets us into her world of kitschy girls and glamorous ladies.
How did you get started – have you always been an arty type?
I have always loved drawing and generally being creative ever since I was young, I would draw a lot in my spare time and still do, my whole family are very creative too so they encouraged me a lot. I did art GCSE, A level and foundation, then I went onto do a BA in design communication at Chelsea college of art.
You’re a graphic designer by day and an illustrator by night – how did that happen?
Well I decided to become a designer because I saw it as more of a career path. I also really enjoy coming up with solutions to briefs and concepts and 
found that I generally have a lot of ideas. When I left university I applied for jobs straight away and luckily managed to get a job as a junior graphic designer at quite a corporate company, I now work designing online games which involves a lot of illustration so I guess I get the best of both worlds.
Where has your work appeared?
So far my illustration work has appeared in Amelia’s Magazine and Curvy 5, I have also produced posters and flyers for Climate Camp.
How does an illustration go from an idea to the finished product?
I usually start by sketching my idea first. Sometimes ideas just pop into my head and I’ll jot them down in my diary to draw later or I will go through books and magazines looking for inspiration. I enjoy using all types of media such as pencils, rotring pens, posca pens, watercolours and inks but my main tool is probably my computer. After sketching a drawing I will scan it in and either re-colour it in Photoshop or completely redraw it using Adobe Illustrator.
Can you describe where you work?
I do my illustration at home, I have a desk in the corner of my living room which is surrounded with books and I have a small moodboard above my desk. My boyfriend is also a designer and makes music too so we’re planning to get a bigger flat soon and make a studio for us to work in.
Would you say illustration and graphic design are male dominated or are there just as many girls involved?
I would say that graphic design appears to be male dominated mainly because I don’t meet so many female graphic designers and work with mainly male [ones]. Illustration seems to attract more women, I think it is probably 50/50.
What else do you like doing?
I enjoy sewing and knitting I often make myself clothes from vintage patterns and also make accessories from time to time such as headbands and hair accessories. I’m not so great at knitting but I’m learning. I have a Blythe doll which I knitted a few clothes for, maybe I’ll make a normal-sized jumper soon! I enjoy going to galleries and exhibitions. I also love fashion, I have a lot of fashion and illustration blogs that I read daily. I also like to do a bit of yoga and I like cycling too.
Which other artists do you admire?
There are so many out there that I love but my favourites would have to be Fafi, Miss Van, Cassandra Rhodin, Mark Ryden, Barbara Hulanicki, Julie Verhoeven, Tim Walker, Alan Aldridge . . . I could go on forever
Where do you get your inspirations?
I take a lot of inspiration from fashion magazines and fashion photographers. I collect vintage 60s 70s fashion magazines and also have a full set of Biba catalogues from the 1960s/70s which I love looking at. I also love to look at decorative styles of the past from Art Nouveau and Art Deco to Japanese Wasarasa textile patterns. I really like Dover Books, they’re great for researching styles of bygone eras.
What would be your dream job?
My dream job would probably be working as an illustrator with a continuous stream of interesting clients, I would love to do some illustration for fashion designers and magazines such as Lula, Nylon and Pop.
What advice would you give wannabe graphic designers and illustrators?
Just keep working hard at it, entering competitions online is a great way to get noticed. It takes a lot of dedication, sometimes I feel like I’m doing two jobs and it can take up a lot of your spare time.
Find Leona’s work at www.leonaclarke.co.uk and buy it here: lolacherry.etsy.com