PLANT LIFE

SOPHIE RAWLINGSON & SAMIRA HUKE

 
 

Sophie Rawlingson studied graphic design at the University of Arts London, but always harboured a fondness for illustration. After graduation, she dedicated her time to developing her drawing skills and hone her style, inspired by artists like Lisa Congdon and Monika Fosberg. “While I don’t think they necessarily influenced my style, I enjoy their work and aspire to their level of imagination, use of colour, and range,” she explains.

 
 
 

Cutting Stems

 

Her work is rooted in nature, with a particular focus on plants and flowers. Through block colours and simplified shapes, she codifies plants into symbols, drawn from an interest in folklore. “Using patterns and repetition is another way my work can be kept simple while allowing for layers of meaning,” she added, “though this style appeals to me visually, I don’t feel bound to create in one particular way.” Sophie’s illustrations lean into the quiet strength of nature, often expressed through calming and gentle designs, but not always, “other times I tell stories of humans within nature, which tend to be more chaotic.”

 
 
 

All her work begins with the old-fashioned method of pen and paper, sketches which, once completed, she outlines into vector shapes, “I love figuring out colour and composition digitally,” she told us. Though Sophie always works from reference photos, her process is one of paring-down, simplifying each shape to create something unfamiliar and slightly alien. Through Cluster, Sophie hopes to gain a sense of community with like minded creatives. Right now, she is focused on exploring gouache paints, “there’s something nice about working at a slower pace compared to my digital work,” she added.

Happy House Plant

 
 
 
 
 
 

Woman with birds | BUY THIS FROM OUR ONLINE SHOP

 


A graphic design graduate of the Hochschule Dusseldorf, Samira Huke is another artist enthralled by nature. Her multicultural upbringing in Cologne sparked an early interest in different visual traditions. “With a Moroccan father and German mother, my art is influenced by both cultures,” she explained, “Morocco in particular is known for its vibrant colours, especially cobalt blue, bright reds and emerald greens.”

 
 

 Similarly, her work utilises strong blocks of colour and simple forms, though for Samira, this style is rooted in her cultural and educational background. “My use of block colour is influenced by Moroccan architecture and tiles,” she told Cluster, “while my simple use of form comes from my background in graphic design, where it’s often about breaking a concept down to its core.” Samira lives in a small German village, as such, her daily experiences in nature seep into her work. In her piece Bloom, selected by Cluster, a young woman cups multiple bouquets of flowers; their colourful stems and petals rise all around her in a peaceful embrace. “I find plants have a very calming effect,” she added, “I don’t have a green thumb at all, so perhaps this is my own small way of keeping plants alive, somehow.”

The Artist

 
 
 


Though her creative process is mainly digital, Samira likes to evoke the feeling of an analogue drawing by including subtle but visible outlines and light but slightly textured shading. Taking photos with her phone, she documents moments from her life; a flower, landscape, person, or building, for example. After sketching by hand, she transfers her images to her iPad where she finalises each piece. “I like working digitally,” she told us, “it allows me to easily play around with colour combinations, brushes and structures. As a graduate new to the working world, she joined Cluster to learn more about freelance illustration, find new opportunities and exchange ideas with others. Currently, Samira is preparing for a Masters degree, where she hopes to combine illustration and interaction design.

Bloom

 
 
 

Despite working digitally, both Sophie and Samira preserve a sense of the haptic through simplified form and earthly subject matter. Through bold, block colours, they highlight the power of plants as both symbols of beauty and strength, subjects of lore and most of all, as quiet but consistent source of comfort in an increasingly chaotic world.

Work by both Sophie Rawlingson and Samira Huke can be viewed on the Cluster Illustration platform
and purchased through our Cluster Illustration Online Shop.

Thank you for reading,
Stephanie Gavan & Cluster Team.