BECKY'S PAGE

Well, what can I say? I hate talking about myself and I am one of those people that are modest and I don't like praising myself, so I will give this my best shot... I am 26 years old. I graduated in June 2003, with a 1:1 in BA (Hons) Visual Communication/Illustration from Birmingham Institute of Art and Design. I won the '£2000 Debenhams' Design Innovator of the Year 2003' in May, and the '£200 Lousia Anne Ryland Scholarship 2003' for 'outstanding design' of my degree portfolio. At the same time I was featured on the BBCi website where I was described a 'Fantastic Illustrator' and I was commissioned by Debenhams to produce three 1 metre x 1 metre canvas for their new store that opened in the Bull Ring, Birmingham in September 2003.

I was born in Bath and moved to Buckinghamshire in 1988, where I attended the Misbourne School in Great Missenden and where I spent most of my teenage life. I now live in the mountains of North Wales in a beautiful little cottage and as you can probably tell, the fantastic landscape here is a huge influence on my work. My dad, Peter is also a painter and worked as Creative Group Head at Saatchi before retiring, so obviously has been a huge influence on me.

In 1999, after A Levels, I gained a place at Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College in High Wycombe to study Art Foundation - graduating the next year with a Distinction and a place at Birmingham Institute of Art and Design, initially to study BA (Hons) Fine Art. But it took me a year of frustration before I realised that 'art' today is all about 'concepts' of great piles of crap and stained beds, and not really about talent, I changed my course to Illustration. That was the best thing that I have ever done in my life and I have never really looked back since.

Since I graduated I have completed many commissions from 'blue chip' companies but I also love to paint and draw anything ... animals, humans, landscapes, weather (often the bad type!)... anything! Now I am working as a freelance Illustrator and designer with successful commissions already under my belt from Severn Trent Water,Debenhams, Nigel Hughes Photography, Portmeirion, Welsh Books Council (so far three books illustrated for them!), Ffestiniog Railway and many more local companies. To further extend my skills and experience I also do a spot of freelance Web Design for a company up here in North Wales.

My other hobbies include riding my five year old Welsh Cob Jake and teaching him to jump, although he much prefers eating! I also work on the Ffestiniog Railway to help pay the mortgage as artists like me can go months without being paid! I love going out on the Steam Trains when I can with my new husbad Jonathan. If I'm not in the studios drawing, I'm usually high up on the mountains pottering around on Jake, or down at Harbour Station selling tickets, or in the pub with a nice pint of Purple Moose beer! And, of course, I am now married to a very special friend, Jonathon Whalley. If you want to see some pictures of the wedding just click on the image!

My web personal sites are:

www.illustration-kitchin.co.uk
www.rebecca-kitchin.co.uk

and my e-commerce sites are: