For those of you who’ve been checking out our posts in The Craft Room for a while now, you’ll know we love having a peek behind the curtain and finding out that little bit more about ranges, brands and the wonderful creatives behind those. We thought we’d keep things a little closer to home for our first Artist’s Corner and have a chat with the wonderfully talented Francesca Aloi, a talented illustrator whose lent her skills to our very own yarn brand, Yarnsmiths.

We caught up with Francesca recently to dive further into her journey with sketches and watercolours; let’s see what she had to say when talking about her artistic journey!

Hi, Francesca! Where did your love of art come from?

I couldn’t really say when it started; I would say it was kind of a family thing. There are some families where everybody likes to sing, or everyone is very sporty – well, in my family, drawing was a common thing. My grandpa was a farmer, but he could casually draw something incredible, much like my dad and my cousin. I have to say there is also a side of the family that’s very musically talented, but I definitely didn’t get that from that side!

Anyway, as a child I was so shy that I wouldn’t even try to open my mouth to sing; I felt so much more comfortable with a pencil in my hand, so I started to doodle and sketch long before learning to write. Over the years, my passion grew and, as I got older, I headed to art school. I graduated from the Institute of Applied Arts in Fashion and Costume History, and later at the Academy of Fine Arts, specialising in Scenography and Costume Design. But, like the title of my school said, you can apply art in many forms. So, your artistic life is a continuous journey of researching and discovering new passions, always being intrigued with new aspects of art.

We love that! What inspires you the most as an artist?

I think that everyone has their own way to absorb and express their art, and if your way is the visual one, then you’ll keep viewing the world through that lens, wherever life will bring you, so everything can be an inspiration.

I go through phases with random stuff. Now, I’m fully in a “forest” phase: trees, leaves, berries, the sun through the tree canopies, foliage colours in different seasons, in different times… just name them! So I love to go through photos, watch movies, head out on walks in the forests, and look at illustrations from other artists. I’m like a sponge, that way!

You’ve collaborated with Yarnsmiths over the years to bring characters and packaging to life – what’s your typical creative process when receiving a brief? Do you jump straight in with sketches? Or is there another way you like to discover the art?

Do you know those memes about the athletes at the start of a marathon? Basically, I’m like that! When I receive a new commitment, the thoughts just start running everywhere. I really do love that initial spark of the creative process; that moment when you still have all the doors open.

Then I start to sketch, sketch, sketch… and then a tight deadline is what it saves me. No more time to experiment, just the pressure to produce the piece and turn it in.

I think I can speak for us all when I say that your illustrations for Yarnsmiths are super cute! Are there any artists in particular that inspire you to create?

One of my favorite artists is Giovanni Boldini, he was an Italian artist active between the late 1800s to the early 1900s. He worked and lived in England and France, too; very famous for his portraits. His style was very versatile; his strokes felt more dynamic in comparison to other artists of that time and far less static. For example, you can really get a feel for how fabric would drape on a subject with his action. Each piece really feels like you’re there – never a dull moment!

But if we are talking about illustration, I really love Anna Castagnoli. Her art is very fascinating and she’s an incredible teacher, specialising in children’s books and their history. Her style’s very sophisticated and very unusual for a kids book. I love the atmosphere that she’s able to create, alongside her use of mixed media. I met her in person when I was living in Shanghai at the time; she’s originally from Italy and she has been living abroad for many years. She was so lovely and it’s a really fond memory to look back on, both personally and professionally.

I could really go on and on, but some of my other favourites are Anita Jeram, Quentin Blake and Gabriel Evans. Really wonderful artists and their work is always a joy to see!

If you’re facing a block, what gets your creative juices flowing again?

If I don’t feel creative, it usually has to do with my mood. A lot of artists, not only visual, also writers, express their anxiety or pains through their arts – that is a historical fact. But for some others, art is more the expression of joy, and that’s what it is for me. If nothing comes out of my pencil, it’s better if leave it on the desk, go to dissolve that dark cloud that I have in my mind, and then come back to my space when I’m ready to.

A great way of looking after all facets of yourself as an artist, there. When you’re able to return to your workspace, what are your must-have specific tools?

My favourite paper is Hahnemuhle hot pressed 300 gsm, for many reasons: I can find it locally and support a lovely local business, and also because the ratio for price and quality is great. Watercolour paper can be so expensive and I feel the pressure to create the “right” thing on it, but when it’s a more reasonable price, I feel like I can just come to the paper with whatever idea and I don’t feel as if it’s wasted!

In term of utensils, I prefer synthetic brushes as they’re ethically better in terms of animal fur, as I really don’t wish to use those for that reason. They also feel sturdier to me and I can’t say I always wash them as much I should! 

For paints, I use gouache as they’re of great material effect and very versatile, so they can be used as watercolours or for a more opaque paint, so it just gives me more options overall for a piece. I also like the watercolour pencils, as they are versatile too, and sometimes I use dip ink pen to outline.

You’ve illustrated for a couple of Children’s books in Italy, could you tell us a little more about that process?

The first book I illustrated, Sogni Splendenti Con Il Topino Dei Denti, published by Effata, was with a friend of mine who’s a teacher, and an author of many children’s books, Simona Obialero. We use to live together in Shanghai and we’ve shared a lot of adventures over the years, creative and not-so-create, so the book became another of those. It is so nice to share work like that with someone that you are in harmony with; I could definitely say that we were always on the same page!

In terms of illustrating, the author will give you the manuscript and, in my case, Simona came to me with ideas about what she wanted. She knew that she wanted a lot of details in the illustrations to keep the young readers engaged, and to give them the opportunity to focus and to dream in front of the pages. She kindly gave me a lot of freedom to work with, so that the illustrations became a story within the story.

What a wonderful opportunity to be able to work with such a close friend in this way. Is there another art style you’d like to try?

I’d love to play around with collage more, but I also would like to learn more about digital art. I used to draw digitally a fair few years back now, so I’m sure there’s plenty of new apps and tools that would be fun to learn about and use!

Out of all of the pieces you’ve created, is there a particular illustration that resonates with you the most?

In general, I tend to find that the one I’m working on is my favourite, but very quickly that feeling fades away and I’m not so satisfied anymore. Then I’ll move onto the next and I go “Oh no, this is my favourite” and I go on like this!

Would you ever consider designing a fabric collection? If so, what would be your topic of choice? What could you see your range looking like?

Oh, that would be so cute! Finally, are there any upcoming projects that you can share with us?

I can’t really share details right now, but there is a work-in-progress, which I’m very excited about.

Thanks for chatting with us today, Francesca! We can’t wait to see what you create next! 🖌️🎨🖼️

A truly talented artist and a wonderfully inspiring being. For more about Francesca, her artwork and her designs, be sure to visit her Instagram HERE. If you’re enjoying your time in The Craft Room, be sure to subscribe below for regular free patterns, inspiration, chats with designers and so much more ⤵️✨