Introduction! Who is Cats & Babs?

Ello there or shall I say Meowdy! My name is Debs, a short bubbly artist based just outside of Glasgow, Scotland!

It is always so nerve wracked creating a new project, in my case this now - a blog. I've been mulling this over since mid last year... grammar and writing isn't my strong suit as an artist so as you can imagine I have been putting this off for as long as I could! But here I am, mustering the courage to write about my fandangled musings and showing you what goes on in the background.

But first an introduction is in order!

A little bit about me and what makes me tick as a person and as an artist. I love coffee, sweet treats, Pusheen, cats and I absolutely ADORE illustration. I could pour over illustrations for hours without losing interest! (I recently acquired a few early Imagine FX magazines which younger me desperately wanted to read, she would be so happy as current me definitely is!)

My interests sprawl from looking at illustration works, pondering fashion, games and photography with a mighty scoop of colour and cats to complement it!

I hear you asking "Hey Debs, what sort of artist are you?" I am an Illustrator! Illustrators bring ideas to life in the form of children's books, box art, posters, packaging, products etc! I specialise in atmospheric character art, bold coloured with a real focus on the female form whilst exploring the world as it presents itself to me! I also focus on product design for the conventions I exhibit at!

"What tools do you use?" My tools of the trade is my trusty Leuchtturm1917 sketchbook (I am almost finished this book!) and a Faber Castell 0.5 mechanical pencil for when I am sketching or on the go, when I am at my desk I draw on my Huion Kamvas 22 Plus on my desktop using Photoshop!

I will state my stance that AI has no place in my work, everything is made by me - a genuine artist!

My aim in the future is to work on my story and card game that I have been slowly chipping away at and also to lean more into outfit design!

"What is Cats & Babs?" It is my creative moniker and my brand name symbolising the core of my creativity! I love drawing cats and the people I draw are my babs, the people I love and cherish!

I started Cats & Babs after I was let go from my Administration job in 2023, I was fortunate to have been given severance despite not reaching 2 years in that role, I took that and ran with the determination to make it in the creative world!

"How long have you been drawing?" I have been drawing since I can remember! Some of my first memories are painting on the floor or getting shoo'd out of my home as a child to go to school.

"Did you go to art school?" The short answer is yes, long answer is I did but I do wish I hadn't. I feel I am having to unlearn what was drilled into me when I was there! There are a lot of things I wish they would have taught us but didn't but that's for another time!

If you have a character or a project that needs Illustrating, please reach out! I am always very happy to help breathe life into thoughts and musings!