Caroline Church

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Gin Craze! musical poster showing four women in period dress singing and playing instruments

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Intricate black and white drawing of a praying mantis by Caroline Church

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Black and white illustration of a running cheetah by Caroline Church

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Rummo Fusillottini pasta package with Italian text

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Black and white Monstera leaf illustration by Caroline Church

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Historical woodcut in the here and now.

The tradition of the woodcut awards your motifs this incomparable aura.

Caroline Church is a scraperboard artist, and the perfect illustrator to approach if you’re after something with a vintage engraved look to it. Her imagery is ideal for packaging that has a traditional feel, she’s an expert when it comes to conveying atmosphere and fascinating results can be achieved when her historical scraperboard style is applied to modern themes and subjects. Based in Twickenham, Caroline works from a pretty Victorian cottage, which ties in very well with her overall aesthetic. She has a BA in Illustration from the Chelsea School of Art and went on to learn wood engraving as a guest student at Royal Academy Schools. Her biggest influencers are the 18th century wood engraver Thomas Bewick and the 19th century steel engraver Gustave Doré.

Approach

Scraperboard is card with a layer of white clay covered in black ink. Caroline marks out an initial drawing using transfer paper and then scrapes away the white layer with a craft knife into the black, creating the look of an engraving. Her approach is meticulous and exacting, and when complete her work is scanned and submitted digitally. Amendments can be made either by going back to the scraperboard, or using Photoshop.

Key Software

Photoshop

Style

Caroline’s style is reminiscent of 19th century engraving and lends itself very well to projects conveying traditional and time-honored values.

Impressions

Interview

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Interview

It has been an exciting 12 months for you. What's been the best bit? It makes me smile to see my work on meat packaging in Marks and Spencers. What drew you to illustration/design? At school I discovered I got higher marks when I added drawings to the text, went on from there really. I had an ‘uncluttered’ childhood in Uganda. My sisters and I would clamor for my Dad’s architectural plans to draw on the back of. A local printing firm would put scraps of paper aside for us and we'd make our own cards and presents. We pored over every detail in the few books we were lucky to own. My teenage years were spent in a delapidated georgian house which dad was renovating, so I guess surrounded by so much creativity I couldn’t be anything else. Do you have any formal design training?Did illustration at Chelsea School of Art but I was briefly being taught wood-engraving as a guest student at Royal Academy Schools. This was most instrumental in the direction I took. I discovered scraperboard soon after. Where are you originally from? Born in Kenya, grew up in Uganda, settled in Richmond. Where is your studio and can you describe it for me? It’s in a pretty Victorian cottage a minute’s walk from my home. It’s quite empty, there’s just a large victorian desk, a chair, and 2 trunks of my favourite books. Do you collect anything? I used to keep everything I liked the look of, labels, cigar boxes, cards, packaging, feathers, books, tins, but thanks to google I’ve saved myself a lot of storage space. Do you keep a scrapbook? No, just piles, boxes and files. Tell us about a favourite project you've recently completed. Nothing recent, but I always enjoy when people ask for an example of what I’ve done and as luck would have it I can point to the logo on the beer glass they’re holding (London Pride) or pick out something from their fridge (M&S meat), or, at worst, some packaging in their bin! Please can you tell me a little about the technique you use to create your artworks? Scraperboard is cardboard with a thin layer of white clay that is coated with black ink. I scrape away the black surface with a craft knife. Who is/are your illustration hero/es? Thomas Bewick, Gustave Dore. Who is/are your musical hero/es? Muse, empowering on a sluggish day. If you were not an illustrator, what would you be? Something similar, prop maker, decorator. If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go? See my old home in Uganda. What's the funniest thing you have ever done? I had to draw Atlas holding up the world so took pictures of my scantily clad husband posing with a laundry basket on his shoulders. The photo developers lost the photos and I had to describe the images to them! Do you have any pets? Half of a dog. We do a dog-share thing. If you won the lottery what would you do with the money? Give it back, it wouldn’t be mine as I’ve never yet bought a ticket. Ok, I’d do something dull like pay off my mortgage. Would you continue to illustrate? Definitely. I get irritable if I’m not drawing or creating things. Picking at scraperboard is as therapeutic as stroking a cat, no really. If you could travel back in time which period would you visit & why? Always had a thing for Victorian/Edwardian England, I would want to take loads of photos for my reference files.

Favourites

Equipment/Tool: I will have to rethink my career if Swann Norton ever discontinue blade no2 Drink: first coffee of the day Art Gallery: Victoria and Albert Museum

American Heritage Chocolate products with vintage packaging by Caroline Church

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Can of Pomelo and Pink Pepper tonic water by The London Essence Co.

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London Essence Blood Orange & Elderflower tonic water can with botanical design

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Contemporary illustration of fruit basket

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Black and white illustration of port area

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Black and white illustration of label Australian wine

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Argentinian wine label illustrated by Caroline Church

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Caroline Church

Selected illustrations

Dark street scene with man walking under cloudy sky on The Maul and The Pear Tree book cover by Caro

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Fuller's London Pride beer label with London skyline by Caroline Church

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Black and white detailed bear head illustration

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London Essence Co. Original Indian Tonic Water label with orange botanical border

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Leather shoes black and white illustration

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Food & Drink Marks & Spencer product cover

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Black and white plumeria flower illustration by Caroline Church

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Book cover for The Armstrong Girl by Caroline Church featuring a girl in Victorian attire in courtro

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Vintage strongman lifting heavy barbell overhead by Caroline Church

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Black and white detailed grapevine with clusters and leaves, by Caroline Church

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Victorian couple seated with tea pot and newspaper by Caroline Church

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Three women's vintage portraits with a trowel and decorative flourishes

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Black and white illustration of vegetables

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Black and white drawing of the Globe Theatre by Caroline Church

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Black and white pig drawing with Marks & Spencer text by Caroline Church

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Illustration of a brown hen on a straw nest by Caroline Church

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A boat ship at sea in storm water ocean stormy

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Selected Clients

Domino's, DDB Helsinki, Atlantic Books, Virgin, McCann Erickson Dublin, Waitrose, Envision, Marks and Spencer, DDFG Vienna, Crispin Porter + Bogusky Colorado