Collaborations
I love to work with others - whether it is a custom design project, a commission for a watercolour painting or illustration for a book,
I relish the opportunity to help others to realise their vision with a beautiful piece of artwork.
Below you will find some examples of recent projects I have had the honour of collaborating on.
Do you have a project in mind and need some original patterns, custom designs or watercolour illustrations?
If so I would love to help you, drop me an email with some details of your project brief and let’s see if we can make it happen!
Shetland Trader - Book 3 - Heritage
My sister, Gudrun Johnston, is a knitwear designer.
Also known under her business name ‘Shetland Trader’.
Gudrun has published two knitwear books already. For her most recent publication ‘Shetland Trader - Book 3 - Heritage’, Gudrun asked me to provide some illustrations to go alongside her knitwear designs.
This book project is particularly special to me, not only as I am collaborating with my sister but also because this book was written and published in honour of our late mother, Patricia Johnston. Patricia herself was a knitwear designer in the 70’s in Shetland and was the inspiration for Gudrun to take up knitwear design later in her life. Patricia was known as having a ‘green thumb’ meaning she loved plants, both in her own garden and in her home. When we picture her at home in the beautiful interiors she created she was always surrounded by lots of pot plants. It felt fitting therefore to include some botanical illustrations within the book too.
Along with some of Gudrun’s own designs, she has carefully curated a selection of our mother’s original designs and written up the patterns so that others may enjoy knitting these too and continue to enjoy these beautiful designs for years to come.
Included within this book are beautiful schematics by Gudrun’s daughter,
Maya Durham.
It will be a tribute to our late mother and a very special collaboration between mothers, sisters and daughters.
This publication will be published by PomPom and is due for release later this year. Each book purchased from PomPom’s website, will also be gift-wrapped in the Kiokio pattern design you see (below right).
My mother, Patricia Johnston wearing one of her own designs in her knitwear shop in Lerwick, Shetland.
Maywick - Gudrun Johnston
Soorik - Gudrun Johnston